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State lawmakers are gearing up for 2016’s legislative session where they’ll craft new laws and policy for Florida. But as Matt Galka tell us, there could still be animosity left over from an unceremonious ending this past year.

Florida’s Senate President Andy Gardiner and Speaker of the House Steve Crisafulli both laid out their priorities for 2016’s legislative session and they shared the same top goal: providing economic opportunities for disabled Floridians.

But they did it separately.  The two chamber heads appeared together in the past to lay out a joint work plan. But earlier this year – legislative session came to a divisive end after both sides couldn’t agree on Healthcare funding.  The two state leaders downplayed the separate appearances.

“When you do a joint agenda it takes a long time and certnaily we’ve been busy over the last few months, but I think we’ve got a pretty good idea what the House is interested in and they know what I’m interested in and hopefully we can get some things done,” said Senate President Andy Gardiner.

“The President and I are good friends. We’re close, we communicate, obviously there were differences last  year, but the fact that we’re not doing this together today is something that you don’t need to read much into,” said House Speaker Steve Crisafulli.

Healthcare access and cost is expected to dominate the session again. Crisafulli reiterated his chamber’s opposition to Medicaid expansion and said they’d focus on programs driving down costs. Gardiner said lower costs doesn’t help the person without healthcare coverage to begin with.

“Somebody’s going to have to show us that this is really going to lower the cost of healthcare and if they’re going to claim that this helps with access, if you don’t have insurance it doesn’t matter how many programs you create,” said Sen. Gardiner.

Crisafulli said they’d keep cost and access separate issues.

“Obviously driving down costs helps the rest of us standing here but improving access provides opportunities to those that don’t have it,” he said.

2016’s legislative session begins in January. Earlier than the typical March start time.

Both sides also talked tax cuts, but didn’t get specific on just how big of a break they might propose.