Legislative Issues

Of the 3,517 bills filed this Session (including 1,634 proposed House appropriations projects, which are considered bills), only 207 passed both the Senate and House. That is 10 more bills than last year’s total. Here is a recap of some interesting bills that passed and failed this Session.

Bills Signed by the Governor

As of today, nine bills have been signed into law by Governor DeSantis. A few are:

NURSE PRACTITIONERS The top priority of Speaker Oliva passed after much negotiation with the Senate. Advanced nurse practitioners (APRN’s) and physician assistants (PA’s) can now practice medicine without a supervising protocol of a physician.   APRN’s and PA’s must have 2,000 hours of supervised practice in the preceding five years, have completed a graduate level course in pharmacology, carry liability insurance, among other requirements. The Governor swiftly signed the bill on March 11th, the same day the House sent him the final version. It will go into effect on July 1st. Florida joins more than 30 states who now allow this.

PHARMACY FLU TESTS Pharmacists will have the ability to test and treat patients for influenza and streptococcus. As one of the top healthcare bills for Speaker Oliva, this bill passed the House and was sent to the Governor, who signed it the same day.

LAW ENFORCEMENT VEHICLES This law prohibits condominiums and homeowners associations from forbidding a law enforcement officer from parking his or her assigned law enforcement vehicle on the property.