Senate Bill sb1666e1
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SB 1666 First Engrossed
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to continuing education for
3 health care practitioners; amending s. 456.025,
4 F.S.; deleting requirements for the Department
5 of Health to administer an electronic
6 continuing education tracking system for health
7 care practitioners; creating s. 456.0251, F.S.;
8 providing for enforcement of continuing
9 education requirements required for license
10 renewal; authorizing citations and fines to be
11 imposed for failure to comply with required
12 continuing education requirements; amending s.
13 456.072, F.S.; providing for discipline of
14 licensees who fail to meet continuing education
15 requirements as a prerequisite for license
16 renewal three or more times; providing an
17 effective date.
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19 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
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21 Section 1. Subsection (7) of section 456.025, Florida
22 Statutes, is amended to read:
23 456.025 Fees; receipts; disposition.--
24 (7) Each board, or the department if there is no
25 board, shall establish, by rule, a fee not to exceed $250 for
26 anyone seeking approval to provide continuing education
27 courses or programs and shall establish by rule a biennial
28 renewal fee not to exceed $250 for the renewal of providership
29 of such courses. The fees collected from continuing education
30 providers shall be used for the purposes of reviewing course
31 provider applications, monitoring the integrity of the courses
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SB 1666 First Engrossed
1 provided, and covering legal expenses incurred as a result of
2 not granting or renewing a providership, and developing and
3 maintaining an electronic continuing education tracking
4 system. The department shall implement an electronic
5 continuing education tracking system for each new biennial
6 renewal cycle for which electronic renewals are implemented
7 after the effective date of this act and shall integrate such
8 system into the licensure and renewal system. All approved
9 continuing education providers shall provide information on
10 course attendance to the department necessary to implement the
11 electronic tracking system. The department shall, by rule,
12 specify the form and procedures by which the information is to
13 be submitted.
14 Section 2. Section 456.0251, Florida Statutes, is
15 created to read:
16 456.0251 Continuing education.--
17 (1) Unless otherwise provided in a profession's
18 practice act, each board, or the department if there is no
19 board, shall establish by rule procedures for approval of
20 continuing education courses for renewal of licenses. Except
21 for those continuing education courses whose subjects are
22 prescribed by law, each board, or the department if there is
23 no board, may limit by rule the subject matter for approved
24 continuing education courses to courses addressing the scope
25 of practice of each respective health care profession.
26 (2) Licensees who have not completed all of the
27 continuing education credits required for licensure during a
28 biennium may obtain an extension of 3 months from the date
29 after the end of the license renewal biennium within which to
30 complete the requisite hours for license renewal. Each board,
31 or the department if there is no board, shall establish by
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SB 1666 First Engrossed
1 rule procedures for requesting a 3-month extension and whether
2 proof of completion of some approved hours of continuing
3 education are required to be submitted with the request for
4 extension as a prerequisite for granting the request.
5 (3) Failure to complete the requisite number of hours
6 of continuing education hours within a license renewal
7 biennium or within a 3 month period from the date after the
8 end of the license renewal biennium, if requested, shall be
9 grounds for issuance of a citation and a fine, plus a
10 requirement that at least the deficit hours are completed
11 within a time established by rule of each board, or the
12 department if there is no board. Each board, or the department
13 if there is no board, shall establish by rule a fine for each
14 continuing education hour which was not completed within the
15 license renewal biennium or the 3-month period following the
16 last day of the biennium if so requested, not to exceed $500
17 per each hour not completed. The issuance of the citation and
18 fine shall not be considered discipline. A citation and a fine
19 issued under this subsection may only be issued to a licensee
20 a maximum of two times for two separate failures to complete
21 the requisite number of hours for license renewal.
22 (4) The department shall report to each board no later
23 than 3 months following the last day of the license renewal
24 biennium the percentage of licensees regulated by that board
25 who have not timely complied with the continuing education
26 requirements during the previous license renewal biennium for
27 which auditing of licensees regulated by that board are
28 completed. Each board shall direct the department the
29 percentage of licensees regulated by that board that are to be
30 audited during the next license renewal biennium. In addition
31 to the percentage of licensees audited as directed by the
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SB 1666 First Engrossed
1 boards, the department shall audit those licensees found to be
2 deficient during any of the two license renewal bienniums.
3 Section 3. Paragraph (ff) is added to subsection (1)
4 of section 456.072, Florida Statutes, to read:
5 456.072 Grounds for discipline; penalties;
6 enforcement.--
7 (1) The following acts shall constitute grounds for
8 which the disciplinary actions specified in subsection (2) may
9 be taken:
10 (ff) Failure for a third or more times to complete the
11 requisite number of hours of continuing education hours within
12 a license renewal biennium period or within a 3-month period
13 from the date after the end of the license renewal biennium,
14 if the extension was requested.
15 Section 4. This act shall take effect upon becoming a
16 law.
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