Department of Health

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A bill to be entitled 1
An act relating to the Department of Health; amending 2
s. 381.4019, F.S.; revising the definition of the term 3
"dental health professional shortage area"; defining 4
the term "low-income"; deleting the definition of the 5
term "medically underserved area"; revising 6
eligibility requirements for dentists and dental 7
hygienists participating in the Dental Student Loan 8
Repayment Program; amending s. 381.986, F.S.; revising 9
the definition of the term "low-THC cannabis"; 10
revising requirements for department approval of 11
qualified physicians and medical directors of medical 12
marijuana treatment centers; deleting obsolete 13
language; creating s. 381.994, F.S.; creating the 14
Neurofibromatosis Disease Grant Program within the 15
Department of Health; providing purpose of the 16
program; requiring, subject to appropriation, the 17
program to award certain grants; providing 18
requirements for grant applications; requiring the 19
Rare Disease Advisory Council and the peer review 20
panels to establish and follow specified guidelines; 21
prohibiting members of the council and panels from 22
participating in certain discussions and decisions 23
under certain circumstances; authorizing certain 24
appropriation funds to be carried forward under 25

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certain circumstances; amending s. 383.14, F.S.; 26
beginning on a specified date, subject to 27
appropriation, requiring the department require 28
newborns be screened for infantile Krabbe disease; 29
requiring the Department of Health to create a 30
pamphlet; providing instruction on the contents that 31
must be included in the pamphlet; amending s. 391.308, 32
F.S.; revising duties of the department in 33
administering the Early Steps Program; revising 34
provisions related to transitioning children from the 35
Early Steps Program to school district programs; 36
amending s. 391.3081, F.S.; revising provisions 37
relating to the Early Steps Extended Option to conform 38
to changes made by the act; amending s. 395.4025, 39
F.S.; requiring the department to designate certain 40
facilities as pediatric trauma centers; amending s. 41
456.074, F.S.; requiring the department to issue an 42
emergency order suspending the license of a health 43
care practitioner arrested for committing or 44
attempting, soliciting, or conspiring to commit murder 45
in this state or another jurisdiction; amending s. 46
464.0156, F.S.; authorizing a registered nurse to 47
delegate the administration of certain controlled 48
substances to a home health aide for medically fragile 49
children under certain circumstances; amending s. 50

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466.023, F.S.; allowing dental hygienists to use 51
certain tools under the direct supervision of a 52
dentist; amending s. 480.034, F.S.; exempting licensed 53
cosmetologists from certain registration requirements; 54
defining the term "aesthetic body contouring 55
services"; amending s. 491.005, F.S.; revising the 56
deadline for program accreditation; amending s. 57
741.21, F.S.; prohibiting marriage between certain 58
related individuals; amending s. 766.1115, F.S.; 59
revising the definition of "health care provider" or 60
"provider" to include certain students; amending s. 61
1004.551, F.S.; revising requirements for the micro-62
credential component of specialized training provided 63
by the University of Florida Center for Autism and 64
Neurodevelopment; amending s. 381.986, F.S.; extending 65
the exemption of certain rules pertaining to the 66
medical use of marijuana from certain rulemaking 67
requirements; amending ch. 2017-232, Laws of Florida; 68
exempting certain rules pertaining to medical 69
marijuana adopted to replace emergency rules from 70
specified rulemaking requirements; providing for the 71
future expiration and reversion of specified statutory 72
text; providing an effective date. 73
74
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 75

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76
Section 1. Paragraphs (a) and (e) of subsection (1), 77
paragraphs (a) and (b) of subsection (2), and paragraph (b) of 78
subsection (4) of section 381.4019, Florida Statutes, are 79
amended to read: 80
381.4019 Dental Student Loan Repayment Program.—The Dental 81
Student Loan Repayment Program is established to support the 82
state Medicaid program and promote access to dental care by 83
supporting qualified dentists and dental hygienists who treat 84
medically underserved populations in dental health professional 85
shortage areas or medically underserved areas. 86
(1) As used in this section, the term: 87
(a) "Dental health professional shortage area" means a 88
geographic area, an area with a special population, or a 89
facility designated as such by the Health Resources and Services 90
Administration of the United States Department of Health and 91
Human Services. 92
(e) "Low-income," with respect to a person, means a person 93
who meets the criteria specified in s. 766.1115(3)(e) "Medically 94
underserved area" means a geographic area, an area having a 95
special population, or a facility which is designated by 96
department rule as a health professional shortage area as 97
defined by federal regulation and which has a shortage of dental 98
health professionals who serve Medicaid recipients and other 99
low-income patients. 100

