Florida Senate - 2023 CS for SB 980
By the Committee on Regulated Industries; and Senators Brodeur
and Stewart
580-02577-23 2023980c1
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to 911 public safety telecommunicator
3 certifications; amending s. 401.465, F.S.; increasing
4 the timeframe within which an inactive 911 public
5 safety telecommunicator certificate may be reactivated
6 before it permanently expires; deleting a process by
7 which a certificateholder may voluntarily place his or
8 her certificate in inactive status; providing
9 applicability; prohibiting the Department of Health
10 from requiring certificateholders to pay a fee or to
11 make an election to place their certificates in
12 inactive status, beginning on a specified date;
13 requiring that certain fees paid by a
14 certificateholder before a specified date be credited
15 toward any future renewal fees required to be paid by
16 the certificateholder; providing for retroactive
17 application; providing an effective date.
18
19 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
20
21 Section 1. Paragraphs (f) and (h) of subsection (2) of
22 section 401.465, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
23 401.465 911 public safety telecommunicator certification.—
24 (2) PERSONNEL; STANDARDS AND CERTIFICATION.—
25 (f) A 911 public safety telecommunicator certificate
26 expires automatically if not renewed at the end of the 2-year
27 period and may be renewed if the holder meets the qualifications
28 for renewal as established by the department. A certificate that
29 is not renewed at the end of the 2-year period automatically
30 reverts to an inactive status for a period that may not exceed 6
31 years 180 days. Such certificate may be reactivated and renewed
32 within the 6-year 180-day period by if the certificateholder
33 pursuant to paragraph (h). A certificate that has been inactive
34 for more than 6 years automatically expires and may not be
35 renewed meets all other qualifications for renewal and pays a
36 $50 late fee. Reactivation shall be in a manner and on forms
37 prescribed by department rule.
38 (h) A certificateholder may request that his or her 911
39 public safety telecommunicator certificate be placed on inactive
40 status by applying to the department before his or her current
41 certification expires and paying a fee set by the department,
42 which may not exceed $50.
43 1. A certificateholder whose certificate has been on
44 inactive status for 6 years 1 year or less may renew his or her
45 certificate pursuant to the rules adopted by the department and
46 upon payment of a renewal fee set by the department, which may
47 not exceed $50.
48 2. A certificateholder whose certificate has been on
49 inactive status for more than 1 year may renew his or her
50 certificate pursuant to rules adopted by the department.
51 3. A certificate that has been inactive for more than 6
52 years automatically expires and may not be renewed.
53 Section 2. (1) The amendments made by this act to s.
54 401.465(2)(f) and (h), Florida Statutes, apply regardless of
55 whether the certificateholder voluntarily placed his or her
56 certificate in inactive status pursuant to former s.
57 401.465(2)(h), Florida Statutes, or the certificate reverted to
58 inactive status pursuant to s. 401.465(2)(f), Florida Statutes,
59 during the 6-year period before the effective date of this act.
60 Beginning on the effective date of this act, the Department of
61 Health may not require a certificateholder to pay a fee or to
62 make an election to place his or her certificate in inactive
63 status.
64 (2) Any fee paid by a certificateholder to voluntarily
65 place his or her certificate in inactive status during the 6
66 year period before the effective date of this act must be
67 credited toward any future renewal fee required to be paid by
68 the certificateholder under s. 401.465(2)(h), Florida Statutes.
69 (3) This act is remedial in nature and applies
70 retroactively to any public safety telecommunicator certificate
71 that has expired pursuant to former s. 401.465(2)(f), Florida
72 Statutes, during the 6-year period before the effective date of
73 this act.
74 Section 3. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law.