Sen. Vic Torres

Safer Consumption Services Programs; Creating the "Safer Consumption Services Act"; authorizing the Department of Health to approve entities to operate safer consumption services programs for specified purposes; specifying criteria an entity must satisfy to obtain department approval to operate a program; providing that approved programs must maintain compliance with specified provisions and rules to continue operating; requiring entities operating approved programs to submit annual reports to the department by a specified date each year, etc.

Legalization of Recreational Marijuana; Establishing the Division of Cannabis Management under the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services; authorizing persons 21 years of age and over to engage in certain actions relating to marijuana; providing for licensing of marijuana establishments; providing that marijuana establishments that sell food containing marijuana are considered food service establishments for the purposes of specified regulations; removing cannabis from the schedule of controlled substances, etc.

Special Risk Class Retirement Date; Revising the definition of “normal retirement date”; decreasing the age and years of service needed to reach the normal retirement date for certain members; authorizing certain members of the Special Risk Class to apply to participate in the Deferred Retirement Option Program within a specified time period; providing a declaration of important state interest, etc.

Deferred Retirement Option Program Eligibility for School Employees and Personnel; Deleting the time limitation for DROP eligibility for certain instructional personnel, administrative personnel, and educational support employees, etc.

Trust Fund for Victims of Human Trafficking; Specifying the authorized uses of funds from the Trust Fund for Victims of Human Trafficking, etc.

Tax Exemption for Diapers and Incontinence Products; Exempting the sale for human use of diapers, incontinence undergarments, incontinence pads, and incontinence liners from the sales and use tax, etc.

Agreement Among the States to Elect the President by National Popular Vote; Providing a method by which a state may become a member state; requiring a statewide popular election for President and Vice President of the United States; establishing a procedure for appointing presidential electors in member states; providing that the agreement becomes effective upon the occurrence of specified circumstances; providing for the withdrawal of a member state, etc.

Benefits, Training, and Employment for Veterans and their Spouses; Requiring the Economic Development Programs Evaluation to include a periodic analysis of the Veterans Employment and Training Services Program; revising the duties of the Department of Veterans’ Affairs and Florida Is For Veterans, Inc., respectively, to include the provision of certain assistance to veterans’ spouses; requiring the Department of Health to waive certain fees for veterans and their spouses under certain circumstances; establishing the Office of Veteran Licensure Services within the Division of Medical Quality Assurance, etc. APPROPRIATION: $399,565

Assault or Battery on Hospital Personnel; Providing enhanced criminal penalties for persons who knowingly commit assault or battery upon hospital personnel, etc.

Protection of Specified Personnel; Providing that threats committed with specified intent are specified violations of the act; prohibiting specified threats against a justice, a judicial assistant, a clerk of the circuit court, clerk of the circuit court personnel, or a family member of such person; prohibiting specified harassment of certain personnel with the intent to intimidate or coerce such person to perform or refrain from performing a lawful duty, etc.