After a packed eight-hour session, the Florida House passed its initial $66.5 billion budget 78-to-39 Thursday on a party-lines vote.

With the Senate passing a $69.8 billion initial budget earlier in the day and Gov. Rick Scott initially proposing a $65.9 billion budget, the two chambers will start conferencing next week as they try to reach an agreement.

House Speaker Dean Cannon, R-Winter Park, set the stage of the lengthy House session by offering his members a “road map” on the day’s proceedings.

“This is procedurally complicated today,” said Cannon, who pleaded with House members to listen and focus during the Thursday session, but had to wield the gavel a few times to urge them to cease private conversations.

The representatives engaged in structured and limited debate per an earlier agreement. Rep. Denise Grimsley, R-Sebring, served as the floor manager for the Republicans while Rep. Jim Waldman, D-Coconut Creek, managed the Democrats on the floor.

Grimsley, in her capacity as chairwoman of the Appropriations Committee, had the various appropriation subcommittee chairs bring out their budgetary proposals and conforming measures -- many of which passed on party line votes.

“This budget will undoubtedly help Florida’s economy,” said Grimsley, who maintained that the House budget would overcome the state’s more than $4 billion shortfall without raising taxes.

Her comments were mirrored by Republicans on the floor as they praised the proposed budget and defended it.

“We have crafted a budget that has not raised taxes,” said Rep. Janet Adkins, R-Fernandina Beach, who said the House could be “proud” of backing the proposed budget.

“It’s not easy to prioritize,” said Rep. Ben Albritton, R-Bartow, who said that the proposed budget reflected the desire of voters to limit the size and scope of the state government. “It’s not easy to live within our means.”

“Our budget reflects the state of the economy,” said Rep. Marti Coley, R-Marianna. “We, like so many families, had to prioritize.”

Democrats stood against the proposed budget, maintaining that it would not help the state’s economy recover and cut too much from education and health care, hurt state workers and relied on new taxes and fees.

House Democratic Leader Ron Saunders of Key West kicked off the debate on the general appropriations act by repeating his assertion that the budget included a state income tax, noting that the proposal relied on pension contributions from state employees which he maintained was a tax.

“Our budget in 2008-2009 was $900 million less than our projected budget for 2011-12,” said Rep. Dwight Bullard, D-Cutler Bay. “We are also spending $1 billion less on per-student funding this year than we did in 2008 and 2009. This proposal is not student-centered -- nor does it meet our constitutional obligation to provide a high-quality public education for the next generation of Floridians.”

“He’s comparing apples and oranges,” shot back Coley, who insisted Bullard “had to look at the general revenue.”

“We had less in general revenue,” said Coley, looking at the budget Bullard brought up and comparing it to the proposed one. “We did make reductions. They were necessary.”

Rep. Darren Soto, D-Orlando, pointed to a report that while Florida ranked fourth in population, it was 11th in terms of housing Fortune 500 companies -- and he insisted that this was due to the state’s lack of spending on education and infrastructure.

“Florida’s inadequate share of Fortune 500 companies proves that our state needs to make the investments that will attract top corporations to our state,” said  Soto. “These findings contradict the jobs mantra touted by Governor Rick Scott and the Republican Legislature in the 2011 budget, that less regulation and lower taxes are the key to our prosperity.”

Soto pointed to JetBlue refusing to move its headquarters to Orlando -- which prompted Rep. Clay Ingram, R-Pensacola, to fire back that Vision Airlines relocated to the Sunshine State due to the state’s pro-business environment.