FLORIDA LEGISLATIVE UPDATES

Below are links to SB 1124 & HB 707, which are bills that have been filed that impact Opticianry.

SB 1124 and HB 707 establishes a schedule for a systematic review of the costs and benefits of occupational regulatory programs. This is known as a “Sunset” review. Licensure for all professions listed in the bill is automatically repealed in the year scheduled unless the Legislature affirmatively acts to reauthorize licensure for the professions. Health care is not exempt. Newspapers report that the Speaker of the House has complained about the “Medical Industrial Complex”, and the Speaker-designate is the sponsor of HB707. Under these bills, licensure for Opticians will be automatically repealed on July 1, 2023, unless reenacted before then by the Legislature.

SB 1124 was filed on 12/4/19 by Senator Manny Diaz, Jr.

http://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2020/1124/BillText/Filed/PDF

HB 707 was filed on 11/19/19 by Representative (Speaker-designate) Paul Renner

http://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2020/707/BillText/Filed/PDF

House Bill 707 has moved quickly through the House.  It passed through all Committees, and is now ready to be voted on by the House.  This is because the Bill Sponsor, Rep. Renner, is scheduled to be the Speaker of the House in 2022-2024 if the Republicans retain control in the Florida House, and no one wants to be on his bad side.  We must focus all our efforts on Senate Bill 1124 in order to defeat this bill and protect Opticianry in Florida. 

Senate Bill 1124 was heard in the Governmental Oversight and Accountability Committee on Monday, February 17, 2020.  Due to the hard work of the POF Lobbying Team, everyone who took action to write and call legislators and speakers at the meeting, the committee decided to remove all of the healthcare professions from the bill.  Senator Diaz will file the amendments prior to the bill reaching it's next committee stop.

Thank you,

Steve Geller, Esq.

Broward County Vice-Mayor/ Former Florida Senator

Please see the flow chart picture below. Every two years following the election of a new House Speaker and a new Senate President, there may be some limited variations in specific rules and procedures. Still, generally speaking, the flow chart is descriptive of the reality year after year. SB 1124 is in committees and HB 707 is currently in the “Special Calendar” stage of the flow chart.

You should review the flow chart as a “times two.” The referenced flow chart describes the House “process.” At the same time, the same “idea” must flow through a substantially similar “process” in the Senate. The bill must pass through all the steps in both the House and Senate…and if the bill is not moving in both chambers at the same time, time expires, the session ends, and all bills die. The House has been circled in red and the Senate in green.

It must also be noted that it isn’t always about passing a brand new law. Frequently, citizens may need to fight to preserve current law by defeating amendments or killing a bill. And, many of you remember the fight we had years ago to avoid deregulation of the practice of opticianry…that was a budget issue supported by Governor Bush, and there wasn’t legislation to fight against as it was conceptual. And, of course, the good news is that POF launched a massive attack on that concept, and we prevailed!  We are prepared to defend your license once again.

What can you do?

1. Join POF as a member

2. Donate to Opticians for Better Vision, your Political Action Committee (PAC)