Florida Senate - 2024 SB 382
By Senator Hooper
21-00477A-24 2024382__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to continuing education requirements;
3 amending s. 455.2123, F.S.; requiring, rather than
4 authorizing, a board, or the Department of Business
5 and Professional Regulation when there is no board, to
6 allow by rule that distance learning may be used to
7 satisfy continuing education requirements; revising
8 the requirements that such continuing education must
9 satisfy; providing applicability; amending s.
10 455.2124, F.S.; requiring the board, or the department
11 when there is no board, to exempt certain individuals
12 from completing their continuing education
13 requirements; providing applicability; requiring the
14 department and each affected board to adopt rules;
15 providing an effective date.
16
17 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
18
19 Section 1. Section 455.2123, Florida Statutes, is amended
20 to read:
21 455.2123 Continuing education.—A board, or the department
22 when there is no board, shall allow may provide by rule that
23 distance learning may be used to satisfy continuing education
24 requirements. A board, or the department when there is no board,
25 shall approve distance learning courses as an alternative to
26 classroom courses to satisfy continuing education requirements.
27 A board, or the department when there is no board, provided for
28 in part VIII, part XV, or part XVI of chapter 468 or part I or
29 part II of chapter 475 and may not require centralized
30 examinations for completion of continuing education requirements
31 for the professions licensed under part VIII, part XV, or part
32 XVI of chapter 468 or part I or part II of chapter 475. This
33 section does not apply to any medical board or department
34 regulated by the Department of Health.
35 Section 2. Section 455.2124, Florida Statutes, is amended
36 to read:
37 455.2124 Proration of or not requiring continuing
38 education.—
39 (1) A board, or the department when there is no board, may:
40 (a)(1) Prorate continuing education for new licensees by
41 requiring half of the required continuing education for any
42 applicant who becomes licensed with more than half the renewal
43 period remaining and no continuing education for any applicant
44 who becomes licensed with half or less than half of the renewal
45 period remaining; or
46 (b)(2) Require no continuing education until the first full
47 renewal cycle of the licensee.
48
49 These options shall also apply when continuing education is
50 first required or the number of hours required is increased by
51 law or the board, or the department when there is no board.
52 (2)(a) A board, or the department when there is no board,
53 shall exempt an individual from completing the continuing
54 education required for renewal of a license for a renewal period
55 if:
56 1. The individual holds an active license issued by the
57 board or department to practice the profession;
58 2. The individual has continuously held the license for at
59 least 10 years; and
60 3. No disciplinary action is imposed on the individual’s
61 license.
62 (b) This subsection does not apply to any medical board or
63 department regulated by the Department of Health.
64 (3) The department and each affected board shall adopt
65 rules pursuant to ss. 120.536(1) and 120.54 to implement this
66 section.
67 Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2024.