PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WMBB) — Days after winning re-election to the Florida house of Representatives, Rep. Jay Trumbull (R-Dist. 6) has been appointed as Chair of the House Appropriations Committee.
“The position that he is getting appointed to by the Speaker of the House is the most significant position that we’ve had in Northwest Florida in a tremendous long time,” said Florida Chief Financial Officer, Jimmy Patronis, on Thursday.
The post is a significant leadership position, as Trumbull will head the committee which oversees the budgetary process for all state government spending in Florida.
“It’s really humbling to be a guy from the Panhandle to be able to have a post as significant as this,” Trumbull said. “The Appropriations committee is in charge, is essentially in charge of the checkbook as it relates to all state expenditures.”
He said he’s honored to have been appointed to the position, and will work to help the state and its communities move forward financially during and after the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the various hurricanes the state has faced over the last several years.
“Our state has gone through a tremendous amount over the last couple of years, whether that’s COVID or a hurricane,” Trumbull said. “A lot of communities are hurting and I’m going to be in a position where we can be able to make sure that those communities get the resources they need to thrive.”
Trumbull will be responsible on the House side for balancing the $92.3 billion budget the state legislature passed earlier this year.
He said a deficit is expected over the next few fiscal years and COVID-19 didn’t help.
“We’re going to have to make some difficult decisions,” he said, adding that Florida is in a better position than many other states across the country. “We’re going to make a concerted effort to make sure that the state as a whole is taken care of, that we have the adequate amount of dollars needed to make sure that areas that were affected adversely will be made whole and that folks understand that we’re going to do everything in our power, I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure that we spend fiscally responsible.”
Trumbull will serve as the House Appropriations Committee Chair for the next two years.
He will be speaking at the Bay County Chamber of Commerce First Friday event on November 5th.
