Twenty-one bills will take effect July 1st. Here’s what they are and what they do.
- Illegal Taking, Possession, and Sale of Bears: Provides that person commits specified violations for illegal taking, possession, & sale of bears; prohibits illegal taking, possession, & sale of bears; provides penalties.
- CS/SB 226 – Athletic Trainers: Revising the definition of the term “athletic trainer”; requiring certain licensees to maintain certification in good standing without lapse as a condition of renewal of their athletic trainer licenses; requiring that an athletic trainer work within a specified scope of practice; requiring the direct supervision of an athletic training student to be in accordance with rules adopted by the Board of Athletic Training, etc.
- CS/SB 426 – Economic Development: Revising the responsibilities of divisions within the Department of Economic Opportunity; specifying that the concept of building the professional capacity of a regional economic development organization includes the hiring of professional staff to perform specified services; revising the maximum percentage of total infrastructure project costs for which the department may award grants; replacing CareerSource Florida, Inc., with the state board or the department in provisions relating to the implementation of the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, etc.
- CS/CS/SB 698 – Reproductive Health: Requiring the Department of Health to immediately suspend the license of certain health care practitioners under certain circumstances; defining the term “pelvic examination”; prohibiting health care practitioners and certain students from performing a pelvic examination on a patient without first obtaining the written consent of the patient or the patient’s legal representative; establishing the criminal offense of reproductive battery, etc.
- CS/SB 838 – Business Organizations: Specifying that certain documents accepted by the Department of State for filing are effective on the date the documents are accepted by the department; revising the required contents of a meeting notice relating to the removal of a director by shareholders; authorizing a domestic corporation to acquire one or more classes or series of shares under certain circumstances; authorizing the department to direct certain interrogatories to certain corporations and to officers or directors of certain corporations, etc.
- SB 886 – Errors in Deeds: The bill provides that, in certain instances, a deed containing a scrivener’s error in the legal description of the property may be corrected by the filing of a curative notice with a clerk of court.
- CS/SB 966 – Public Records: Providing an exemption from public records requirements for property photographs and personal identifying information provided to specified entities by certain persons for the purpose of disaster recovery assistance; providing for future legislative review and repeal of the exemption; providing a statement of public necessity, etc.
- CS/CS/SB 994 – Guardianship: Expanding factors for a court to consider when appointing a guardian; revising requirements for a petition for the appointment of a guardian; prohibiting professional guardians from petitioning for their own appointment except under certain circumstances; prohibiting guardians from taking certain actions on behalf of an alleged incapacitated person or minor, etc.
- CS/SB 1050 – Disaster Volunteer Leave for State Employees: Reordering, revising, and providing definitions; revising conditions under which an employee may be granted leave under the Florida Disaster Volunteer Leave Act; specifying requirements and limitations, etc.
- CS/SB 1082 – Domestic Violence Injunctions: Authorizing a court to take certain actions regarding the care, possession, or control of an animal in domestic violence injunctions, etc.
- CS/CS/SB 1120 – Substance Abuse Services: Requiring, rather than authorizing, an exemption from disqualification from employment for certain substance abuse service provider personnel under certain circumstances; providing that certain persons may be granted such exemption without a waiting period under certain circumstances; removing the authority of the Department of Children and Families to grant exemptions from disqualification under.397, F.S., under certain circumstances; providing criminal penalties for violations relating to recovery residence patient referrals, etc.
- CS/SB 7012 – Substance Abuse and Mental Health: Providing additional duties for the Statewide Office for Suicide Prevention; requiring the Department of Transportation to work with the office in developing a plan relating to evidence-based suicide deterrents in certain locations; requiring that certain information be provided to the guardian or representative of a minor patient released from involuntary examination; requiring the maintenance of psychotropic medications to specified defendants under certain circumstances, etc.
- CS/HB 89 – Adoption Records: Provides that name & identity of a birth parent, adoptive parent, & adoptee may be disclosed from adoption records without a court order.
- HB 163 – Homelessness: Provides requirements for a continuum of care catchment areas & lead agencies; requires continuums of care to create a continuum of care plans; revises requirements for certain grants; establishes a grant-in-aid program to help continuums of care prevent & end homelessness; provides program requirements.
- CS/HB 835 – Alzheimer’s Disease: Requires state agencies to provide assistance to Alzheimer's Disease Advisory Committee; creates a position of Dementia Director within DOEA; requires Secretary of Elderly Affairs to appoint director; authorizes the director to call upon certain agencies for assistance; provides duties & responsibilities of a director; revises name of memory disorder clinic in Orange County.
- CS/HB 1373 – Long-term Care: Revises provisions relating to a rescreening of certain individuals by aging resource centers; requires DOEA to maintain contact information for certain individuals & inform them of community resources; authorizes community-care-for-the-elderly service providers to dispute certain referrals.
- CS/HB 1461 – Health Access Dental Licenses: Reenacts provisions relating to issuance, renewal, & revocation of health access dental licenses; provides for retroactive application.
- HB 7013 – A Review Under the Open Government Sunset Review Act: Revises the definition of the term "proprietary business information" as used in exemption from public record requirements relating to information provided by title insurance agencies & insurers to OIR; removes scheduled repeal of exemption.
- CS/HB 103 – Subpoenas: Revises the definition of the term "properly served"; authorizes the applicant to petition the court to compel compliance with a subpoena; authorizes the court to address noncompliance as indirect criminal contempt & impose daily fine.
- CS/HB 73 – Environmental Regulation: Specifies requirements for contracts between residential recycling collectors or recovered materials processing facilities & counties or municipalities for collecting, transporting, & processing residential recycling material & contaminated recyclable material; prohibits local governments from requiring further verification from DEP for certain projects; revises types of dock & pier replacements & repairs that are exempt from such verification & certain permitting requirements.
- HB 7001 – A Review Under the Open Government Sunset Review Act: Revises the definition of the term "proprietary business information" as used in exemption from public record requirements relating to information provided by title insurance agencies & insurers to OIR; removes scheduled repeal of exemption.
- CS/HB 43 – Child Welfare: Requiring the Florida Court Educational Council to establish certain standards for instruction of circuit and county court judges for dependency cases; requiring the Department of Law Enforcement to provide certain information to law enforcement officers relating to specified individuals; requiring Child Protection Teams to be capable of providing certain training relating to head trauma and brain injuries in children younger than a specified age; requiring the Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission to establish standards for the instruction of law enforcement officers in a specified subject, etc.