Sen. Ralph Massullo

Podiatric Medicine; Requiring certain podiatric physicians, instead of all podiatric physicians, to complete specified continuing education; authorizing podiatric physicians to perform procedures using cellular or tissue-based products not approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration under certain circumstances; specifying requirements for the cellular or tissue-based products that may be used by such podiatric physicians; requiring podiatric physicians to obtain a signed consent form from the patient or his or her representative before performing procedures using cellular or tissue-based products, etc.

Maddy summarySB 428 revises Florida's Swimming Lesson Voucher Program to lower the maximum age for eligible children from 7 to 4 years old. The bill directly affects low-income families (at or below 200% of the federal poverty level) with children aged 1 through 4 who qualify for free swimming lessons. It updates the program's eligibility criteria in statute, requiring children to be between 1 and 4 years old (instead of 1-7) to receive a voucher. The program aims to increase water safety by removing barriers for younger children in qualifying families.

Transportation; Requiring licensing, rather than registration, of motor carriers; revising reporting periods and due dates for motor fuel use tax returns; revising the apparent amount of property damage that requires the driver of a vehicle involved in a crash to notify law enforcement of the crash; defining the term “REAL ID driver license or identification card”; providing that the use of a license plate frame or decorative border device is not prohibited under specified conditions, etc.

Public Records/E-mail Addresses Collected by the Department of Highway Safety for Providing Renewal Notices ; Expanding an exemption from public records requirements for e-mail addresses collected by the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles for providing renewal notices to include e-mail addresses collected for use as a method of notification generally and not only for the purpose of providing renewal notices; expanding the exemption to include e-mail addresses collected for use as a method of notification related to vessel registrations; providing retroactive applicability; providing for future legislative review and repeal of the exemption; providing a statement of public necessity, etc.

Education; Providing that students may not be dismissed from certain charter schools based on academic performance; requiring students in specified grades to receive instruction in cursive writing; requiring, subject to legislative appropriation, each district school board to adopt rules to require the display of portraits of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln at each public school in the district; establishing the School Teacher Training and Mentoring Program within the Department of Education, etc.

Newborn Screenings; Citing this act as “Mattie’s Law”; requiring that newborns, beginning on a specified date, be screened for biliary atresia; requiring the Department of Health to consult with the Genetics and Newborn Screening Advisory Council before adopting certain rules; requiring hospitals that provide birthing services to screen for biliary atresia in a specified manner, etc.

Speech and Debate Education; Creating the Florida Speech and Debate Hall of Fame; designating Florida Speech and Debate Week annually in February; establishing the Florida Debate Initiative, Inc., (FDI) as a statewide speech and debate organization that performs certain functions in support of the Florida Civics and Debate Initiative (FCDI) in the Department of Education; requiring the Board of Governors of the State University System and the State Board of Education to develop specified undergraduate and graduate coursework, certificates, and micro-credentials, etc. APPROPRIATION: $2,400,000

Coverage for Orthotics and Prosthetics Services; Authorizing the Agency for Health Care Administration to authorize and pay for specified orthotics and prosthetics services for Medicaid recipients who are eligible individuals; requiring the agency to seek federal approval and amend contracts as necessary to implement the act; requiring individual health insurance policies; group, blanket, and franchise health insurance policies; and health maintenance contracts, respectively, to provide coverage for specified orthotics and prosthetics services for eligible individuals, etc.

Public Assistance; Authorizing the Agency for Health Care Administration to conduct retrospective reviews and audits of certain claims under the state Medicaid program for a specified purpose; requiring the agency to seek federal approval to implement mandatory work and community engagement requirements for able-bodied adults as a condition of obtaining and maintaining Medicaid coverage; requiring the agency, in consultation with the Department of Children and Families, to develop a business plan to implement specified provisions; revising the purpose of the Medicaid Pharmaceutical and Therapeutics Committee to include creation of a Medicaid preferred physician-administered drug list, a Medicaid preferred product list, and a high-cost drug list; requiring the department to develop and implement a food assistance payment accuracy improvement plan for a specified purpose, etc.

Public School Personnel Compensation; Providing that cost-of-living adjustments are for employees with direct student contact; deleting a limitation on such adjustments; deleting certain limitations for salary adjustments under the performance salary schedule, etc.