Florida Senate - 2025                       CS for CS for SB 768
       
       
        
       By the Committees on Judiciary; and Health Policy; and Senator
       Calatayud
       
       
       
       
       590-03187-25                                           2025768c2
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to controlling business interests by
    3         persons with ties to foreign countries of concern;
    4         amending s. 408.810, F.S.; revising minimum health
    5         care provider licensure requirements relating to
    6         persons or entities possessing a specified controlling
    7         interest in the licensee; revising the definition of
    8         the terms “business relationship” and “foreign country
    9         of concern”; providing an effective date.
   10          
   11  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   12  
   13         Section 1. Subsection (15) of section 408.810, Florida
   14  Statutes, is amended to read:
   15         408.810 Minimum licensure requirements.—In addition to the
   16  licensure requirements specified in this part, authorizing
   17  statutes, and applicable rules, each applicant and licensee must
   18  comply with the requirements of this section in order to obtain
   19  and maintain a license.
   20         (15)(a) The licensee must ensure that a person or an entity
   21  that who possesses a direct controlling interest does not
   22  directly hold, either directly or indirectly, regardless of
   23  ownership structure, an interest in an entity that has a
   24  business relationship with a foreign country of concern or that
   25  is subject to s. 287.135.
   26         (b) For purposes of this subsection, the term:
   27         1. “Business relationship” means engaging in commerce in
   28  any form, including, but not limited to, acquiring, developing,
   29  maintaining, owning, selling, possessing, leasing, or operating
   30  equipment, facilities, personnel, products, services, personal
   31  property, real property, or military equipment, or any other
   32  apparatus of business or commerce.
   33         2. “Foreign country of concern” means the People’s Republic
   34  of China, the Russian Federation, the Islamic Republic of Iran,
   35  the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the Republic of Cuba,
   36  the Venezuelan regime of Nicolas Maduro, or the Syrian Arab
   37  Republic, including any agency of such foreign country of
   38  concern has the same meaning as in s. 692.201.
   39         3. “Interest” has the same meaning as in s. 286.101(1).
   40         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2025.