ReportingBush told the newspaper it was "important" for him to "get out of the way" of his successor, Charlie Crist, so the new governor could "create his own path."
Bush said he needed to simply "let go."
Yet as we saw on March 26th, Bush may be gone, but he has never really let go. Bush has always maintained a presence in Tallahassee – if not physically, then certainly philosophically. Many of his former top aides went to work for House Speaker Marco Rubio, and the conservative Rubio himself told me recently he consults with Bush – usually through email – on a regular basis.
But the decision this week by the Taxation and Budget Reform Commission (TBRC) to propose an amendment to the state constitution, obliterating the line between Church and State, and opening the door for taxpayer money to be funneled directly to religious institutions, is entirely the handiwork of Jeb Bush. The members of the TBRC who drove that proposal all had ties to Jeb Bush when he was governor.
It was as if Bush, in Freddy Krueger-like fashion, returned from the politically dead, to wreak just a little more havoc.
The change to the Constitution is something Bush has wanted since a state appeals court struck down part of his vaunted voucher program because the judges found it violated the "no aid" provision of the state constitution. The "no aid" language has been a hallmark of Florida's constitution for more than 120 years.
The constitutional amendment, which will now appear on the November ballot, and will need 60 percent approval to be adopted, was introduced to the TBRC by Commissioner Patricia Levesque, a former Bush aide who now heads his foundation, the Foundation for Florida's Future. She was joined by other Bush appointees on the TBRC in passing the measure.
Bush has not commented on the plan, but it is widely expected that he will emerge from his self-imposed political hiatus to campaign aggressively for the amendment.
State Rep. Dan Gelber, a Miami Beach Democrat, told me he believes Bush will raise millions in the coming months to mount a campaign across the state in support of the amendment.
Passage of the amendment alone will not resurrect Bush's voucher program, known as Opportunity Scholarships and offered to children from "failing schools." The state Supreme Court struck down Bush's voucher program on other grounds, as well. The justices argued the state Constitution does not allow the state to fund dueling school systems and therefore state resources can not be diverted to private schools. But the constitutional amendment proposed Wednesday by the TBRC will certainly re-ignite the debate over vouchers. And it comes at a time when funding for public education is already in jeopardy.
Indeed, a second constitutional amendment by the TBRC will also have a dramatic effect on the state's school system. The plan to eliminate that portion of your property tax bill that goes toward education will also be on the ballot in November.
Currently $9 billion is raised through property taxes for local school districts. Under the proposal, which would also need 60 percent approval from voters, the property tax that goes toward education would be replaced by a one cent increase to the sales tax. But a penny increase would only raise approximately $3.2 billion.
State lawmakers would have to come up with another $5.8 billion from somewhere – budget cuts, other tax increases – to make up the difference. If they don't, the state's school system, which is already one of the poorest funded in the country, will be in even worse shape.
A third assault on public schools is also looming by the TBRC, a little known entity that meets every 20 years to review the state's budget and tax systems. The TBRC is also debating whether to make changes to the class-size amendment voters approved several years ago. Bush fought hard to defeat the class-size amendment when it was first introduced, and he appears to be trying to undo its effect through the TBRC.
As of right now, however, it appears those efforts will fall short and no change to the class-size amendment will make it onto the November ballot.
A rare defeat for a former Governor who can't just seem to let go.
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