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State lawmakers will need to fill up on turkey this Thanksgiving because legislative leaders say there’s no room for the birds in the state budget. Turkeys are special projects lawmakers sneak through the budget process. Florida’s new House Speaker and Senate President say there will be no money this year for Community Budget Issue Requests (CBIRS). Florida TaxWatch, a nonprofit research group, combs the budget every year to uncover government waste. Spokesman Robert Weissert says legislative leaders are moving in the right direction.

“The legislature is sending the right signal of fiscal responsibility. We are really going to clamp down, focus on the core, vital services and find a way to fill the budget hole without raising taxes,” said Weissert.

Last year a similar call was made, but 61 million dollars worth of projects that didn’t go through the normal legislative process made it into the state budget. The last time TaxWatch found no turkeys was 2003.