Sen. Lori Berman

Suicide Prevention for Active and Former Members of the United States Armed Forces, the National Guard, and their Reserve Components; Requiring a facility conducting an involuntary examination to include in its report to the Baker Act Reporting Center whether the individual examined is an active or former member of the United States Armed Forces, the National Guard, or their reserve components, etc.

Safe Storage of Firearms and Ammunition in Motor Vehicles and Vessels; Defining the terms “motor vehicle,” “trunk,” and “vessel”; requiring persons who store or leave firearms or ammunition in motor vehicles or vessels under their control to keep the firearms or ammunition locked inside specified locations within the motor vehicles or vessels while such persons are not in the motor vehicles or vessels, etc.

Historic Cemeteries Program; Requiring local governments to approve applications from historic African-American cemeteries to change the land use category and zoning district of excess vacant land under certain conditions, etc.

Maddy summarySB 626 updates Florida's school immunization requirements by allowing the Department of Health to add new communicable diseases to the mandatory list through rulemaking, instead of pre-listing them. It directly affects all Florida students entering public or private schools, as it modifies which diseases require vaccination for attendance. The bill keeps existing requirements for diseases like polio, measles, mumps, and chickenpox but gives the Department authority to expand the list based on current health needs. The changes will take effect July 1, 2026, and immunizations must remain free at county health departments. The bill does not add new diseases immediately but establishes a process for future updates.

Maddy summarySB 154 revises Florida's eligibility rules for healthcare professionals seeking a license by endorsement under the MOBILE Act, directly affecting out-of-state healthcare workers aiming to practice in Florida. It updates the list of ineligibilities, notably adding that applicants reported to the National Practitioner Data Bank may still qualify if the reported conduct wouldn't violate Florida law, allowing boards to approve with conditions like practice restrictions or probation. The bill also clarifies ineligibility for those with pending disciplinary actions, felony convictions related to healthcare, or revoked licenses in other states. It takes effect July 1, 2026, and does not change the core purpose of facilitating interstate licensure for healthcare professionals.

Medicaid Providers; Requiring the Agency for Health Care Administration to include specified requirements in its contracts with Medicaid managed care plans; defining the term “outside of regular business hours”, etc.

Home Hardening Products; Providing a sales tax exemption for home hardening products used on eligible residential property; specifying a limitation on exemptions; requiring property owners to submit an application to the Department of Revenue in order to be eligible; providing requirements for the department in issuing refunds, etc.

Use of Professional Nursing Titles; Providing that licensed advanced practice registered nurses who hold specified degrees may use titles and abbreviations associated with those degrees in a specified manner; prohibiting such persons from holding themselves out to patients or prospective patients as a doctor in advertising without also clearly denoting their licensed profession, etc.

Drowning Prevention Education; Requiring the Department of Health to develop educational materials on drowning prevention safety measures and safe bathing practices for specified purposes; providing requirements for such materials; requiring hospitals, birth centers, and home birth providers to provide the educational materials to new parents and caregivers as part of their postpartum education and care, etc.

Prohibited Discrimination Based on Hairstyle; Citing this act as the "Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair Act” or “CROWN Act"; prohibiting discrimination based on protected hairstyle against a student in the K-20 public education system; defining the terms “race” and “protected hairstyle” for purposes of public K-12 nondiscrimination requirements; defining the terms “race” and “protected hairstyle” for purposes of antidiscrimination requirements for private schools participating in the state school choice scholarship program, etc.