Sen. Alexis Calatayud

Employment of Ex-offenders; Revising the criteria a state agency must consider before denying a license, permit, or certification to a person previously convicted of a crime; requiring a state agency to consider specified factors when determining if an ex-offender applying for a license, permit, or certification has not been rehabilitated; authorizing certain persons to petition a state agency to determine whether their criminal record disqualifies them from obtaining a license, permit, or certification; requiring specified agencies to submit an annual report to the Governor and the Legislature, etc.

Computer Science Instruction in K-12 Public Schools; Requiring computer science courses to be included in the Course Code Directory and published on the Department of Education’s website; requiring the Florida Virtual School to offer certain computer science courses; requiring school districts to provide instruction in computer science; requiring the Department of Education, subject to legislative appropriation, to provide funding for specified purposes, etc.

Dental Care; Authorizing Medicaid reimbursement for dental services provided by mobile dental units owned by, operated by, or having contractual agreements with specified entities; revising licensure examination requirements for dental hygienists to authorize applicants to demonstrate certain clinical skills on a live patient rather than only on a manikin; authorizing the Board of Dentistry to require persons applying to take the dental hygiene examination to maintain medical malpractice insurance in a specified amount, etc.

Certificates of Completion; Prohibiting the award of certificates of completion after a specified date; requiring certain students to remain in high school to receive special instruction to remedy certain deficiencies beginning on a specified date, etc.

Central Service Technician Services; Defining the terms “central service technician” and “health care practitioner”; authorizing licensed hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers to employ or otherwise retain the services of a central service technician only if he or she meets specified criteria; requiring central service technicians who do not meet specified criteria to obtain a certain certification within a specified timeframe as a condition of continued employment; requiring hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers to, upon the written request of a central service technician, verify in writing the technician’s dates of employment or contract period with the facility, etc.

Trust Fund for Victims of Human Trafficking/Department of Legal Affairs; Creating the Trust Fund for Victims of Human Trafficking within the Department of Legal Affairs; providing for the funding sources and purposes of the trust fund; providing for future review and termination or re-creation of the trust fund, etc.

Assisted Care Communities; Authorizing the Agency for Health Care Administration to reimburse adult day care services on a fee-for-service basis under the Medicaid program; specifying requirements for certain standards for assisted living facilities the agency is required to adopt by rule; requiring operators of adult day care centers to annually complete specified continuing education; providing that compliance with the continuing education requirements is a condition precedent for licensure, etc.

Everglades Protection Area; Requiring that comprehensive plans and plan amendments that apply to certain lands within or near the Everglades Protection Area follow the state coordinated review process; requiring the Department of Environmental Protection, in consultation with specified entities, to make certain determinations for such plans and amendments, to provide written determinations to the local government and specified entities within a specified timeframe, and to coordinate with the local government and specified entities on certain planning strategies and mitigation measures; authorizing site-specific text changes for small-scale future land use map amendments; requiring local governments whose boundaries include any portion of the Everglades Protection Area to transmit copies of adopted small-scale development amendments to the state land planning agency within a specified timeframe, etc.

Required Instruction in the History of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders; Requiring that the history of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders be taught in the public schools; requiring that instructional materials used in teaching this subject area include specified information, etc.

911 Public Safety Telecommunicators; Revising the definition of the term “first responder” to include 911 public safety telecommunicators, for purposes of applying special provisions relating to employment-related accidents and injuries to 911 public safety telecommunicators; revising the definition of the term “public safety telecommunication training program,” to increase the number of hours of required training and specify the nature of the additional training; specifying circumstances under which 911 public safety telecommunicators are considered to be acting within the scope of their employment so as to qualify for workers’ compensation benefits, etc.