2021 Legislative Report Week 4 DATE: February 12, 2021
Posted over 4 years ago by Regina Sanders
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2021 Legislative Report
DATE: February 12, 2021
THIS WEEK IN REVIEW:
Committee week four was short. The Legislature only had meetings through Wednesday this week. Lots of bills and appropriation projects were popping out of bill drafting this week in the House as they were getting caught up from the mad rush last week to meet the filing deadlines.
Vacation rentals legislation is back. Again. Rep. Jason Fischer presented HB 219 in the House Regulatory Reform Subcommittee on Wednesday. The bill would preempt local rules on vacation rental homes that were put in place after 2011 and would require the homes to be licensed and regulated by the Department of Business and Professional Regulation. After adopting a strike-all amendment, the bill passed 10-7 and will next go to the Ways & Means Committee. The companion bill filed by Sen. Manny Diaz, SB 522, will be heard in its first committee next week.
To address the increase in early voting in Florida. Sen. Gainer filed SB 744, which would allow “super voting” sites in Florida. The proposed super voting sites would allow voters to cast their ballot in person at any super voting site in their county, even on Election Day. Gulf and Bay Counties have already used the concept after Gov. Ron DeSantis signed two executive orders in 2018 after Hurricane Michael to help alleviate issues with people being able to vote. Rep. Maney has filed the companion bill in the House, HB 635.
The Speaker of the House issues a letter to school districts this week advising them that they needed to find students who have gone “missing” since COVID-19 shut them down. The Speaker referred to a survey from October that showed full-time students have decreased by 87,000 across the state. In addition, he re-emphasized that because funding is on a “per-pupil” basis, allowing these children to go missing will affect funding for the school districts in the upcoming fiscal year. The Speaker also reminded school superintendents to not use Federal COVID dollars to pay for recurring budget items this year as the funding will not be continuing.
The next committee week will be starting on Tuesday, February 16. The 2021 Legislative Session will begin Tuesday, March 2, 2021.
Below you will find a list of the bills we are tracking and their current status. Each of these will be updated weekly during session.
Ordered by Bill Number
HB 0111 Autonomous Practice by an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse by Maggard
Autonomous Practice by an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse: Revises practice requirements for autonomous advanced practice registered nurse. Effective Date: July 1, 2021
Actions 01/20/2021 HOUSE Now in Professions & Public Health Subcommitte
HB 0247 Telehealth Practice Standards by Fabricio Telehealth Practice Standards: Revises definition of "telehealth"; deletes prohibition on prescribing controlled substances through telehealth. Effective Date: July 1, 2021
Actions 01/22/2021 HOUSE Now in Professions & Public Health Subcommittee
HB 0361 Consent for Pelvic Examinations by Jenne Consent for Pelvic Examinations: Revises circumstances under which pelvic examination may be performed without written consent; authorizes written consent for pelvic examination to be obtained as part of a general consent form & to allow multiple health care practitioners or students to perform the examination. Effective Date: July 1, 2021
Actions 02/03/2021 HOUSE Now in Professions & Public Health Subcommittee
SB 0362 Pediatric Cardiac Care by Harrell Pediatric Cardiac Care; Revising requirements for members of the pediatric cardiac technical advisory panel; extending sovereign immunity to apply to all individuals who are members of a site visit review team; requiring pediatric cardiac programs to include certain cases in the program’s required surgical volume; providing that pediatric cardiac surgical centers that are deemed by the panel to be noncompliant with certain standards must come into compliance with those standards within a specified timeframe, etc. Effective Date: 7/1/2021
Actions 01/11/2021 SENATE Referred to Health Policy; Judiciary; Rules
HB 0405 Mental Health and Substance Abuse by Maney Mental Health and Substance Abuse: Revises & provides terminology & requirements relating to petitions & procedures for voluntary & involuntary admissions, examinations, & treatment under Baker Act & Marchman Act. Effective Date: July 1, 2021
Actions 01/25/2021 HOUSE Filed
HB 0407 Pediatric Cardiac Care by Salzman Pediatric Cardiac Care: Revises requirements relating to membership of pediatric cardiac technical advisory panel; revises frequency of meetings; extends sovereign immunity to site visit review team members; provides requirements for cardiac surgical case volume; authorizes use of virtual site inspections; authorizes panel to make certain recommendation to secretary; authorizes secretary to accept or modify recommendation & enforce compliance with certain standards; requires that data comply with specified guidelines & suggestions. Effective Date: July 1, 2021
