Rep. Michelle Salzman

Veterans Affairs; Revises admissions process for veterans treatment court programs; authorizes court, in consultation with multidisciplinary team, to determine eligibility for veterans treatment court programs; authorizes sentencing courts to divert defendants to veterans treatment court programs; requires certain notice be provided to defendants; provides for disposition of probation or community control violations by program participants.

Dental Therapy ; Authorizes Medicaid to reimburse for dental services provided by certain mobile dental units; creates Council on Dental Therapy; specifies licensure requirements, services, limitations, & prohibitions relating to practice of dental therapy; requires DOH, in consultation with Board of Dentistry & AHCA, to submit reports to Legislature.

Local Government Salaries and Benefits; Revises requirements for board of county commissioners salary formula to apply to noncharter counties; provides for determination of salaries of members of boards of county commissioners of certain counties; requires referendum for board of county commissioners to increase salary, retirement benefits, or other compensation paid to its members; requires referendum election costs to be paid by county; requires referendum for governing body of municipality to increase salary, retirement benefits, or other compensation paid to its members; requires referendum election costs to be paid by municipality; requires referendum for governing body of special district to increase salary, retirement benefits, or other compensation paid to its members; requires referendum election costs to be paid by special district.

Ad Valorem Property Tax Exemption for the Surviving Spouse of Quadriplegics; Proposes amendment to State Constitution to authorize Legislature to provide for property tax exemption for surviving spouse of quadriplegic who was receiving property tax exemption on real estate used & owned as homestead at time of their death.

Construction Regulations; Requires DEP to adopt minimum standards for installation of synthetic turf on specified properties; prohibits local governments from adopting or enforcing any pronouncement that prohibits, or is enforced to prohibit, property owners from installing synthetic turf meeting certain requirements; requires local governmental entities to approve or deny certain price quotes & provide notice to contractors within specified timeframe; prohibits state or certain political subdivisions from penalizing or rewarding bidders for performing larger or smaller volumes of construction work for state or political subdivisions; provides exemption from Florida Building Code to systems or equipment located within spaceport territory which is used for specified purposes; prohibits local governments from requiring copies of contracts & certain associated documents for issuance of building permits or as requirement for submitting building permit applications; revises conditions under which specified contractors may elect to use private provider to provide inspection services; authorizes private providers to use automated or software-based plans review systems designed to make certain determinations; requires local building officials to issue permits within specified timeframe if such permit application is related to certain single-trade plans reviews; authorizes certain inspections to be performed in person or virtually.

Apprenticeship and Preapprenticeship Program Funding; Revises requirements for uniform minimum standards & policies governing apprenticeship & preapprenticeship programs & agreements to include requirements for partnerships between local educational agencies & apprenticeship & preapprenticeship programs; revises required date for specified report on apprenticeship & preapprenticeship programs; requires DOE to develop standard model contract template for local educational agencies & apprenticeship & preapprenticeship programs; provides requirements for local educational agencies & apprenticeship & preapprenticeship programs that enter into partnership agreements; requires DOE to develop apprenticeship funding transparency tool; provides requirements for District Workforce Education Funding Steering Committee meetings; provides requirements for certain workpapers; authorizes such meetings to be held using communications media technology.

Financial Services ; Requires state financial institutions to pay semiannual assessment for specified time periods; requires that semiannual assessment be received by Office of Financial Regulation in specified manner & by specified dates; authorizes office to issue specified certificate under certain circumstances; authorizes certain elected officers, directors, or committee members of credit union to be reimbursed for certain expenses; revises timeframe for certain requirements by directors of proposed bank or trust company; revises timeframe within which bank or trust company corporation is required to open & conduct specified business.

Higher Education; Revises provisions relating to members of SBE, BOG, state university boards of trustees, FCS institution boards of trustees, presidents of state universities & FCS institutions, postsecondary textbooks & instructional materials, & Institute for Freedom in the Americas.

Education; Revises provisions relating to public postsecondary boards, presidents, presidential succession plans, textbooks & instructional materials, & graduation requirements; Institute for Freedom in the Americas; & K-12 educational facilities, early warning system, district school board real property, capital outlay, student reading & mathematics deficiencies, schools of hope, New Worlds Reading Initiative, student report cards, & school grades; & establishes Rural Incentive for Professional Educators (RIPE) Program.

Reading Interventions and Instruction; Revises requirements relating to Just Read, Florida! Office, Florida Center for Reading Research, school district reading instruction plans, & school district professional learning system to include specified training & instruction related to reading interventions & instruction; & creates reading coach allocation.