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(2) The department shall establish a dental student loan 101
repayment program to benefit Florida-licensed dentists and 102
dental hygienists who: 103
(a) Demonstrate, as required by department rule, active 104
employment in a public health program or private practice that 105
serves Medicaid recipients and other low-income patients and is 106
located in a dental health professional shortage area or a 107
medically underserved area; and 108
(b) Volunteer 25 hours per year providing dental services 109
in a free clinic that is located in a dental health professional 110
shortage area or a medically underserved area, through another 111
volunteer program operated under by the state pursuant to part 112
IV of chapter 110, or through a pro bono program approved by the 113
Board of Dentistry. In order to meet the requirements of this 114
paragraph, the volunteer hours must be verifiable in a manner 115
determined by the department. 116
(4) A dentist or dental hygienist is not eligible to 117
receive funds under the loan program if the dentist or dental 118
hygienist: 119
(b) Ceases to provide services to low-income patients 120
participate in the Florida Medicaid program. 121
Section 2. Paragraph (f) of subsection (1), paragraphs (a) 122
and (c) of subsection (3), paragraph (h) of subsection (4), and 123
paragraph (a) of subsection (8) of section 381.986, Florida 124
Statutes, are amended to read: 125

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381.986 Medical use of marijuana.— 126
(1) DEFINITIONS.—As used in this section, the term: 127
(f) "Low-THC cannabis" means a plant of the genus 128
Cannabis, whether growing or not the dried flowers of which 129
contain 0.8 percent or less of tetrahydrocannabinol and more 130
than 10 percent of cannabidiol weight for weight; the seeds 131
thereof; the resin extracted from any part of such plant; and 132
every or any compound, manufacture, salt, derivative, mixture, 133
or preparation of such plant or its seeds or resin, excluding 134
edibles; which contains 0.8 percent or less of 135
tetrahydrocannabinol and more than 2 percent cannabidiol, weight 136
for weight, which that is dispensed from a medical marijuana 137
treatment center. 138
(3) QUALIFIED PHYSICIANS AND MEDICAL DIRECTORS.— 139
(a) Before being approved as a qualified physician and 140
before each license renewal, a physician must successfully 141
complete a 2-hour course and subsequent examination offered by 142
the Florida Medical Association or the Florida Osteopathic 143
Medical Association which encompass the requirements of this 144
section and any rules adopted hereunder. Qualified physicians 145
must renew the course certification biennially. The course and 146
examination must be administered at least annually and may be 147
offered in a distance learning format, including an electronic, 148
online format that is available upon request. The price of the 149
course may not exceed $500. 150

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(c) Before being employed as a medical director and before 151
each license renewal, a medical director must successfully 152
complete a 2-hour course and subsequent examination offered by 153
the Florida Medical Association or the Florida Osteopathic 154
Medical Association which encompass the requirements of this 155
section and any rules adopted hereunder. Medical directors must 156
renew the course certification biennially. The course and 157
examination must be administered at least annually and may be 158
offered in a distance learning format, including an electronic, 159
online format that is available upon request. The price of the 160
course may not exceed $500. 161
(4) PHYSICIAN CERTIFICATION.— 162
(h) An active order for low-THC cannabis or medical 163
cannabis issued pursuant to former s. 381.986, Florida Statutes 164
2016, and registered with the compassionate use registry before 165
June 23, 2017, is deemed a physician certification, and all 166
patients possessing such orders are deemed qualified patients 167
until the department begins issuing medical marijuana use 168
registry identification cards. 169
(8) MEDICAL MARIJUANA TREATMENT CENTERS.— 170
(a) The department shall license medical marijuana 171
treatment centers to ensure reasonable statewide accessibility 172
and availability as necessary for qualified patients registered 173
in the medical marijuana use registry and who are issued a 174
physician certification under this section. 175

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1. As soon as practicable, but no later than July 3, 2017, 176
the department shall license as a medical marijuana treatment 177
center any entity that holds an active, unrestricted license to 178
cultivate, process, transport, and dispense low-THC cannabis, 179
medical cannabis, and cannabis delivery devices, under former s. 180
381.986, Florida Statutes 2016, before July 1, 2017, and which 181
meets the requirements of this section. In addition to the 182
authority granted under this section, these entities are 183
authorized to dispense low-THC cannabis, medical cannabis, and 184
cannabis delivery devices ordered pursuant to former s. 381.986, 185
Florida Statutes 2016, which were entered into the compassionate 186
use registry before July 1, 2017, and are authorized to begin 187
dispensing marijuana under this section on July 3, 2017. The 188
department may grant variances from the representations made in 189
such an entity's original application for approval under former 190
s. 381.986, Florida Statutes 2014, pursuant to paragraph (e). 191
2. The department shall license as medical marijuana 192
treatment centers 10 applicants that meet the requirements of 193
this section, under the following parameters: 194
a. As soon as practicable, but no later than August 1, 195
2017, the department shall license any applicant whose 196
application was reviewed, evaluated, and scored by the 197
department and which was denied a dispensing organization 198
license by the department under former s. 381.986, Florida 199
Statutes 2014; which had one or more administrative or judicial 200

