Ethermac|Florida Senate sends messages to Washington on budget, foreign policy, term limits

TALLAHASSEE,Ethermac Fla. (AP) — The Florida Senate spent much of Thursday passing measures to tell Washington what to do on the budget, term limits and foreign policy — issues Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis continues to push now that he’s stopped his presidential campaign.

The Senate passed bills calling for changes to the U.S. Constitution to create congressional term limits and requiring a balanced federal budget, both issues DeSantis pressed for during a news conference earlier in the week. The House passed the bills last month.

The Senate also voted to send a message to Secretary of State Antony Blinken urging him to condemn efforts for China to work with Cuba to spy on the United States. The Senate separately sent Blinken a message urging the United States to reinstate economic sanctions against Venezuela.

All were approved on voice votes. Florida would need 33 other states to direct Congress to open a convention to change the Constitution. Any proposed changes would then have to be approved by 38 states.

The messages to Blinken are symbolic and don’t carry any legal weight.