FLORIDA LEGISLATIVE UPDATES

Nancy Stewart, Lobbyist for Professional Opticians of Florida from POFCE on Vimeo.

Help protect your license

POF encourages all licensed opticians to join us to stand together in support of your profession as advocates of protecting the health and welfare of the public.

If you are already a POF member, thank you for your continued support. If you are not a member, please JOIN NOW and help support our efforts in protecting your license. Please reach out to your fellow opticians, students, and apprentices. Ask them to become a member of POF as membership is more important now than ever.

Professional Opticians of Florida has the only representation in the House and Senate working on behalf of you and all Florida Opticians.

See well,

Dee

Dee Pace

Executive Director

Professional Opticians of Florida

Below are links to SB 1124 & HB 707, which are bills filed that impact Opticianry. At this stage, this is for informational purposes only. We are working with our Legislative Consulting Team to develop a plan for action.

SB 1124 establishes a schedule for a systematic review of the costs and benefits of occupational regulatory programs. The Legislature intends to review each program before the scheduled date on which each occupational regulatory program is set to expire through scheduled repeal to determine whether to allow the program to expire, renew the program without modifications, renew the program with modifications, or provide for other appropriate actions.

F.S. 484 is scheduled for repeal on July 1, 2023.

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

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

Chapter 484 is found in Section 5 of the SB 1124 starting on line 198.

HB 707 was filed on 11/19/19 by Representative Paul Renner

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

Chapter 484 is found in Section 4 of HB 707 starting on line 200.

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Optician's for Better Vision Political Action Committee (PAC)

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"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." - Margaret Mead

Please see the flow chart picture below that was developed by a former House Clerk ages ago. 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 and HB 707 are currently in the “Bill Numbered and Filed” 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.

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)

2020 SESSION DATES

August 1, 2019 Deadline for filing claim bills (Rule 4.81(2))

November 22, 2019 5:00 p.m., deadline for submitting requests for drafts of general bills and joint resolutions, including requests for companion bills

January 10, 2020 5:00 p.m., deadline for approving final drafts of general bills and joint resolutions, including companion bills

January 14, 2020 Regular Session convenes (Article III, section 3(b), Constitution) 12:00 noon, deadline for filing bills for introduction (Rule 3.7(1))

February 29, 2020 All bills are immediately certified (Rule 6.8) Motion to reconsider made and considered the same day (Rule 6.4(4))

March 3, 2020 50th day—last day for regularly scheduled committee meetings (Rule 2.9(2))

March 13, 2020 60th day—last day of Regular Session (Article III, section 3(d), Constitution)

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