House Bill hb0355e1
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CS/HB 355, First Engrossed
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to public school health care
3 services; creating s. 381.00593, F.S.; creating
4 a public school volunteer health care
5 practitioner program; providing a short title;
6 providing purpose; providing a definition;
7 providing for waiver of biennial active license
8 renewal fees and fulfillment of a portion of
9 continuing education hours for specified health
10 care practitioners who provide their services,
11 without compensation, in the public schools;
12 providing program and eligibility requirements;
13 providing for payment of any resulting increase
14 in liability insurance premiums; providing
15 administrative responsibilities; providing a
16 limitation on implementation; providing
17 rulemaking authority; providing for
18 implementation; providing an effective date.
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20 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
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22 Section 1. Section 381.00593, Florida Statutes, is
23 created to read:
24 381.00593 Public school volunteer health care
25 practitioner program.--
26 (1) This section may be cited as the "Public School
27 Volunteer Health Care Practitioner Act."
28 (2) The purpose of this section is to establish a
29 public school volunteer health care practitioner program with
30 incentives and coordinate the program with the "School Health
31 Services Act," pursuant to s. 381.0056, in order to encourage
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CS/HB 355, First Engrossed
1 health care practitioners to provide their services, without
2 compensation, in the public schools; and such program is
3 intended to complement other programs designed to provide
4 health services or increase the level of health care in the
5 public schools.
6 (3) For purposes of this section, the term "health
7 care practitioner" means a physician licensed under chapter
8 458; an osteopathic physician licensed under chapter 459; a
9 chiropractic physician licensed under chapter 460; a podiatric
10 physician licensed under chapter 461; an optometrist licensed
11 under chapter 463; an advanced registered nurse practitioner,
12 registered nurse, or licensed practical nurse licensed under
13 part I of chapter 464; a pharmacist licensed under chapter
14 465; a dentist or dental hygienist licensed under chapter 466;
15 a midwife licensed under chapter 467; a speech-language
16 pathologist or audiologist licensed under part I of chapter
17 468; or a physical therapist licensed under chapter 486.
18 (4)(a) Notwithstanding any provision of chapter 458,
19 chapter 459, chapter 460, chapter 461, chapter 463, part I of
20 chapter 464, chapter 465, chapter 466, chapter 467, part I of
21 chapter 468, or chapter 486 to the contrary, any health care
22 practitioner who participates in the program established in
23 this section and thereby agrees to provide his or her
24 services, without compensation, in a public school for at
25 least 80 hours a year for each school year during the biennial
26 licensure period, or, if the health care practitioner is
27 retired, for at least 400 hours a year for each school year
28 during the licensure period, upon providing sufficient proof
29 from the applicable school district that the health care
30 practitioner has completed such hours at the time of license
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CS/HB 355, First Engrossed
1 renewal under procedures specified by the Department of
2 Health, shall be eligible for the following:
3 1. Waiver of the biennial license renewal fee for an
4 active license; and
5 2. Fulfillment of a maximum of 25 percent of the
6 continuing education hours required for license renewal,
7 pursuant to s. 456.013(9).
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9 The school district may establish a schedule for health care
10 practitioners who participate in the program.
11 (b) A health care practitioner must complete all forms
12 and procedures for participation in the program prior to the
13 applicable license renewal date.
14 (5) To participate in the program, a health care
15 practitioner must:
16 (a) Have a valid, active license to practice his or
17 her profession in this state.
18 (b) Submit fingerprints and have a background
19 screening in accordance with the requirements of s. 381.0059,
20 unless already provided and completed for practitioner
21 licensing, profiling, or credentialing purposes.
22 (6) The school district, through its self-insurance
23 program, shall bear the cost of any increase in premiums for
24 liability protection for health care practitioners
25 participating in the program other than those employed by the
26 school or school district.
27 (7)(a) The Department of Health shall have the
28 responsibility to supervise the program and perform periodic
29 program reviews as provided in s. 381.0056(4).
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CS/HB 355, First Engrossed
1 (b) The Department of Health, in cooperation with the
2 Department of Education, shall publicize the availability of
3 the program and its benefits.
4 (8) The Department of Health, in cooperation with the
5 Department of Education, may adopt rules necessary to
6 implement this section. The rules shall include the forms to
7 be completed and procedures to be followed by applicants and
8 school personnel under the program.
9 (9) The provisions of this section shall be
10 implemented to the extent of specific appropriations contained
11 in the annual General Appropriations Act for such purpose.
12 Section 2. Implementation of the public school
13 volunteer health care practitioner program under s. 381.00593,
14 Florida Statutes, as created by this act, shall be according
15 to the following schedule:
16 (1) The forms and procedures required by s.
17 381.00593(8), Florida Statutes, must be completed and
18 distributed to the school districts by November 30, 2002.
19 (2) Each school district must make the application
20 forms and any other materials required by s. 381.00593(8),
21 Florida Statutes, available to all public schools in the
22 district within 1 month after the forms and procedures are
23 completed and distributed to the school district.
24 (3) Publication of the program, as required by s.
25 381.00593(7)(b), Florida Statutes, must begin within 1 month
26 after the forms and procedures are completed and distributed
27 to the school district.
28 Section 3. This act shall take effect upon becoming a
29 law.
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