Florida Senate - 2022                                    SB 1118
       
       
        
       By Senator Perry
       
       
       
       
       
       8-00788A-22                                           20221118__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to criminal history in professional
    3         licensing applications; amending s. 455.213, F.S.;
    4         revising the period of time when a conviction, or any
    5         other adjudication, for a crime may not be grounds for
    6         denial of licensure in specified professions; removing
    7         a provision requiring good moral character for
    8         licensure in such professions; requiring applicable
    9         boards to approve certain educational program credits
   10         offered to inmates in certain institutions or
   11         facilities for purposes of satisfying training
   12         requirements for licensure in specified professions;
   13         providing an effective date.
   14          
   15  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   16  
   17         Section 1. Paragraph (b) of subsection (3) of section
   18  455.213, Florida Statutes, is amended, and paragraph (f) is
   19  added to that subsection, to read:
   20         455.213 General licensing provisions.—
   21         (3)
   22         (b)1. A conviction, or any other adjudication, for a crime
   23  more than 2 5 years before the date the application is received
   24  by the applicable board may not be grounds for denial of a
   25  license specified in paragraph (a). For purposes of this
   26  paragraph, the term “conviction” means a determination of guilt
   27  that is the result of a plea or trial, regardless of whether
   28  adjudication is withheld. This paragraph does not limit the
   29  applicable board from considering an applicant’s criminal
   30  history that includes a crime listed in s. 775.21(4)(a)1. or s.
   31  776.08 at any time, but only if such criminal history has been
   32  found to relate to the practice of the applicable profession.
   33         2. The applicable board may consider the criminal history
   34  of an applicant for licensure under subparagraph (a)3. if such
   35  criminal history has been found to relate to good moral
   36  character.
   37         (f) The applicable board shall approve educational program
   38  credits offered to inmates in any correctional institution or
   39  correctional facility as vocational training or through an
   40  industry certification program for purposes of satisfying
   41  applicable training requirements for licensure in a profession
   42  under paragraph (a).
   43         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2022.