Florida Senate - 2019                                    SB 1620
       
       
        
       By Senator Gainer
       
       
       
       
       
       2-02003A-19                                           20191620__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to health care licensing requirements;
    3         creating s. 456.0231, F.S.; providing a short title;
    4         providing legislative intent; providing definitions;
    5         exempting certain health care practitioners from
    6         specified licensing requirements when providing
    7         certain services to veterans in this state; providing
    8         reporting requirements; providing construction;
    9         providing for rulemaking; providing an effective date.
   10          
   11  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   12  
   13         Section 1. Section 456.0231, Florida Statutes, is created
   14  to read:
   15         456.0231 Exemption of health care license requirements for
   16  the treatment of veterans.—
   17         (1) SHORT TITLE.—This section may be cited as the
   18  “Exemption of License Requirements for the Treatment of Veterans
   19  Act.”
   20         (2) INTENT.—It is the intent of the Legislature to allow
   21  the exemption of health care licensing laws, rules, and
   22  regulations for health care professionals who are employed by
   23  the United States Department of Veterans Affairs and who treat
   24  Florida veterans at licensed medical facilities in this state
   25  that are not public hospitals or other public health care
   26  facilities.
   27         (3) DEFINITIONS.—As used in this section, the term:
   28         (a) “Health care practitioner” means any person in a
   29  profession licensed under chapter 458; chapter 459; chapter 461;
   30  chapter 463; chapter 464; chapter 466; part I, part III, part V,
   31  or part XIV of chapter 468; chapter 486; chapter 490; or chapter
   32  491.
   33         (b) “License” means any permit, registration, certificate,
   34  or license, including a provisional license, that is necessary
   35  for a health care practitioner to legally practice his or her
   36  profession in this state.
   37         (4) EXEMPTION FROM LICENSURE.—A health care practitioner
   38  that is employed by the United States Department of Veterans
   39  Affairs; provides medical services within his or her scope of
   40  employment to veterans in this state at a licensed medical
   41  facility that is not a public hospital or other public health
   42  care facility; and possesses the appropriate license in good
   43  standing in another state or country is exempt from holding a
   44  license in this state for purposes of providing such medical
   45  services to veterans in this state.
   46         (5) REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.—The executive director of the
   47  Department of Veterans’ Affairs shall submit to the State
   48  Surgeon General a list of all health care practitioners who meet
   49  the requirements of subsection (4).
   50         (6) EMERGENCY PRIVILEGES.—Nothing in this section shall be
   51  construed to preempt or supplant an individual medical
   52  facility’s policies regarding the award of emergency privileges
   53  to physicians or other medical personnel.
   54         (7) RULEMAKING.—The Department of Health shall adopt rules
   55  to administer this section.
   56         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2019.