Actions 01/25/2021 HOUSE Filed
SB 0424 Autonomous Practice by Advanced Practice Registered Nurses by Brandes Autonomous Practice by Advanced Practice Registered Nurses; Revising practices an advanced practice registered nurse may engage in autonomously, etc. Effective Date: 7/1/2021
Actions 01/15/2021 SENATE Referred to Health Policy; Banking and Insurance; Rules
HB 0431 Practice of Physician Assistants by Rommel Practice of Physician Assistants: Authorizes licensed physician assistant to provide signature, certification, stamp, verification, affidavit, or endorsement for specified reasons, with exception; deletes provision relating to performance of medical services by trainee; revises accreditation requirements; authorizes trainee to perform medical services within scope of approved program; revises physician assistant licensure requirements; revises & provides requirements for temporary licensure & license renewal; provides requirements for physician assistant to engage in autonomous practice. Effective Date: July 1, 2021
Actions 01/26/2021 HOUSE Filed
HB 0485 Personal Care Attendants by Garrison Personal Care Attendants: Authorizes nursing home facilities to employ personal care attendants if certain training requirement is met; requires AHCA, in consultation with Board of Nursing, to develop certain training program; provides minimum requirements for such program; authorizes certain persons to be employed by nursing home facility as personal care attendants for specified period if certain training requirement is met; provides definition for term "personal care attendants." Effective Date: upon becoming a law
Actions 01/27/2021 HOUSE Filed
SB 0528 Health Insurance Prior Authorization by Harrell. Health Insurance Prior Authorization; Prohibiting health maintenance organizations from excluding coverage for certain cancer treatment drugs; specifying requirements for, and restrictions on, health insurers and pharmacy benefits managers relating to prior authorization information, requirements, restrictions, and changes; requiring health insurers to provide and disclose procedures for insureds to request exceptions to step-therapy protocols; prohibiting health maintenance organizations from imposing an additional prior authorization requirement with respect to certain surgical or invasive procedures or certain items, etc. Effective Date: 1/1/2022
Actions 01/21/2021 SENATE Referred to Banking and Insurance; Health Policy; Appropriations
SB 0660 Telehealth by Diaz Telehealth; Deleting a prohibition on prescribing controlled substances through telehealth, etc. Effective Date: 7/1/2021
Actions 01/28/2021 SENATE Referred to Health Policy; Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and Human Services; Appropriations SB 0700 Telehealth by Rodriguez (A) Telehealth; Requiring the Agency for Health Care Administration to reimburse the use of telehealth services under certain circumstances and subject to certain limitations; authorizing telehealth providers to prescribe specified controlled substances through telehealth under certain circumstances; authorizing out-of-state physician telehealth providers to engage in formal supervisory relationships with certain nonphysician health care practitioners in this state; authorizing registered pharmacy technicians to compound and dispense medicinal drugs under certain circumstances; exempting certain registered pharmacy technicians from specified prohibitions, etc. Effective Date: 7/1/2021
Actions 01/28/2021 SENATE Referred to Health Policy; Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and Human Services; Appropriations
SB 0700 Telehealth by Rodriguez (A) Telehealth; Requiring the Agency for Health Care Administration to reimburse the use of telehealth services under certain circumstances and subject to certain limitations; authorizing telehealth providers to prescribe specified controlled substances through telehealth under certain circumstances; authorizing out-of-state physician telehealth providers to engage in formal supervisory relationships with certain nonphysician health care practitioners in this state; authorizing registered pharmacy technicians to compound and dispense medicinal drugs under certain circumstances; exempting certain registered pharmacy technicians from specified prohibitions, etc. Effective Date: 7/1/2021
Actions 02/08/2021 SENATE On Committee agenda - Health Policy, 02/17/21, 9:00 am, 412 K
SB 0716 Consent for Pelvic Examinations by Book Consent for Pelvic Examinations; Revising the definition of the term “pelvic examination”; revising the circumstances under which a pelvic examination may be performed without written consent; authorizing written consent for a pelvic examination to be obtained as a part of a general consent form and to allow multiple health care practitioners or students to perform the examination, etc. Effective Date: 7/1/2021
