Sen. Carlos Smith

Transparency in Insurance Matters; Defining the term “trade secret”; revising the requirements of a notice of trade secret submitted to the Office of Insurance Regulation or the Department of Financial Services; specifying that certain information is not a trade secret and is subject to public disclosure; requiring the office to review all claims of trade secret protection; requiring that fees, commissions, and profit-sharing agreements between insurers and affiliates be filed with the office and made publicly accessible on the department’s website, etc.

Prohibited Discrimination Based on Hairstyle; Citing this act as the "Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair Act” or “CROWN Act"; prohibiting discrimination based on protected hairstyle against a student in the K-20 public education system; defining the terms “race” and “protected hairstyle” for purposes of public K-12 nondiscrimination requirements; defining the terms “race” and “protected hairstyle” for purposes of antidiscrimination requirements for private schools participating in the state school choice scholarship program, etc.

Protections for Public Employees who use Medical Marijuana as Qualified Patients; Prohibiting a public employer from taking adverse personnel action against an employee or a job applicant for his or her use of medical marijuana if the employee or job applicant is a qualified patient; providing exceptions; requiring a public employer to provide, within a specified timeframe, written notice of an employee’s or a job applicant’s right to explain or contest a positive marijuana test result, etc.

Toll Discounts for Certified Veteran Business Enterprises; Requiring the Department of Transportation to establish a pilot program that provides certified veteran business enterprises with a discount on certain toll expenses; providing eligibility requirements for the pilot program; requiring the Florida Turnpike Enterprise, in coordination with the Department of Veterans’ Affairs and the Department of Management Services, to administer the pilot program, etc.

Paid Parental Leave; Defining the term “paid parental leave”; requiring the state to provide paid parental leave to certain employees for a specified period of time; prohibiting the state from requiring that an employee use his or her annual or sick leave for paid parental leave; providing that the employee is entitled to accumulate specified benefits during such leave, etc.

Injustices Against the Targets of the Florida Legislative Investigation Committee; Acknowledging the injustices perpetrated against the targets of the Florida Legislative Investigation Committee between 1956 and 1965 and offering a formal and heartfelt apology to those whose lives, well-being, and livelihoods were damaged or destroyed by the activities and public pronouncements of those who served on the committee, etc.

Statewide Health Care Coverage; Establishing the Task Force on Universal Health Care for a specified purpose; directing all agencies of state government to assist the task force, including furnishing information and advice deemed necessary by the task force; providing for the membership, meetings, and funding of the task force; requiring the task force to establish an advisory committee for a specified purpose; requiring the Agency for Health Care Administration to develop a plan for a Medicaid buy-in program or a public health care option for certain residents of this state, etc. APPROPRIATION: $1,174,816

Clerks of the Court; Authorizing the cumulative excess of funds to be used in the development of the total combined budgets of the clerks of the court; requiring that a court use certain sale procedures in a foreclosure action; providing that only a clerk of court may conduct a foreclosure sale, etc.

Vacation Rentals; (THIS BILL COMBINED IN CS/658 & 608) Requiring applicants or licensees seeking to obtain or renew a license to operate a vacation rental to install a pool safety feature if a pool is located on the vacation rental property; authorizing the Department of Business and Professional Regulation to suspend or revoke a license and fine the licensee if a vacation rental is not in compliance