Rep. Jose Alvarez

Educational Dollars for Duty Program; Requires Educational Dollars for Duty program to set aside certain amount of funds to provide tuition assistance to spouses & children of active members of Florida National Guard; authorizes Legislature to increase amount of such funds; requires DMA to oversee implementation & enforcement of program; requiring DMA to establish certain procedures.

Maddy summaryHB 4043 creates the Waterlin Stewardship District in Osceola County and provides it with a charter. This procedural bill establishes the legal framework for the district's governance but does not specify additional policy changes or direct impacts beyond defining the district's structure. The bill focuses solely on creating the district entity and its governing charter.

Sunbridge Stewardship District, Osceola County; Expands district to include areas of City of Orlando; revises legislative intent, definitions, legislative policy, creation & establishment, board of supervisors administrative duties, budgets reports & reviews, & district powers to include references to City of Orlando & Orange County; amends district's legal boundaries to include areas of City of Orlando; requires district governing board election procedures to involve officials from both counties; requires general obligation bond elections to occur in both counties; authorizes levy & collection of non-ad valorem maintenance taxes in both counties; provides for required notices to be published in both counties; requires referendum.

Improving Screening for and Treatment of Blood Clots; Requires hospitals with emergency departments to develop & implement policies & procedures & conduct training for rendering of appropriate medical attention for persons at risk of forming venous thromboembolisms; repeals provisions requiring DOH to contract with private entity to establish statewide venous thromboembolism registry at no cost to state; provides requirements for private entity; requires hospitals with emergency department, beginning on date certain, to regularly report certain information; requires department to require private entity to use nationally recognized platform to collect certain data; requires private entity to provide regular reports to department on such data; requires agency, by date certain, to provide to Governor & Legislature specified report; provides requirements for such report; provides applicability; revises requirements for certain annual inservice training for certified nursing assistants employed by nursing home facilities; revises training requirements for certain certified nursing assistants who may be delegated tasks in nursing home facilities; provides legislative findings; requires assisted living facilities to provide a consumer information pamphlet containing specified information to residents.

Law Enforcement Officers and Other Personnel; Authorizes first responder amputees to continue to serve as first responders; creates Florida Medal of Valor & Florida Blue/Red Heart Medal; prohibits use of motor vehicle kill switches; requires mandatory minimum term of imprisonment for attempted murder in first degree committed against specified justice system personnel; prohibits depriving specified officers of digital recording devices or restraint devices, rendering them useless, or otherwise preventing officer from defending himself or herself or summoning assistance; revises requirements for reporting of missing persons information; creates Critical Infrastructure Mapping Grant Program within FDLE; specifies requirements for testing inmates for infectious diseases.

State Lotteries; Increases amount of lottery retailer bond; authorizes lottery retailer to remit funds to Department of Lottery for deposit in specified bank account in lieu of such bond; authorizes department to act as courier service & contract with third party to provide such service; requires all courier services to have written agreement that conforms to certain requirements & rules; authorizes courier services to store lottery tickets for customers in lieu of delivery; requires such courier services to maintain secure database of all stored lottery tickets & provide specified notice of winning ticket; authorizes such courier services to redeem winning tickets; prohibits portion or percentage of such winning tickets from being charged, accepted, given, or paid to such courier services; prohibits courier service from operating without written agreement; prohibits certain false claims & theft of lottery tickets by lottery retailers, courier services, or employees.

Acupuncture; Revises licensure requirements; provides applicability; exempts certain persons from certain regulations governing practice of acupuncture.

Educational Dollars for Duty Program; Requires program to set aside certain amount of funds to provide tuition assistance to spouses & children of active members of Florida National Guard; requires Department of Military Affairs to oversee implementation & enforcement; requires department to establish certain procedures.

Maddy summaryHB 121 revises the legal criteria grandparents must meet to petition a court for visitation with a minor child. It directly affects grandparents seeking court-ordered visitation rights when parents are divorced, separated, or deceased. The bill changes the specific requirements a grandparent must satisfy to file such a petition, though the abstract does not detail the exact revised criteria. This is a substantive change to the existing legal process for grandparent visitation requests.

Annual Rate Increases for Coverages by Citizens Property Insurance Corporation; Provides that required annual rate increases & limits on such increases for coverages by Citizens Property Insurance Corporation do not apply to new policies issued after specified date & to subsequent renewals of such policies,