2016 Session Wrap-Up
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ASSOCIATED INDUSTRIES OF FLORIDA Wrap-up2016 Regular Session Coming Soon! AIF’s 2016 Vote Records 516 North Adams Street • Tallahassee, Florida 32301 • Phone: 850.224.7173 • Fax: 850.224.6532 • E-mail: [email protected] • www.aif.com AIF 2016 Regular Session Wrap-up Economic Development efficiency between industry and the state, and to ensure SB 1646 by Sen. Jack Latvala (R-Clearwater) and the appropriate standards are clearly communicated. House companion, HB 1325 by Rep. Jim Boyd (R-Bra- SB 318 died in the Senate Appropriations committee, its denton), aimed to provide incentives to many industries last committee stop, by an unfavorable vote of 9 yeas to 10 including but not limited to: nays. HB 191 passed through the floor of the House by a • extending the Qualified Defense and Space Contrac- vote of 73 yeas to 45 nays but was never considered by the tors Tax Refund program to 2018; Senate chamber and, therefore, died. • requiring companies who provide health benefits to include information on the jobs created and retained SB 90 by Sen. Wilton Simpson (R-Trilby) and HB 285 in their incentive reports; and by Rep. Lake Ray (R-Jacksonville) relating to natural gas • renaming the Quick Action Closing Fund as the rebate program, allows the Department of Agriculture “Florida Enterprise Fund” and made the following and Consumer Services (DACS) to award rebates to those changes to qualify for the fund: required the project eligible for the costs of converting a diesel- or gasoline- to create at least 10 jobs, required local financial powered motor vehicle to a natural gas fuel-powered mo- support of at least 20 percent, and prohibited payment tor vehicle on or after July 1, 2013. An applicant is eligible before performance conditions are met. to receive a maximum rebate of $25,000 per vehicle up to a AIF supported legislation that will bolster Florida’s total of $250,000 per applicant per fiscal year, on a first- business community and help our state become the come, first-served basis. With the implementation of this premiere location to move and grow your business, by bill, DACS may use any unencumbered funds to award providing incentive funding. additional rebates to governmental applicants awarded on SB 1646 died without being heard in the Senate Ap- a first-come, first-served basis. propriations committee, its last committee stop before the AIF supports the natural gas fuel fleet vehicle rebate Senate floor. program, specifically the authorization of DACS to HB 1325 passed through the floor of the House by a vote award additional rebates to applicants from unencum- of 79 yeas to 39 nays but was never considered in the bered funds after each fiscal year. Senate chamber and, therefore, died. SB 90 was passed by the Florida Senate by a vote of 39 yeas to 0 nays. SB 90 was then substituted by the Florida Other Bills of Interest House for its House companion, HB 285, and passed by a SB 124 & HB 95 – Relating to Public-Private Partnerships vote of 110 yeas to 5 nays. The Governor has until 4/6/16 to by Sen. Greg Evers (R-Milton) and Rep. Greg Stuebe (R- act on this bill. Sarasota) SB 402 & HB 415 – Relating to Point-of-sale Terminals by Other Bills of Interest Sen. Garrett Richter (R-Naples) and Rep. Holly Raschein SB 1272 – Relating to Florida Renewable Energy Production (R-Key Largo) DIED Credit by Senator Dorothy Hukill (R-Port Orange) DIED Energy Environment & Agriculture SB 318 by Sen. Garrett Richter (R-Naples) and the SB 552 by Sen. Charlie Dean (R-Inverness) and the House companion, HB 191 by Rep. Ray Rodrigues (R-Fort House companion, HB 7005 by Rep. Matt Caldwell Myers), relating to regulation of oil and gas resources, (R-Lehigh Acres), relating to environmental resources, sought to revise the Oil and Gas Program to make the addresses our states impending water shortage issues process safer and more effective for all involved. The bill and takes the first step in ensuring that Florida’s springs allowed for the Department of Environmental Protection and precious water sources are protected. SB 552 revises (DEP) to oversee the permitting process for oil and gas policies in relation to Florida’s environmental resources drilling, production, and exploration within Florida. The including, but not limited to: Program’s primary responsibilities include conservation of • creating the Florida Springs and Aquifer Protection oil and gas resources, correlative rights protection, main- Act to expedite protection and restoration of the water tenance of health and human safety, and environmental flow and water quality in the aquifer and Outstanding protection. Florida Springs; AIF supported the need to maintain appropriate • ensuring that the appropriate governmental entities permitting laws to protect the environment, to enhance continue to develop and implement uniform water supply 2 Visit www.aif.com for more information on the 