Rep. Angie Nixon

Maddy summaryHB 253 clarifies eligibility for Florida's Veterans Dental Care Grant Program, which provides dental care to veterans residing in the state. The bill specifies that veterans must have incomes at or below 400 percent of the federal poverty level to qualify for the program. Administered by the Department of Veterans' Affairs, the program ensures access to oral health care for eligible veterans. This clarification takes effect on July 1, 2026.

Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances; Prohibits, beginning on specified date, certain use & sale, purchase, or distribution of aqueous film-forming foam; requires, beginning on specified date, certain entities to submit aqueous film-forming foam inventories & disposal plans to DEP; prohibits, beginning on specified date, possession & use of aqueous film-forming foam; authorizes DEP to administer certain grants or cost share programs; provides penalties & injunctive relief; requires certain public entities disposing of domestic wastewater biosolids and treated effluent to quarterly conduct specified samplings & submit results to DEP; limits purpose such samplings until specified standards are established by EPA & adopted by DEP.

Homestead Exemption and Public Safety Funding; Proposes amendments to State Constitution to revise homestead exemption, limit annual inflation adjustment, require funding for public safety remain at current levels, & require trust fund to provide supplemental funding to replace lost revenues.

Domestic Violence and Protective Injunctions; Reclassifying penalties for committing a domestic violence offense if a person has a prior conviction for domestic violence; providing that sentencing and incentive gain-time eligibility determinations are made without regard to a penalty enhancement; establishing an electronic monitoring pilot program in a specified county; requiring the sheriff, in consultation with certain persons, to design and implement the pilot program; providing requirements for the pilot program; requiring the Department of Corrections to complete an evaluation and provide specified reports to the Legislature; requiring the Department of Law Enforcement to enter injunctions against dating violence and sexual violence into a statewide verification system, etc.

Maddy summaryHB 1271 revises Florida law to define "extraordinary collection actions" (like selling debt or filing lawsuits) and explicitly lists "prohibited collection actions" for medical debt. It bans healthcare providers and debt collectors from threatening arrest, garnishing wages, seizing bank accounts, reporting debt to credit bureaus, or denying care due to unpaid bills. The bill requires medical debt buyers to follow specific rules, including returning debt to providers if patients qualify for financial assistance. This directly affects patients with medical debt and healthcare facilities collecting payments, taking effect July 1, 2026.

Autonomous Vehicle Safety; Requires autonomous vehicle registered in this state to comply with certain standards, regulations, & laws; prohibits autonomous vehicle from engaging in certain activities unless licensed human operator is physically present in vehicle; requires such operator to comply with certain standards, regulations, & laws.

Parental Rights of Qualified Patients; Prohibits court from denying or restricting certain parental rights based solely on parent's status as qualified patient for purposes of medical marijuana use; prohibits presumption of neglect or child endangerment based solely on parent's status as qualified patient for purposes of medical marijuana use.

Department of Labor; Creates Department of Labor as new department of state government; provides for secretary of department to be appointed by Governor & confirmed by Senate; authorizes secretary to establish divisions & regional offices of department; provides purpose of department; revises requirements for notifying employees of certain rights; designates Department of Labor as state Agency for Workforce Innovation for purposes of implementing s. 24, Art. X of State Constitution; revises protected rights of employee; creates rebuttable presumption & burden of proof for employer; revises process for filing complaint for violation of protected rights; prohibits person or entity from entering into certain contracts; authorizes & providing department certain powers to conduct investigations, issue citations, enforce & collect judgments by certain means, & partner with other entities for enforcement & education outreach; provides for injunctive relief; provides process for review of citation, levy, or stop-order issued by department; tolling statute of limitations during investigation; provides liability; requires certain records be maintained for specified length of time; creates Department of Labor Community Advisory Board within Department of Labor; provides for membership, meetings, & duties of advisory board; requires annual report to Secretary of Department of Labor, Governor, & Legislature by specified date

Education; Revises provisions relating to certain trainings & instruction, school district procedures & requirements relating to parental notification, classroom instruction, instructional materials, school personnel training, BOG reviews, state university performance-based incentives, required instruction, DEI program, & general education core courses; repeals provisions relating to personal titles; & revises provisions relating to educator preparation.

Employee Child Care Assistance Programs Study; Requires OPPAGA, beginning on specified date, to perform study of public & private employee child care assistance programs; provides requirements for study; requires office to submit certain report to Governor & Legislature by specified date; provides for future repeal of study.