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challenges pending as of January 1, 2017, or had a final ranking 201
within one point of the highest final ranking in its region 202
under former s. 381.986, Florida Statutes 2014; which meets the 203
requirements of this section; and which provides documentation 204
to the department that it has the existing infrastructure and 205
technical and technological ability to begin cultivating 206
marijuana within 30 days after registration as a medical 207
marijuana treatment center. 208
b. As soon as practicable, the department shall license 209
one applicant that is a recognized class member of Pigford v. 210
Glickman, 185 F.R.D. 82 (D.D.C. 1999), or In Re Black Farmers 211
Litig., 856 F. Supp. 2d 1 (D.D.C. 2011). An applicant licensed 212
under this sub-subparagraph is exempt from the requirement of 213
subparagraph (b)2. An applicant that applies for licensure under 214
this sub-subparagraph, pays its initial application fee, is 215
determined by the department through the application process to 216
qualify as a recognized class member, and is not awarded a 217
license under this sub-subparagraph may transfer its initial 218
application fee to one subsequent opportunity to apply for 219
licensure under subparagraph 4. 220
c. As soon as practicable, but no later than October 3, 221
2017, the department shall license applicants that meet the 222
requirements of this section in sufficient numbers to result in 223
10 total licenses issued under this subparagraph, while 224
accounting for the number of licenses issued under sub-225

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subparagraphs a. and b. 226
3. For up to two of the licenses issued under subparagraph 227
2., the department shall give preference to applicants that 228
demonstrate in their applications that they own one or more 229
facilities that are, or were, used for the canning, 230
concentrating, or otherwise processing of citrus fruit or citrus 231
molasses and will use or convert the facility or facilities for 232
the processing of marijuana. 233
4. Within 6 months after the registration of 100,000 234
active qualified patients in the medical marijuana use registry, 235
the department shall license four additional medical marijuana 236
treatment centers that meet the requirements of this section. 237
Thereafter, the department shall license four medical marijuana 238
treatment centers within 6 months after the registration of each 239
additional 100,000 active qualified patients in the medical 240
marijuana use registry that meet the requirements of this 241
section. 242
Section 3. Section 381.994, Florida Statutes, is created 243
to read: 244
381.994 Neurofibromatosis Disease Grant Program.— 245
(1)(a) There is created within the Department of Health 246
the Neurofibromatosis Disease Grant Program. The purpose of the 247
program is to advance the progress of research and cures for 248
neurofibromatosis by awarding grants through a competitive, 249
peer-reviewed process. 250

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(b) Subject to legislative appropriation, the program 251
shall award grants for scientific and clinical research to 252
further the search for new diagnostics, treatments, and cures 253
for neurofibromatosis. 254
(2)(a) Applications for grants for neurofibromatosis 255
disease research may be submitted by any university or 256
established research institute in the state. All qualified 257
investigators in the state, regardless of institutional 258
affiliation, shall have equal access and opportunity to compete 259
for the research funding. Preference may be given to grant 260
proposals that foster collaboration among institutions, 261
researchers, and community practitioners, as such proposals 262
support the advancement of treatments and cures of 263
neurofibromatosis through basic or applied research. Grants 264
shall be awarded by the department, after consultation with the 265
Rare Disease Advisory Council, pursuant to s. 381.99, on the 266
basis of scientific merit, as determined by the competitive, 267
peer-reviewed process to ensure objectivity, consistency, and 268
high quality. The following types of applications may be 269
considered for funding: 270
1. Investigator-initiated research grants. 271
2. Institutional research grants. 272
3. Collaborative research grants, including those that 273
advance the finding of treatment and cures through basic or 274
applied research. 275

