(The Center Square) — After a busy legislative session, Gov. Ron DeSantis still has a long list of bills awaiting his signature or veto.
The Florida Legislature gave DeSantis 52 bills on Monday that cover several topics from elder affairs to Medicaid coverage, and there are still 21 bills that have not yet been presented to the Republican governor.
Having passed over 300 bills through both chambers, a total of 217 bills have now been signed into law, while two bills have been vetoed. Senate Bill 230, which dealt with health care worker titles and designations and House Bill 385, which would've put the state in compliance with the interstate compact governing therapist licensure. DeSantis' veto messages for the bills did not specify why he vetoed them.
Bills to be presented to DeSantis include the General Appropriations Act which is the state budget for the coming fiscal year.
Senate Bill 2500 is the state budget for fiscal year 2023-24 and is currently sitting at over $117 billion unless vetoed by DeSantis. Funding includes increases in state employee pay, a $28 billion education budget, sales tax cuts worth $1.2 billion, and $47.3 billion for healthcare. SB 2502 is to implement the 2023-2024 General Appropriations Act, and SB 2504 relates to collective bargaining and directs a resolution if any issues with state employees arise.
SB 2506 is funding allocated to building a Memorial Park adjacent to the Capitol Complex in Tallahassee.
SB 1676 considers hemp extract food and revises the requirements that hemp extracts must meet before being distributed and sold in Florida. Hemp extract will only be able to be sold to businesses that meet special permitting requirements.
SB 164 revises the definition of the term "drug paraphernalia" to exclude certain narcotic-drug testing products. SB 210 revises the application requirements to get a license as a substance abuse service provider. The bill also requires that the Department of Children and Families establish a mechanism to impose fines for law violations.
HB 387 requires physicians to perform an in-person examination upon application for medical marijuana use. After the initial diagnosis, the bill authorizes physicians to perform patient examinations and evaluations, and renewals via Telehealth under certain conditions.
SB 170 authorizes the court to assess and award reasonable attorney fees and costs and damages in certain civil actions that have been filed against local governments.
SB 284 revises vehicle procurement requirements in the state purchasing plan and requires that state vehicles are selected for the lowest cost over the vehicle's lifetime. The bill also states that when available, natural gas fuel, ethanol and biodiesel blended fuel-powered vehicles should be purchased.
SB 718 makes changes to the municipal annexation and contraction process. Municipalities must prepare reports before any annexation or contraction action — requiring the report to include the economic, market, technical, financial and management feasibility of taking such an action.
SB 978 changes requirements around pledging an asset as collateral to secure an agreement, account or other entitlements. Assets must be listed individually, and collateral described as "all assets" is not legally sufficient to be used as security. A range of assets is further protected in the bill, including life insurance policies, medical savings accounts, and hurricane savings accounts. SB 1188 requires that state agencies with contractual services valued over $35,000 include a provision that limits vendor liability to a monetary threshold.
SB 1278 authorizes the Department of Children and Families to establish an organization for direct support. The Secretary of Children and Families must also appoint a board of directors for the organization and the bill further allows the use of the department’s fixed property, facilities, and personnel services without charge.
SB 1416 authorizes the court to consider the adultery of either spouse when determining alimony amounts. The burden of proof is also on the party seeking support or alimony.
SB 1442 expands the fugitive disentitlement doctrine — which is when a party violates a court order, they can not seek relief from the court —to apply to collection activities related to civil action against acts of terrorism. The bill also states that those involved in a civil action concerning terrorism may not use any resources of the state in defense proceedings.
SB 1478 amends state law to prohibit assessing community sanction violation points under the Criminal Punishment Code.
SB 2510 increases the income threshold for residents in state veteran nursing facilities above what would be required to contribute to his or her account from $130 to $160 per month. The bill also creates the Graduate Medical Education Slots for Doctors Program.
SB 7016 amends state law to provide criminal penalties for state correctional officers caught engaging in sexual misconduct with an inmate or offender under the Department of Corrections supervision.
SB 7018 amends state law to allow additional funding sources to be deposited into the state-operated Institutions Welfare Trust Fund or the General Revenue Fund. The bill also allows funds to be directed to educational resources for inmates and removes the $100 cap on what inmates can spend for personal use on canteen and vending machines.