Florida Senate - 2018                          SENATOR AMENDMENT
       Bill No. CS/CS/CS/HB 1069, 1st Eng.
       
       
       
       
       
       
                                Ì719108-Î719108                         
       
                              LEGISLATIVE ACTION                        
                    Senate             .             House              
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               Floor: 1b/RE/2R         .                                
             03/08/2018 05:09 PM       .                                
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       Senator Garcia moved the following:
       
    1         Senate Amendment to Amendment (445832) (with title
    2  amendment)
    3  
    4         Between lines 38 and 39
    5  insert:
    6         (d) When evaluating a peer specialist’s application for
    7  exemption from disqualification, the department shall consider:
    8         1. The need for peer specialists to provide support
    9  services and the shortage of professionals and paraprofessionals
   10  to provide behavioral health services.
   11         2. That peer specialists may have criminal histories
   12  resulting from substance use disorders or mental illnesses that
   13  prevent them from meeting background screening requirements.
   14         3. That peer specialists provide effective mental health
   15  and substance abuse treatment support services because they
   16  share common life experiences with the persons they assist and
   17  promote a sense of community among those in recovery.
   18         4. That research has shown that peer support facilitates
   19  recovery and reduces health care costs.
   20  
   21  ================= T I T L E  A M E N D M E N T ================
   22  And the title is amended as follows:
   23         Delete lines 127 - 137
   24  and insert:
   25         Delete lines 21 - 34
   26  and insert:
   27         certain treatment programs and facilities; requiring
   28         the department to consider certain factors when
   29         evaluating an application for an exemption; creating
   30         s. 397.417, F.S.; providing qualifications for
   31         certification as a peer specialist; requiring the
   32         department to develop and implement a training program
   33         for individuals seeking certification as peer
   34         specialists; authorizing the department to designate
   35         certain credentialing entities to certify peer
   36         specialists; providing requirements for individuals
   37         providing certain recovery support services as peer
   38         specialists; providing that a peer specialist may be
   39         reimbursed as a recovery service through the
   40         department, a behavioral health managing entity, or
   41         the Medicaid program; encouraging Medicaid managed
   42         care plans to use peer specialists in providing
   43         recovery services; amending s. 397.487, F.S.; revising
   44         legislative findings relating to voluntary
   45         certification of recovery residences; revising
   46         background