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(b) To ensure appropriate and fair evaluation of grant 276
applications based on scientific merit, the department shall 277
appoint peer review panels of independent, scientifically 278
qualified individuals to review the scientific merit of each 279
proposal and establish its priority score. The priority scores 280
shall be forwarded to the council and must be considered in 281
determining which proposals shall be recommended for funding. 282
(3) The Rare Disease Advisory Council and the peer review 283
panels shall establish and follow rigorous guidelines for 284
ethical conduct and adhere to a strict policy with regard to 285
conflicts of interest. A member of the council or panel may not 286
participate in any discussion or decision of the council or 287
panel with respect to a research proposal by any firm, entity, 288
or agency that the member is associated with as a member of the 289
governing body or as an employee or with which the member has 290
entered into a contractual arrangement. 291
(4) Notwithstanding s. 216.301 and pursuant to s. 216.351, 292
the balance of any appropriation from the General Revenue Fund 293
for the Neurofibromatosis Disease Grant Program that is not 294
disbursed but that is obligated pursuant to contract or 295
committed to be expended by June 30 of the fiscal year in which 296
the funds are appropriated may be carried forward for up to 5 297
years after the effective date of the original. 298
Section 4. Paragraph (a) of subsection (2) of section 299
383.14, Florida Statutes, is amended, and paragraph (i) is added 300

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to subsection (3) of that section, to read: 301
383.14 Screening for metabolic disorders, other hereditary 302
and congenital disorders, and environmental risk factors.— 303
(2) RULES.— 304
(a) After consultation with the Genetics and Newborn 305
Screening Advisory Council, the department shall adopt and 306
enforce rules requiring that every newborn in this state shall: 307
1. Before becoming 1 week of age, have a blood specimen 308
collected for newborn screenings; 309
2. Be tested for any condition included on the federal 310
Recommended Uniform Screening Panel which the council advises 311
the department should be included under the state's screening 312
program. After the council recommends that a condition be 313
included, the department shall submit a legislative budget 314
request to seek an appropriation to add testing of the condition 315
to the newborn screening program. The department shall expand 316
statewide screening of newborns to include screening for such 317
conditions within 18 months after the council renders such 318
advice, if a test approved by the United States Food and Drug 319
Administration or a test offered by an alternative vendor is 320
available. If such a test is not available within 18 months 321
after the council makes its recommendation, the department shall 322
implement such screening as soon as a test offered by the United 323
States Food and Drug Administration or by an alternative vendor 324
is available; 325

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3. At the appropriate age, be tested for such other 326
metabolic diseases and hereditary or congenital disorders as the 327
department may deem necessary; and 328
4. Subject to legislative appropriation, beginning January 329
1, 2027, be screened for infantile Krabbe disease; and 330
5.4. Subject to legislative appropriation, beginning 331
January 1, 2027, be screened for Duchenne muscular dystrophy. 332
(3) DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH; POWERS AND DUTIES.—The 333
department shall administer and provide certain services to 334
implement the provisions of this section and shall: 335
(i) Create an evidence-based, educational pamphlet on the 336
nutritional needs of preterm infants for parents and guardians 337
of infants receiving care in a neonatal intensive care unit. By 338
January 1, 2027, the department must make the pamphlet available 339
electronically to hospitals licensed under chapter 395 to 340
provide neonatal intensive care services. The pamphlet must 341
include, but is not limited to, information related to preterm 342
infants on the following subjects: 343
1. The specific nutritional needs of preterm infants; 344
2. The health risks associated with nutritional deficits 345
and the potential need for nutritional supplementation; 346
3. Different nutritional sources for infants, including 347
maternal breast milk, pasteurized human donor milk, infant 348
formula, human-milk-derived fortifiers, and bovine-milk-derived 349
fortifiers, and the recommended uses for each; 350

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4. The importance of maternal breast milk for meeting the 351
nutritional and developmental needs of infants, and the 352
alternative of pasteurized human donor milk if maternal breast 353
milk is not available; 354
5. The potential risks associated with the use of infant 355
formula, including preterm infant formula, as a sole or primary 356
nutrition source; and 357
6. Necrotizing enterocolitis, the risk factors for 358
necrotizing enterocolitis, and the potential for a human-milk-359
based diet, including maternal and pasteurized donor breast milk 360
and human-milk-derived infant fortifiers, to reduce the risk of 361
necrotizing enterocolitis. 362
363
All provisions of this subsection must be coordinated with the 364
provisions and plans established under this chapter, chapter 365
411, and Pub. L. No. 99-457. 366
Section 5. Paragraphs (a) and (j) of subsection (2) and 367
paragraphs (a) and (b) of subsection (7) of section 391.308, 368
Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 369
391.308 Early Steps Program.—The department shall 370
implement and administer part C of the federal Individuals with 371
Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which shall be known as the 372
"Early Steps Program." 373
(2) DUTIES OF THE DEPARTMENT.—The department shall: 374
(a) Annually prepare a grant application to the Federal 375

