Florida Senate - 2016                                    SB 1660
       
       
        
       By Senator Hutson
       
       6-01619-16                                            20161660__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to continuing education requirements
    3         for health care practitioners; amending s. 456.031,
    4         F.S.; providing requirements for instruction of
    5         certain health care practitioners concerning
    6         identification and reporting of child abuse; requiring
    7         completion of domestic violence and child abuse
    8         instruction as part of biennial relicensure or
    9         recertification; providing an effective date.
   10          
   11  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   12  
   13         Section 1. Section 456.031, Florida Statutes, is amended to
   14  read:
   15         456.031 Requirement for instruction on domestic violence
   16  and child abuse.—
   17         (1)(a) The appropriate board shall require each person
   18  licensed or certified under chapter 458, chapter 459, part I of
   19  chapter 464, chapter 466, chapter 467, chapter 490, or chapter
   20  491 to complete a 3-hour 2-hour continuing education course,
   21  approved by the board, on domestic violence, as defined in s.
   22  741.28, and the identification and reporting of child abuse, as
   23  defined in s. 827.03, as part of every third biennial
   24  relicensure or recertification. The course shall consist of
   25  information on the number of patients in that professional’s
   26  practice who are likely to be victims of domestic violence or
   27  child abuse and the number who are likely to be perpetrators of
   28  domestic violence or child abuse, screening procedures for
   29  determining whether a patient has any history of being either a
   30  victim or a perpetrator of domestic violence or child abuse, and
   31  instruction on how to provide such patients with information on,
   32  or how to refer such patients to, resources in the local
   33  community, such as domestic violence centers and other advocacy
   34  groups, that provide legal aid, shelter, victim counseling,
   35  batterer counseling, or child protection services.
   36         (b) Each such licensee or certificateholder shall submit
   37  confirmation of having completed such course, on a form provided
   38  by the board, when submitting fees for every third biennial
   39  renewal.
   40         (c) The board may approve additional equivalent courses
   41  that may be used to satisfy the requirements of paragraph (a).
   42  Each licensing board that requires a licensee to complete an
   43  educational course pursuant to this subsection may include the
   44  hour required for completion of the course in the total hours of
   45  continuing education required by law for such profession unless
   46  the continuing education requirements for such profession
   47  consist of fewer than 30 hours biennially.
   48         (d) Any person holding two or more licenses subject to the
   49  provisions of this subsection shall be permitted to show proof
   50  of having taken one board-approved course on domestic violence,
   51  for purposes of relicensure or recertification for additional
   52  licenses.
   53         (e) Failure to comply with the requirements of this
   54  subsection shall constitute grounds for disciplinary action
   55  under each respective practice act and under s. 456.072(1)(k).
   56  In addition to discipline by the board, the licensee shall be
   57  required to complete such course.
   58         (2) Each board may adopt rules to carry out the provisions
   59  of this section.
   60         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2016.