Sen. Mack Bernard

Initiating a Property Insurance Interstate Compact; Requiring the Commissioner of Insurance Regulation to initiate a compact with other states to establish a national risk pool for property insurance for natural disasters for a specified purpose; requiring the commissioner, as soon as feasible, to enter into the compact with a minimum number of member states, etc.

Hunger-Free Campus Pilot Program; Citing this act as the "Hunger-Free Campus Act"; establishing, subject to legislative appropriation, the pilot program within the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services for a specified period; requiring the Commissioner of Agriculture to identify the three state universities or Florida College System institutions with the highest percentage of Pell Grant-eligible students for participation in the pilot program; providing requirements for participating universities and institutions, etc.

Parole; Requiring the Florida Commission on Offender Review to provide a specified statistical analysis to the Legislature; requiring the Department of Corrections to provide specified information to the commission; requiring the commission to review specified information in certain circumstances, etc.

Use of Substances Affecting Cognitive Function; Requiring medical examiners to take specified actions when performing an autopsy on a decedent who is a violent offender; requiring that autopsy reports for such individuals include certain findings and information; authorizing the release of certain patient records to law enforcement agencies without patient authorization under certain circumstances; requiring school safety specialists to provide school district staff with certain training on the adverse effects of specified substances, etc.

Historic Cemeteries Program; Requiring local governments to approve applications from historic African-American cemeteries to change the land use category and zoning district of excess vacant land under certain conditions, etc.

Assessment of Homestead Property; Limiting the assessed value upon change of ownership of homestead property having a prior assessed value below a certain amount when the person acquiring the property is entitled to a homestead exemption, etc.

Homestead Property Tax Benefits for Long-term Owners and Permanent Residents; Requiring that certain property be assessed at less than just value when the person who owns the property has owned and used the property as his or her permanent residence for a specified timeframe; providing that the assessed value of such property shall be a certain amount and may not be increased under certain circumstances; specifying a homestead exemption for certain long-term owners and residents; authorizing periods of ownership and residency to be aggregated, etc.

Assessment of Changes, Additions, or Improvements to Homestead Properties; Revising the manner of assessing the value of changes, additions, or improvements to homestead property, etc.

Medicaid Providers; Requiring the Agency for Health Care Administration to include specified requirements in its contracts with Medicaid managed care plans; defining the term “outside of regular business hours”, etc.

Homestead Exemption for Persons 65 and Older; Expanding the homestead exemption for persons 65 years and older to include a total exemption of homestead property from ad valorem taxation, other than for school district levies, for certain persons whose household income does not exceed a certain amount; authorizing the Department of Revenue to adopt emergency rules, etc.