Actions 01/28/2021 SENATE Referred to Health Policy; Judiciary; Rules
HB 0721 Prohibited Acts by Health Care Practitioners by Massullo, Jr. Prohibited Acts by Health Care Practitioners: Prohibits specified acts by health care practitioners relating to specialty designations; authorizes DOH to enforce compliance with the act; authorizes department to take specified disciplinary action against health care practitioners in violation of act. Effective Date: upon becoming a law
Actions 02/03/2021 HOUSE Filed
SB 0828 Mental Health and Substance Abuse by Book Mental Health and Substance Abuse; Requiring facilities to inform respondents with a serious mental illness of the essential elements of recovery and provide them assistance in accessing a continuum of care regimen; authorizing the state to establish that a transfer evaluation was performed by providing the court with a copy of the evaluation before the close of the state’s case in chief; revising the requirements for when a person may be taken to a receiving facility for involuntary examination; revising the requirements for when a person may be ordered for involuntary inpatient placement; requiring the clerk of the court to notify the state attorney’s office upon the receipt of a petition filed for involuntary treatment services, etc. Effective Date: 7/1/2021
Actions 02/04/2021 SENATE Referred to Children, Families, and Elder Affairs; Judiciary; Appropriations
HB 0831 Telehealth by Rodriguez (Ant) Telehealth: Revises definition of "telehealth" to remove exclusion of audio-only telephone calls from telehealth services; authorizes use of telehealth for prescription renewals; provides that telehealth may be substituted only for physical examinations; authorizes qualified physicians to issue physician certifications to existing qualified patients to receive marijuana & marijuana delivery devices under specified circumstance; prohibits certain health insurance policies, small employer health benefit plans, & health maintenance contracts from denying coverage for covered services provided through telehealth; provides that health insurers, small employer health benefit plans, & HMOs are not required to reimburse providers for originating fees or costs for telehealth services; provides cost-sharing limitations for health insurers, small employer health benefit plans, & HMOs relating to telehealth services. Effective Date: July 1, 2021
Actions 02/08/2021 HOUSE Filed
SB 0864 Telehealth by Brodeur Telehealth; Revising the definition of the term “telehealth”; revising an exemption from telehealth registration requirements, etc. Effective Date: 7/1/2021
Actions 02/04/2021 SENATE Referred to Health Policy; Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and Human Services; Appropriations
SB 0894 Physician Assistants by Diaz Physician Assistants; Deleting a limitation on the number of physician assistants a physician may supervise at one time; revising physician assistant continuing education requirements related to prescribing controlled substance medications; requiring the Board of Medicine and the Board of Osteopathic Medicine to register physician assistants as autonomous physician assistants if they meet specified criteria; authorizing physician assistants to directly bill and receive payment from public and private insurance companies, etc. Effective Date: 7/1/2021
Actions 02/04/2021 SENATE Referred to Health Policy; Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and Human Services; Appropriations
SB 1142 Prohibited Acts by Health Care Practitioners by Rodrigues (R) Prohibited Acts by Health Care Practitioners; subjecting health care practitioners to discipline for making misleading, deceptive, or fraudulent representations related to their specialty designations; subjecting health care practitioners to discipline for failing to provide written or oral notice to patients of their specialty designation; requiring the Department of Health, instead of applicable health care practitioner boards, to enforce the written or oral notice requirement, etc. Effective Date: Upon becoming a law
Actions 02/08/2021 SENATE Filed
SB 7000 OGSR/Nurse Licensure Compact by Health Policy OGSR/Nurse Licensure Compact; Amending a provision which provides an exemption from public record requirements for certain personal identifying information of nurses in the Nurse Licensure Compact and from public record and meeting requirements for certain meetings or portions of meetings and certain records held by the Interstate Commission of Nurse Licensure Compact Administrators; removing the scheduled repeal of the exemptions, etc. Effective Date: 10/1/2021
Actions 02/04/2021 SENATE Referred to Governmental Oversight and Accountability; Rules