Senate Bill 0532

    Florida Senate - 2000        (NP)                       SB 532

    By Senator Rossin





    309-481-00

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to trust funds; re-creating the

  3         Medical Quality Assurance Trust Fund within the

  4         Department of Health without modification;

  5         carrying forward current balances and

  6         continuing current sources and uses thereof;

  7         amending s. 20.435, F.S.; abrogating future

  8         termination of the trust fund; providing an

  9         effective date.

10

11         WHEREAS, the Legislature wishes to extend the life of

12  the Medical Quality Assurance Trust Fund within the Department

13  of Health, which is otherwise scheduled to be terminated

14  pursuant to constitutional mandate, and

15         WHEREAS, the Legislature has reviewed the trust fund

16  before its scheduled termination date and has found that it

17  continues to meet an important public purpose, and

18         WHEREAS, the Legislature has found that existing public

19  policy concerning the trust fund sets adequate parameters for

20  its use, NOW, THEREFORE,

21

22  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

23

24         Section 1.  (1)  The Medical Quality Assurance Trust

25  Fund within the Department of Health, FLAIR number 64-2-352,

26  which is to be terminated pursuant to Section 19(f), Article

27  III of the State Constitution on July 1, 2001, is re-created.

28         (2)  All current balances of the trust fund are carried

29  forward, and all current sources and uses of the trust fund

30  are continued.

31

                                  1

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.






    Florida Senate - 2000        (NP)                       SB 532
    309-481-00




  1         Section 2.  Paragraph (d) of subsection (1) of section

  2  20.435, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:

  3         20.435  Department of Health; trust funds.--

  4         (1)  The following trust funds are hereby created, to

  5  be administered by the Department of Health:

  6         (d)  Medical Quality Assurance Trust Fund.

  7         1.  Funds to be credited to the trust fund shall

  8  consist of fees and fines related to the licensing of health

  9  care professionals.  Funds shall be used for the purpose of

10  providing administrative support for the regulation of health

11  care professionals and for other such purposes as may be

12  appropriate and shall be expended only pursuant to legislative

13  appropriation or an approved amendment to the department's

14  operating budget pursuant to the provisions of chapter 216.

15         2.  Notwithstanding the provisions of s. 216.301 and

16  pursuant to s. 216.351, any balance in the trust fund at the

17  end of any fiscal year shall remain in the trust fund at the

18  end of the year and shall be available for carrying out the

19  purposes of the trust fund.

20         3.  The trust fund shall, unless terminated sooner, be

21  terminated on July 1, 2001.

22         Section 3.  This act shall take effect November 4,

23  2000.

24

25            *****************************************

26                          SENATE SUMMARY

27    Re-creates the Medical Quality Assurance Trust Fund
      within the Department of Health.
28

29

30

31

                                  2