Florida Senate - 2018                          SENATOR AMENDMENT
       Bill No. CS/CS/CS/HB 1069, 1st Eng.
       
       
       
       
       
       
                                Ì3022684Î302268                         
       
                              LEGISLATIVE ACTION                        
                    Senate             .             House              
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                 Floor: WD/2R          .                                
             03/08/2018 03:15 PM       .                                
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       Senator Garcia moved the following:
       
    1         Senate Amendment (with title amendment)
    2  
    3         Between lines 65 and 66
    4  insert:
    5         (c) When evaluating a peer specialist’s application for
    6  exemption from disqualification, the department or agency shall
    7  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 4 - 12
   24  and insert:
   25         Children and Families and the Agency for Health Care
   26         Administration to grant exemptions from
   27         disqualification for service provider personnel to
   28         work solely in certain treatment programs and
   29         facilities; requiring the department or agency to
   30         consider certain factors when evaluating an
   31         application for an exemption; amending s. 397.311,
   32         F.S.; defining the term “peer specialist”; amending s.
   33         397.4073, F.S.; revising provisions relating to
   34         background checks and exemptions from disqualification
   35         for certain service provider personnel; requiring the
   36         department to grant or deny