2018 Legislative Session Report Page | 1 Table of Contents Introduction............................................................................................................................................................................................... 3 Legislative Session Statistics ............................................................................................................................................................ 3 2018 Priority Issues .............................................................................................................................................................................. 3 Florida’s Opioid Crisis ......................................................................................................................................................................... 3 Background Screening ........................................................................................................................................................................ 4 Parity .......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 5 Public Safety ............................................................................................................................................................................................ 6 Budget Overview ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 7 Health Care .............................................................................................................................................................................................. 7 Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) ........................................................................................................... 7 Department of Children and Families (DCF) .................................................................................................................. 9 Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) .......................................................................................................................... 10 Justice and the Courts ...................................................................................................................................................................... 10 Department of Corrections (DOC) .................................................................................................................................. 10 Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) ............................................................................................................................... 10 State Courts System (SCS) ................................................................................................................................................... 11 Housing .................................................................................................................................................................................................. 11 Appendix 1: Priority Legislation that passed ....................................................................................................................... 12 Controlled Substances (Opioid Package) ................................................................................................................................. 12 Criminal Justice (Civil Citation) ................................................................................................................................................... 13 Perinatal Mental Health .................................................................................................................................................................. 14 Public Records/Addiction Treatment Facility Personnel ................................................................................................. 15 Workers Compensation for First Responders (PTSD) ....................................................................................................... 15 Appendix 2: Priority Legislation that failed .......................................................................................................................... 16 Substance Abuse Services (“Sober Homes”/Background Screening) .......................................................................... 16 Peer Specialists (& Background Screening) ........................................................................................................................... 17 Alcohol & Substance Abuse Prevention (Office of Drug Control) .................................................................................. 17 Insurance Coverage Parity for Mental Health & Substance Use Disorders (Parity) .............................................. 17 Appendix 3: Overview of Filed Legislation Tracked by FBHA .................................................................................... 18 Appendix 4: FY2018-19 Funding (Includes Opioid and Mental Health Funding Legislation) .................. 23 Appendix 5: Key Provisions of “Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act” .................... 29 Page | 2 INTRODUCTION The 2018 Legislative Session can be summed up in a short phrase: this year was the “Session of Circumstance”. Legislative committee weeks leading up to the first half of session placed heavy emphasis on hurricane recovery efforts and the opioid crisis. There were five committee meetings dedicated to understanding the impact heroin and opioids have had on Florida’s communities and strategies to address the epidemic. Lawmakers heard from parents, physicians, law enforcement, health plans, individuals in recovery, and the substance abuse treatment community. In the end, the Legislature passed a sweeping opioid package with additional $53.65 million R/NR to fund treatment, emergency services, and enhancements to the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP). The House and Senate passed their respective budgets in early February, setting the stage for budget conference. One week later, nineteen-year old Nikolas Cruz opened fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida killing seventeen students and teachers and injuring dozens more. This tragedy drastically changed the course of the Legislature. Within days, Governor Rick Scott and House and Senate leaders released recommendations for addressing mental health and public safety in schools, including gun control. Students, parents, and advocates for action lined the streets of Tallahassee surrounding the Capitol demanding change. Negotiating the components of the public safety and opioid legislative packages with funding elements and reconciling the General Appropriations Act caused a two-day extension of session that left many legislative priorities, such as background screening and the expansion of the needle exchange program on the table this year. Legislative Session Statistics The 2018 Legislative Session commenced January 9, 2018 after five committee weeks and adjourned sine die on Sunday, March 11, at 4:16 pm. Fewer bills passed under the leadership of Senate President Joe Negron (R-Palm City) and House Speaker Richard Corcoran (R-Land O’Lakes) than leadership chambers in recent decades. This year, 3,189 bills were filed, including 1,314 appropriations project bills ($2.275 billion). Only 200 bills passed, compared to 249 passed in the previous year (2017). The budget (HB 5001 – General Appropriations Act) totaled $88,727,534,353. The Governor vetoed $64 million in appropriations. Additionally, legislation passed with attached funding totaled $616,553,730, including public/school safety funding ($400 million) and opioid funding ($53.65 million). 2018 Priority Issues Florida’s Opioid Crisis After the January 2017 “Ten a Day Die This Way” campaign initiated by the Florida Behavioral Health Association, the Legislature (2017) passed several laws that incorporated five of the recommendations promoted by the FBHA. In April Governor Rick Scott declared a Public Health Emergency after conducting a statewide listening tour in four cities heavily impacted by the opioid Page | 3 crisis. The declaration authorized immediate release of the federal State Targeted Response Grant (STR) funds ($27.35 million), which went immediately into providing services to individuals with opioid use disorders. This year Governor Scott also released recommendations for a comprehensive opioid legislative package. Filed by Senator Lizbeth Benacquisto (R-Ft. Myers) and Rep. Jim Boyd (R-Bradenton) the legislation enhances penalties for trafficking opioids; reschedules buprenorphine to a Schedule II controlled substance to align with federal laws, and includes a controversial 3-day, and in some instances 7-day limit on prescription opioids. Both bills funded an expansion of substance use disorder treatment services but had slight differences in how the spending would be allocated. The Senate bill also contained a provision prohibiting prior authorization for medication assisted treatment for opioid use disorders. The final negotiated bill removed the prior authorization language and funded the following: • $27,035,532 NR Federal Grants Trust Fund to Department of Children and Families (DCF) for the State Targeted Response to the Opioid Crisis grant (authorization to