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Government requesting the United States Department of Education 376
for funding for early intervention services for infants and 377
toddlers with disabilities and their families pursuant to part C 378
of the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. 379
(j) Establish procedures for dispute resolution and 380
mediation as outlined in part C of the federal Individuals with 381
Disabilities Education Act Provide a mediation process and if 382
necessary, an appeals process for applicants found ineligible 383
for developmental evaluation or early intervention services or 384
denied financial support for such services. 385
(7) TRANSITION TO EDUCATION.— 386
(a) The department shall establish statewide uniform 387
protocols and procedures for transition to a school district 388
program for children with disabilities or to another program as 389
part of an individual family support plan pursuant to part C of 390
the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. At 391
least 90 days before a child reaches 3 years of age, the local 392
program office shall initiate transition planning to ensure the 393
child's successful transition from the Early Steps Program to a 394
school district program for children with disabilities or to 395
another program as part of an individual family support plan. 396
(b) At least 90 days before a child reaches 3 years of 397
age, the local program office shall: 398
1. Notify the local school district in which the child 399
resides and the Department of Education that the child may be 400

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eligible for special education or related services as determined 401
by the local school district pursuant to ss. 1003.21 and 402
1003.57, unless the child's parent or legal guardian has opted 403
out of such notification; and 404
2. Upon approval by the child's parent or legal guardian, 405
convene a transition conference that includes participation of a 406
local school district representative and the parent or legal 407
guardian to discuss options for and availability of services. 408
Section 6. Subsection (5) of section 391.3081, Florida 409
Statutes, is amended to read: 410
391.3081 Early Steps Extended Option.— 411
(5) TRANSITION TO EDUCATION.—The department shall 412
establish statewide uniform protocols and procedures for 413
transition to a school district program for children with 414
disabilities or to another program as part of an individual 415
family support plan pursuant to part C of the federal 416
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. 417
(a) At least 90 days before the beginning of the school 418
year following the fourth birthday of a child enrolled in the 419
Early Steps Extended Option, the local program office shall 420
initiate transition planning to ensure the child's successful 421
transition from the Early Steps Extended Option to a school 422
district program under part B of the federal Individuals with 423
Disabilities Education Act or to another program as part of an 424
individual family support plan. Specifically, the local program 425

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office shall: 426
1. Notify the Department of Education and the local school 427
district in which the child resides that the eligible child is 428
exiting the Early Steps Extended Option, unless the child's 429
parent or legal guardian has opted out of such notification; and 430
2. Upon approval by the child's parent or legal guardian, 431
convene a transition conference that includes participation of a 432
local school district representative and the parent or legal 433
guardian to discuss options for and availability of services. 434
(b) The local program office, in conjunction with the 435
local school district, shall modify a child's individual family 436
support plan, or, if applicable, the local school district shall 437
develop or review an individual education plan for the child 438
pursuant to ss. 1003.57, 1003.571, and 1003.5715 which 439
identifies special education or related services that the child 440
will receive and the providers or agencies that will provide 441
such services. 442
(c) If a child is found to be no longer eligible for part 443
B of the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act 444
during the review of an individual education plan, the local 445
program office and the local school district must provide the 446
child's parent or legal guardian with written information on 447
other available services or community resources. 448
Section 7. Paragraph (g) of subsection (16) of section 449
395.4025, Florida Statutes, is redesignated as paragraph (h) and 450

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a new paragraph (g) is added to subsection (16) of that section 451
to read: 452
395.4025 Trauma centers; selection; quality assurance; 453
records.— 454
(16) 455
(g) Notwithstanding the statutory capacity limits 456
established in s. 395.402(1), the provisions of subsection (8), 457
or any other provision of this part, specialty licensed 458
children's hospitals licensed by the agency shall be designated 459
by the department as a Level I or Level II pediatric trauma 460
center based on documentation of a valid certificate of trauma 461
center verification by the American College of Surgeons. 462
Section 8. Present paragraphs (d) through (hh) of 463
subsection (5) of section 456.074, Florida Statutes, are 464
redesignated as paragraphs (e) through (ii), respectively, and a 465
new paragraph (d) is added to that subsection, to read: 466
456.074 Certain health care practitioners; immediate 467
suspension of license.— 468
(5) The department shall issue an emergency order 469
suspending the license of any health care practitioner who is 470
arrested for committing or attempting, soliciting, or conspiring 471
to commit any act that would constitute a violation of any of 472
the following criminal offenses in this state or similar 473
offenses in another jurisdiction: 474
(d) Section 782.04, relating to murder. 475

