Advanced Practice Registered Nurse Autonomous Practice

Plain English Breakdown

The official status label says the bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, but the last action listed is 'Died in Rules' on March 13, 2026. This creates uncertainty about whether the law actually took effect.

HB0301: Advanced Practice Registered Nurse Autonomous Practice

This bill allows psychiatric-mental health advanced practice nurses to work independently when providing mental health services.

What This Bill Does

• Allows certified psychiatric-mental health advanced practice nurses to engage in autonomous practice for mental health services as defined by board rule.
• Keeps the rule that other advanced practice nurses can only do autonomous practice in primary care fields like family medicine, general pediatrics, and general internal medicine.
• Lets these nurses admit patients to healthcare facilities, manage their care there, and discharge them unless federal law or rules forbid it.
• Permits these nurses to sign documents or provide certifications usually required by a physician, except they cannot issue a certification under section 381.986.

Who It Names or Affects

• Advanced practice registered nurses certified in psychiatric mental health
• Patients receiving mental health services from these nurses

Terms To Know

Autonomous practice

The ability for a nurse to work and make decisions without needing direct supervision or an agreement with a physician.

Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN)

A registered nurse who has extra education and training in a specific area of healthcare, such as mental health or primary care.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not allow these nurses to issue physician certifications under section 381.986.
• Nurses cannot discharge patients from facilities if federal laws or rules forbid it.
• Specific details about what counts as mental health services are defined by board rules, which are not included in this text.

Official Summary Text

Advanced Practice Registered Nurse Autonomous Practice; Authorizes certain advanced practice registered nurses to engage in autonomous practice to provide mental health services.

Current Bill Text

HB 301 2026

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb301-00
Page 1 of 2
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S

A bill to be entitled 1
An act relating to advanced practice registered nurse 2
autonomous practice; amending s. 464.0123, F.S.; 3
authorizing certain advanced practice registered 4
nurses to engage in autonomous practice to provide 5
mental health services under certain circumstances; 6
providing an effective date. 7
8
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 9
10
Section 1. Paragraph (a) of subsection (3) of section 11
464.0123, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 12
464.0123 Autonomous practice by an advanced practice 13
registered nurse.— 14
(3) PRACTICE REQUIREMENTS.— 15
(a) An advanced practice registered nurse who is 16
registered under this section may: 17
1. Engage in autonomous practice only in primary care 18
practice, including family medicine, general pediatrics, and 19
general internal medicine, as defined by board rule. If an 20
advanced practice registered nurse is certified as a psychiatric 21
mental health advanced practice nurse, he or she may engage in 22
autonomous practice to provide mental health services, as 23
defined by board rule. 24
2. For certified nurse midwives, engage in autonomous 25

HB 301 2026

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb301-00
Page 2 of 2
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S

practice in the performance of the acts listed in s. 26
464.012(4)(c). 27
3. Perform the general functions of an advanced practice 28
registered nurse under s. 464.012(3) related to primary care. 29
4. For a patient who requires the services of a health 30
care facility, as defined in s. 408.032(8): 31
a. Admit the patient to the facility. 32
b. Manage the care received by the patient in the 33
facility. 34
c. Discharge the patient from the facility, unless 35
prohibited by federal law or rule. 36
5. Provide a signature, certification, stamp, 37
verification, affidavit, or endorsement that is otherwise 38
required by law to be provided by a physician, except an 39
advanced practice registered nurse registered under this section 40
may not issue a physician certification under s. 381.986. 41
Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026. 42