Last year, I traveled the state and listened to Floridians. I quickly learned that their number-one concern is the quality of their children’s education. That’s why my proposed budget called for an additional $1billion in education funding.

Today, I would like to thank the Florida House of Representatives for fulfilling my billion-dollar request. Educating our children will give them the skills to compete for higher paying jobs and will make Florida attractive to employers in the years to come. This investment will not pay off immediately, but it is the foundation for long-term prosperity in Florida.

I remain confident that the Senate will also put Florida’s children first when they begin budget negotiations. As I have stated before, I will not sign a budget that does not include a significant increase in funding for education. On this, I cannot budge.

I look forward to another week of session in Tallahassee; I hope you have a great weekend.

“On behalf of Florida’s students, I thank Speaker Cannon and members of the House Appropriations Committee for focusing on my proposal to place an additional $1 billion into K-12 education.

“When I put forward my budget proposal in December, I made it clear that I would not sign any budget that does not significantly increase state funding for education. Today’s vote shows that the House heard this promise loud and clear, and they too are committed to prioritizing education funding.

“The most important thing we can do to ensure Floridians have the job opportunities they deserve is to provide our students with a quality education and prepare them to be competitive in our 21st century workforce.”