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Section 9. Paragraph (c) of subsection (2) of section 476
464.0156, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 477
464.0156 Delegation of duties.— 478
(2) 479
(c) A registered nurse may not delegate the administration 480
of any controlled substance listed in Schedule II, Schedule III, 481
or Schedule IV of s. 893.03 or 21 U.S.C. s. 812, except that a 482
registered nurse may delegate: 483
1. for The administration of an insulin syringe that is 484
prefilled with the proper dosage by a pharmacist or an insulin 485
pen that is prefilled by the manufacturer; and 486
2. To a home health aide for medically fragile children as 487
defined in s. 400.462, the administration of a Schedule IV 488
controlled substance prescribed for the emergency treatment of 489
an active seizure. 490
Section 10. Subsections (8) and (9) are added to section 491
466.023, Florida Statutes, to read: 492
466.023 Dental hygienists; scope and area of practice.— 493
(8) A dental hygienist, under the direct supervision of a 494
licensed dentist, may use a dental diode laser for the purpose 495
of bacterial reduction or disinfection of gingival sulcus at 496
settings that preclude hard and soft tissue removal except for 497
incidental gingival curettage, in a manner consistent with the 498
dental hygienist's scope of practice, if the following criteria 499
are met: 500

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(a) The dental hygienist has obtained certification for 501
the completion of an interactive didactic and clinical training 502
course which includes laser safety, infection control, patient 503
management, and the operation of specific lasers used in dental 504
practice. The course must consist of a minimum of 12 hours of 505
in-person instruction, including 3 hours of clinical simulation 506
training, which must be obtained through a course provided or 507
recognized by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of the 508
American Dental Association or an organization approved by the 509
board. 510
(b) The dental hygienist maintains evidence of obtaining 511
the required certification which is prominently displayed at the 512
location where the dental hygienist is authorized to use a 513
dental diode laser. 514
(c) The dental hygienist completes 2 hours of continuing 515
education every 2 years on the use of dental diode lasers in the 516
practice of dental hygiene. 517
(d) The dental hygienist provides evidence of completion 518
of the required certification and continuing education to the 519
board. 520
(e) The supervising dentist has received a minimum of 12 521
hours of education and training on the use of lasers in a dental 522
setting. 523
(f) All lasers are used in accordance with accepted safety 524
guidelines. 525

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(9) When using a dental diode laser pursuant to this 526
section, a dental hygienist shall document all of the following 527
information in the patient's record: 528
(a) The type of laser used, including the wavelength of 529
the laser. 530
(b) The settings used, such as pulse or continuous wave, 531
and the power setting. 532
(c) Local anesthesia used, if any. 533
(d) The procedure attempted and performed, including 534
details as to whether hard or soft tissue was removed. 535
Section 11. Subsection (4) of section 480.034, Florida 536
Statutes, is renumbered as subsection (5), and a new subsection 537
(4) is added to that section to read: 538
480.034 Exemptions.— 539
(4) Cosmetologists licensed under chapter 477 performing 540
aesthetic body contouring services are exempt from the 541
registration requirements of this act. As used in this 542
subsection, the term "aesthetic body contouring services" means 543
noninvasive, nonmedical services performed for cosmetic purposes 544
which are intended to temporarily shape, sculpt, tone, or 545
contour areas of the body through external application to the 546
skin using manual manipulation techniques through the use of 547
hands, noninvasive tools, wraps, or scrubs. 548
Section 12. Paragraph (c) of subsection (3) of section 549
491.005, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 550

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491.005 Licensure by examination.— 551
(3) MARRIAGE AND FAMILY THERAPY.—Upon verification of 552
documentation and payment of a fee not to exceed $200, as set by 553
board rule, the department shall issue a license as a marriage 554
and family therapist to an applicant whom the board certifies 555
has met all of the following criteria: 556
(c)1. Attained one of the following: 557
a. A minimum of a master's degree in marriage and family 558
therapy from a program accredited by the Commission on 559
Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education. 560
b. A minimum of a master's degree with a major emphasis in 561
marriage and family therapy or a closely related field from a 562
university program accredited by the Council on Accreditation of 563
Counseling and Related Educational Programs and graduate courses 564
approved by the board. 565
c. A minimum of a master's degree with an emphasis in 566
marriage and family therapy or a closely related field, with a 567
degree conferred before September 1, 2032 2027, from an 568
institutionally accredited college or university and graduate 569
courses approved by the board. 570
2. If the course title that appears on the applicant's 571
transcript does not clearly identify the content of the 572
coursework, the applicant provided additional documentation, 573
including, but not limited to, a syllabus or catalog description 574
published for the course. The required master's degree must have 575

