BUDGET TOPS $70 B
Bottom line on the 2010 budget that hit lawmakers desks Tuesday just before 3 p.m.? $70.4 billion. The House earlier proposed a $67.2 billion spending plan. And the Senate approved a $69.4 billion version. But weeks of negotiations that followed seemed only to fatten the spending plan, a swelling that occurs almost every year once anticipated federal dollars, trust funds and agency "reversions" of money are calculated. A vote on the measure Friday will be one of the last acts of the spring session.

EARLIEST SINE DIE: POSSIBLE IS 2:59 PM FRIDAY
The printed House budget arrived on desks in the chamber and of other officials at 2:59 p.m. on Tuesday, starting a 72-hour clock before a final vote can occur. The Senate handed out the budget a bit earlier, at 2:34 p.m. The earliest a final vote on the budget could occur is thus 2:59 p.m. on Friday.

ARNOLD MAY KEEP JOB
On a day when two of Gov. Charlie Crist’s Public Service Commission appointments were rejected by the state Senate, it appeared likely Tuesday that another agency pick will continue in his job. Agency for Health Care Administration Secretary Tom Arnold has been on thin ice since a Senate committee refused to confirm him on a 4-3 vote earlier this month. If Arnold’s appointment was brought to the Senate floor, it might result in another setback for Crist. But Senate budget chairman J.D. Alexander, R-Lake Wales, said Tuesday there was no plan to push for a vote on Arnold. Instead, Arnold can be reappointed by Crist following the session. But Alexander predicted Arnold will not remain in the job past Crist's term as governor. Arnold, who heads the state’s Medicaid program, has been under fire from Senate Health Regulation Committee Chairman Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, for failing to crack down on fraud and waste. “Mr. Arnold’s a good man, a reasonable person, but I’ve been very disappointed in his handling of a number of issues,” Alexander said. But Alexander suggested that Senate President Jeff Atwater, R-North Palm Beach, may have blocked any attempt to bring Arnold to a floor vote. "I don’t think the president was trying to fail anyone,” Alexander said.

SPONSOR: INSURANCE ISSUE FADING
final attempt to revamp the property insurance laws this session was “likely going down in flames” as the measure faces continued scrutiny and is running out of time, the lead House sponsor said Tuesday. The House took up SB 2044 on Tuesday, with its sponsor facing lengthy questioning. Following the floor session, House sponsor Rep. Will Proctor, R-St. Augustine, said he plans to file three last-minute amendments to deal with contents coverage and other issues, but the changes may not be enough to placate the Senate or withstand a veto by the governor, who has made it clear that he’s not willing to provide too much help to the insurance industry. “I fear that this measure may be going to down in flames,” Proctor said. A veto threat has already scuttled another industry backed measure that would have allowed insurance companies to increase individual premiums by up to 20 percent without the need for state approval.

SENATE SET TO VOTE ON LYING LOBBYIST BILL
The Senate gave preliminary approval Tuesday to a measure that would make it a crime for lobbyists to lie to the Legislature. The bill (SB 2252) wouldn't apply to opinions offered to legislative committees, or mistakes, only willful misreprentation of material facts, said the bill's sponsor, Sen. Alex Villalobos, R-Miami. The measure could come up for a final vote on Wednesday.

SIPLIN RE-ELECTED AS BLACK CAUCUS CHAIRMAN