SB0162 • 2026

Protection from Surgical Smoke

Healthcare

Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor: Davis
Last action: 2026-03-13
Official status: Senate - Died in Rules
Effective date: 2026-07-01

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

Protection from Surgical Smoke

Protection from Surgical Smoke; Defining the terms “smoke evacuation system” and “surgical smoke”; requiring hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers, by a specified date, to adopt and implement policies to prevent patients and personnel from being exposed to harmful surgical smoke, etc.

What This Bill Does

Protection from Surgical Smoke; Defining the terms “smoke evacuation system” and “surgical smoke”; requiring hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers, by a specified date, to adopt and implement policies to prevent patients and personnel from being exposed to harmful surgical smoke, etc.

Limits and Unknowns

This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

771398

Committee amendment S 162 Filed • Appropriations Committee on Health and Human Services (Davis)

Replaced by Committee Substitute 2/25/2026

Plain English: Florida Senate - 2026 COMMITTEE AMENDMENT Bill No.

Florida Senate - 2026 COMMITTEE AMENDMENT Bill No.
SB 162 Ì771398VÎ771398 LEGISLATIVE ACTION Senate .
House Comm: RCS .
02/25/2026 .

Bill History

2026-03-13 Senate
• Died in Rules
2026-03-06 Senate
• Now in Rules
2026-03-03 Senate
• CS by Appropriations Committee on Health and Human Services read 1st time
2026-02-27 Senate
• Pending reference review under Rule 4.7(2) - (Committee Substitute)
2026-02-25 Senate
• CS by Appropriations Committee on Health and Human Services; YEAS 8 NAYS 0
2026-02-20 Senate
• On Committee agenda-- Appropriations Committee on Health and Human Services, 02/25/26, 10:00 am, 412 Knott Building
2026-01-21 Senate
• Now in Appropriations Committee on Health and Human Services
2026-01-20 Senate
• Favorable by Health Policy; YEAS 10 NAYS 1
2026-01-15 Senate
• On Committee agenda-- Health Policy, 01/20/26, 3:30 pm, 412 Knott Building
2026-01-13 Senate
• Introduced
2025-10-21 Senate
• Referred to Health Policy; Appropriations Committee on Health and Human Services; Rules
2025-10-10 Senate
• Filed

Official Summary Text

Protection from Surgical Smoke; Defining the terms “smoke evacuation system” and “surgical smoke”; requiring hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers, by a specified date, to adopt and implement policies to prevent patients and personnel from being exposed to harmful surgical smoke, etc.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

Florida Senate
-
2026

CS for SB 162

By
the Appropriations Committee on Health and Human Services;
and Senator Davis

603-03209-26 2026162c1
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to protection from surgical smoke;
3 creating s. 395.1013, F.S.; defining the terms “smoke
4 evacuation system” and “surgical smoke”; requiring
5 hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers, by a
6 specified date, to adopt and implement policies to
7 prevent patients and personnel from being exposed to
8 harmful surgical smoke; providing an effective date.
9
10 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
11
12 Section 1. Section 395.1013, Florida Statutes, is created
13 to read:
14
395.1013
Smoke evacuation systems required
.—

15
(1)

As used in this section, the term:

16
(a)

“Smoke evacuation system” means equipment that

17
effectively captures
and
filters surgical smoke before the smoke

18
make
s contact with the eyes or
respiratory tract
s
of occupants

19
in the room.

20
(b)

“Surgi
cal smoke” means the gaseous by
product produced

21
by energy-generating devices
,
such as lasers and electrosurgical

22
devices. The term includes, but is not limited to,
s
urgical

23
plume,
s
moke plume, bioaerosols, laser-generated airborne

24
contaminants, and lung-damaging dust.

25
(2)

By January 1, 202
7,
each licensed facility shall adopt

26
and implement
policie
s to prevent
patients and personnel

from

27
being exposed to
surgical smoke
that is
deemed a
health
risk
and

28
demonstrated
by medical evidence
as causing
harm,
including
by

29
using a smoke evacuation system or any other appropriate measure

30
during any surgical procedure that is likely

to generate

31
surgical smoke.

32 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026.