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been received in an institution of higher education that, at the 576
time the applicant graduated, was fully accredited by an 577
institutional accrediting body recognized by the Council for 578
Higher Education Accreditation or its successor organization or 579
was a member in good standing with Universities Canada, or an 580
institution of higher education located outside the United 581
States and Canada which, at the time the applicant was enrolled 582
and at the time the applicant graduated, maintained a standard 583
of training substantially equivalent to the standards of 584
training of those institutions in the United States which are 585
accredited by an institutional accrediting body recognized by 586
the Council for Higher Education Accreditation or its successor 587
organization. Such foreign education and training must have been 588
received in an institution or program of higher education 589
officially recognized by the government of the country in which 590
it is located as an institution or program to train students to 591
practice as professional marriage and family therapists or 592
psychotherapists. The applicant has the burden of establishing 593
that the requirements of this provision have been met, and the 594
board shall require documentation, such as an evaluation by a 595
foreign equivalency determination service, as evidence that the 596
applicant's graduate degree program and education were 597
equivalent to an accredited program in this country. An 598
applicant with a master's degree from a program that did not 599
emphasize marriage and family therapy may complete the 600

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coursework requirement in a training institution fully 601
accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and 602
Family Therapy Education recognized by the United States 603
Department of Education. 604
605
For the purposes of dual licensure, the department shall license 606
as a marriage and family therapist any person who meets the 607
requirements of s. 491.0057. Fees for dual licensure may not 608
exceed those stated in this subsection. 609
Section 13. Section 741.21, Florida Statutes, is amended 610
to read: 611
741.21 Incestuous marriages prohibited.— 612
(1) A man may not marry any woman to whom he is related by 613
lineal consanguinity, nor his sister, nor his aunt, nor his 614
niece. A woman may not marry any man to whom she is related by 615
lineal consanguinity, nor her brother, nor her uncle, nor her 616
nephew. 617
(2) A man may not marry any woman who is a lineal 618
descendent of his grandparent. A woman may not marry any man who 619
is a lineal descendent of her grandparent. Marriages prohibited 620
in this subsection entered into after July 1, 2026, are not 621
recognized for any purpose in this state. 622
Section 14. Paragraph (d) of subsection (3) of section 623
766.1115, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 624
766.1115 Health care providers; creation of agency 625

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relationship with governmental contractors.— 626
(3) DEFINITIONS.—As used in this section, the term: 627
(d) "Health care provider" or "provider" means: 628
1. A birth center licensed under chapter 383. 629
2. An ambulatory surgical center licensed under chapter 630
395. 631
3. A hospital licensed under chapter 395. 632
4. A physician or physician assistant licensed under 633
chapter 458. 634
5. An osteopathic physician or osteopathic physician 635
assistant licensed under chapter 459. 636
6. A chiropractic physician licensed under chapter 460. 637
7. A podiatric physician licensed under chapter 461. 638
8. A registered nurse, nurse midwife, licensed practical 639
nurse, or advanced practice registered nurse licensed or 640
registered under part I of chapter 464 or any facility which 641
employs nurses licensed or registered under part I of chapter 642
464 to supply all or part of the care delivered under this 643
section. 644
9. A midwife licensed under chapter 467. 645
10. A health maintenance organization certificated under 646
part I of chapter 641. 647
11. A health care professional association and its 648
employees or a corporate medical group and its employees. 649
12. Any other medical facility the primary purpose of 650

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which is to deliver human medical diagnostic services or which 651
delivers nonsurgical human medical treatment, and which includes 652
an office maintained by a provider. 653
13. A dentist or dental hygienist licensed under chapter 654
466. 655
14. A free clinic that delivers only medical diagnostic 656
services or nonsurgical medical treatment free of charge to all 657
low-income recipients. 658
15. Any other health care professional, practitioner, 659
provider, or facility under contract with a governmental 660
contractor, including a student enrolled in an accredited 661
program that prepares the student for licensure as any one of 662
the professionals listed in subparagraphs 4.-9. and 13. 663
664
The term includes any nonprofit corporation qualified as exempt 665
from federal income taxation under s. 501(a) of the Internal 666
Revenue Code, and described in s. 501(c) of the Internal Revenue 667
Code, which delivers health care services provided by licensed 668
professionals listed in this paragraph, any federally funded 669
community health center, and any volunteer corporation or 670
volunteer health care provider that delivers health care 671
services. 672
Section 15. Paragraph (f) of subsection (1) of section 673
1004.551, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 674
1004.551 University of Florida Center for Autism and 675

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Neurodevelopment.—There is created at the University of Florida 676
the Center for Autism and Neurodevelopment. 677
(1) The center shall: 678
(f) Develop an autism micro-credential to provide 679
specialized training in supporting students with autism. 680
1. The micro-credential must be stackable with the autism 681
endorsement and be available to: 682
a. Instructional personnel as defined in s. 1012.01(2); 683
b. Prekindergarten instructors as specified in ss. 684
1002.55, 1002.61, and 1002.63; and 685
c. Child care personnel as defined in ss. 402.302(3) and 686
1002.88(1)(e). 687
d. Early intervention service providers credentialed 688
through the Early Steps Program. 689
2. The micro-credential must require participants to 690
demonstrate competency in: 691
a. Identifying behaviors associated with autism. 692
b. Supporting the learning environment in both general and 693
specialized classroom settings. 694
c. Promoting the use of assistive technologies. 695
d. Applying evidence-based instructional practices. 696
3. The micro-credential must: 697
a. Be provided at no cost to eligible participants. 698
b. Be competency-based, allowing participants to complete 699
the credentialing process either in person or online. 700