2016 Session AIF 2016 Regular Session Wrap-up planning, consumptive water use permitting, and resource Healthcare protection programs for the area encompassed by the Cen- HB 7087 by Rep. Chris Sprowls (R-Clearwater) and tral Florida Water Initiative; SB 1686 by Sen. Aaron Bean (R-Jacksonville) relating to • updating and restructuring the Northern Everglades telehealth, requires the Agency for Health Care Admin- and Estuaries Act to reflect and build upon the istration (AHCA), with assistance from the Department Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) of Health (DOH) and the Office of Insurance Regulation completion of basin management action plans (BMAP) (OIR), to survey health care practitioners, facilities and for Lake Okeechobee, the Caloosahatchee Estuary, insurers on telehealth utilization and coverage. AHCA and the St. Lucie River and Estuary, DEP’s continu- must submit a report on the survey findings to the Gover- ing development of a BMAP for the inland portion of nor, Senate President and Speaker of the House of Rep- the Caloosahatchee River watershed, and Department resentatives by December 31, 2016. The bill also creates a of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ implementa- 15-member Telehealth Advisory Council, and requires the tion of best management practices in the three basins; Council to submit a report with recommendations based • modifying water supply and resource planning docu- on the survey findings to the Governor, Senate President ments and processes in order to provide more robust and Speaker of the House of Representatives by October representations of the state’s water needs and goals; 31, 2017. The section of law requiring these reports expires • requiring the Office of Economic and Demographic June 30, 2018. The bill excluded from the definition of dis- Research to conduct an annual assessment of water count medical plan under s. 636.202 F.S., medical services resources and conservation lands; provided through a telecommunications medium that are • requiring DEP to publish an online publicly accessible not provided at a discount to a plan member. This ensures database of conservation lands on which public access that such medical services are not regulated as a discount is compatible with conservation and recreation pur- medical plan. poses; and AIF supports legislation that permits an unfettered • requiring DEP to conduct a feasibility study for role for telehealth services that will allow our citizens creating and maintaining a web-based, interactive access to better quality care at lower costs. map of the state’s waterbodies, as well as regulatory HB 7087 was substituted for SB 1686 and was amended information about each waterbody. several times before passing out of both chambers. This AIF supports efforts to address Florida’s major water bill has not yet been sent the Governor. challenges by developing sound, comprehensive science- based water policy. SB 1084 by Sen. Don Gaetz (R-Destin) relating to SB 552 was passed by the Florida Senate with a vote of health care protocols, required Medicaid managed care 37 yeas and 0 nays. HB 552 was then substituted for its plans, health maintenance organizations (HMOs), and HB 7005 on the floor of the House and passed by a vote of insurers that restrict medications by a step-therapy or 110 yeas to 2 nays. As one of AIF’s top priorities, we were fail-first protocol to have a clear and convenient process very pleased that this was the first bill signed into law by to request an override of the protocol. The bill required the Governor for the 2016 Legislative Session and assigned these entities to grant an override of the protocol within 24 Chapter No. 2016-1. hours if, based on sound clinical evidence or medical and scientific evidence, the prescribing provider: Other Bills of Interest • concluded that the preferred treatment required under SB 304 & HB 59 – Relating to Agritourism by Sen. the fail-first protocol has been ineffective in the treat- Kelli Stargel (R-Lakeland) and Rep. Neil Combee (R- ment of the enrollee’s disease or medical condition; or Auburndale) • believed that the preferred treatment required under HB 749 & SB 1310 – Relating to Agriculture by Sen. the fail-first protocol is likely to be ineffective given Travis Hutson (R-Palm Coast) and Rep. Jake Raburn the known relevant physical or mental characteristics (R-Valrico) and medical history of the enrollee and the known SB 1010 & HB 7007 – Relating to the Department of Agri- characteristics of the drug regimen or will cause or is culture and Consumer Services by Sen. Bill Montford (D- likely to cause an adverse reaction or other physical Tallahassee) and House Agriculture & Natural Resources harm to the enrollee. Subcommittee and Rep. Jake Raburn (R-Valrico) AIF believes this action to be redundant and unneces- SB 544 – Relating to Nonresidential Farm Buildings by sary given that insurers already have a protocol in place Sen.