Rick Scott's first budget is for this year, and next. Now will the Legislature go along?

Gov. Rick Scott promised during the campaign to force state government to take a longer view when approaching its annual spending plan.

Scott, a tea party favorite, argued that the farther you looked into the future, the less likely you were to make knee-jerk decisions that you would come to regret. As an example, he singled out the state's decision to accept and rely on temporary federal stimulus dollars that, he said, only delayed tough decisions or falsely propped up budget hopes.

So Scott said he would propose two-year budget plans to 1.) Help steady Florida's fiscal future and 2.) Allow the public and voters to understand where the state was heading.

On Feb. 7, 2011, Scott proposed his first-year state budget -- and his second-year state spending plan. Scott's two-year budget plan would shrink the overall state budget from $70.3 billion to $65.9 billion in 2011-2012 and to $63.3 billion in 2012-2013. You can see Scott's proposals by clicking here.

Scott's proposed two-year budget is just that -- a proposal. The Legislature ultimately is the one that passes the budget, and neither House Speaker Dean Cannon or Senate President Mike Haridopolos has said whether passing a two-year budget is a priority.

Scott, after unveiling his proposal, told reporters that passing a two-year budget is "the right thing to do." But he didn't say he'd veto a budget if it was for only one year, calling the question hypothetical.

Still, for the purpose of his promise, Scott said he would propose biennial budgets. And he has done just that. We also feel comfortable that rolling out his spending plan across Florida -- including his budget announcement in tiny Eustis -- is at the least an attempt to give the public input. And proposing a two-year plan allows the public more time to review spending plans for both 2011-2012 and 2012-2013.

We'll be watching to see if he continues to propose two-year budgets moving forward, but for now, Scott has delivered on what he said during the campaign. We rate this Promise Kept.