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c. Permit participants to receive the micro-credential at 701
any time during training once competency is demonstrated. 702
4. Individuals eligible under subparagraph 1. who complete 703
the micro-credential are eligible for a one-time stipend, as 704
determined in the General Appropriations Act. The center shall 705
administer stipends for the micro-credential. 706
Section 16. Subsection (17) of section 381.986, Florida 707
Statutes, is amended to read: 708
381.986 Medical use of marijuana.— 709
(17) Rules adopted pursuant to this section before July 1, 710
2027 2026, are not subject to ss. 120.54(3)(b) and 120.541. This 711
subsection expires July 1, 2027 2026. 712
Section 17. Effective July 1, 2026, upon the expiration 713
and reversion of the amendments made to subsection (1) of 714
section 14 of chapter 2017-232, Laws of Florida, pursuant to 715
section 16 of chapter 2025-199, Laws of Florida, subsection (1) 716
of section 14 of chapter 2017-232, Laws of Florida, is amended 717
to read: 718
(1) EMERGENCY RULEMAKING.— 719
(a) The Department of Health and the applicable boards 720
shall adopt emergency rules pursuant to s. 120.54(4), Florida 721
Statutes, and this section necessary to implement s. 381.986 ss. 722
381.986 and 381.988, Florida Statutes. If an emergency rule 723
adopted under this section is held to be unconstitutional or an 724
invalid exercise of delegated legislative authority, and becomes 725

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void, the department or the applicable boards may adopt an 726
emergency rule pursuant to this section to replace the rule that 727
has become void. If the emergency rule adopted to replace the 728
void emergency rule is also held to be unconstitutional or an 729
invalid exercise of delegated legislative authority and becomes 730
void, the department and the applicable boards must follow the 731
nonemergency rulemaking procedures of the Administrative 732
Procedures Act to replace the rule that has become void. 733
(b) For emergency rules adopted under this section, the 734
department and the applicable boards need not make the findings 735
required by s. 120.54(4)(a), Florida Statutes. Emergency rules 736
adopted under this section are exempt from ss. 120.54(3)(b) and 737
120.541, Florida Statutes. The department and the applicable 738
boards shall meet the procedural requirements in s. 120.54(4)(a) 739
s. 120.54(a), Florida Statutes, if the department or the 740
applicable boards have, before July 1, 2019 the effective date of 741
this act, held any public workshops or hearings on the subject 742
matter of the emergency rules adopted under this subsection. 743
Challenges to emergency rules adopted under this subsection are 744
subject to the time schedules provided in s. 120.56(5), Florida 745
Statutes. 746
(c) Emergency rules adopted under this section are exempt 747
from s. 120.54(4)(c), Florida Statutes, and shall remain in 748
effect until replaced by rules adopted under the nonemergency 749
rulemaking procedures of the Administrative Procedures Act. 750

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Rules adopted under the nonemergency rulemaking procedures of 751
the Administrative Procedures Act to replace emergency rules 752
adopted under this section are exempt from ss. 120.54(3)(b) and 753
120.541, Florida Statutes. By July 15, 2026 January 1, 2018, the 754
department and the applicable boards shall initiate nonemergency 755
rulemaking pursuant to the Administrative Procedures Act to 756
replace all emergency rules adopted under this section by 757
publishing a notice of rule development in the Florida 758
Administrative Register. The department and applicable boards 759
shall publish a notice of proposed rule in the Florida 760
Administrative Register by July 30, 2026. Notwithstanding s. 761
120.54(2)(a)2., Florida Statutes, this timeframe may not be 762
exceeded. Except as provided in paragraph (a), after January 1, 763
2018, the department and applicable boards may not adopt rules 764
pursuant to the emergency rulemaking procedures provided in this 765
section. 766
Section 18. The amendments to subsection (1) of section 14 767
of chapter 2017-232, Laws of Florida, made by this act expire 768
January 1, 2027, and the text of that subsection shall revert to 769
that in existence on June 30, 2019, except that any amendments 770
to such text enacted other than by this act shall be preserved 771
and continue to operate to the extent that such amendments are 772
not dependent upon the portions of text which expire pursuant to 773
this section. 774
Section 19. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026. 775