4 days ago
Lawmakers approved FSU Election Law Center, but funding vanishes for 2025-26
As Florida State's College of Law is finding out, the Legislature gives – and the Legislature takes away.
Even though lawmakers preliminarily approved funding for the Election Law Center at Florida State University to be codified in statute, the organization won't be receiving any money in the state budget for 2025-26.
The House of Representatives originally set aside $950,000 for the center, but the Senate left it totally unfunded. As budget talks near to a close, the House adopted the Senate's position, and now the center is left without state money for next fiscal year. The state's budget year runs July 1-June 30.
"We are grateful to the Florida Legislature for passing the first part of the bill that puts the Election Law Center in statute, and we are hopeful it will pave the way for future funding," said Suzi Baugh, communications director for the College of Law. How the center will be funded going forward was not immediately clear.
As previously reported, a bill on the "Florida State University Election Law Center" (SB 892), sponsored by Sen. Corey Simon, R-Tallahassee, allowed the center to be funded directly by the state. It was a way to make sure the center got recurrent state funding and remain in existence indefinitely.
"The bill provides that the center will be funded through appropriations in the General Appropriations Act, charitable donations and grants, and other university funds," a staff analysis said.
The FSU Election Law Center – spearheaded by law professor Michael Morley – conducts nonpartisan research to provide evidence-based analyses of issues in election laws, which govern the way elections are conducted.
The center also helps FSU law students understand how to enhance the public's understanding of the electoral system. It also offers the student learners scholarships, externships and research fellowships to support careers in election law – a field that includes topics such as political spending, voting rights, ballot propositions, redistricting, gerrymandering and campaign finance.
The center opened in 2023 and received a nonrecurring appropriation of $1 million that year.
While Simon's bill passed unanimously in the House and Senate, it has not yet been sent to Gov. Ron DeSantis' desk for signature.
Ana Goñi-Lessan, state watchdog reporter for the USA TODAY Network – Florida, can be reached at agonilessan@
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Florida Legislature backed FSU Election Law Center—just not with cash
