Florida Senate - 2024                                     SB 844
       
       
        
       By Senator Perry
       
       
       
       
       
       9-00444-24                                             2024844__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to continuing chiropractic education;
    3         amending s. 460.408, F.S.; deleting a requirement that
    4         all chiropractic continuing education hours be
    5         completed in a classroom setting; prohibiting the
    6         Board of Chiropractic Medicine from limiting the
    7         number of hours of continuing education a chiropractic
    8         physician may complete through distance learning;
    9         authorizing the board to make exceptions to continuing
   10         education requirements during a declared state of
   11         emergency in this state; specifying who may teach
   12         board-approved continuing education courses;
   13         requiring, rather than authorizing, the board to adopt
   14         rules; providing an effective date.
   15          
   16  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   17  
   18         Section 1. Section 460.408, Florida Statutes, is amended to
   19  read:
   20         460.408 Continuing chiropractic education.—
   21         (1) The board shall require licensees to periodically
   22  demonstrate their professional competence as a condition of
   23  renewal of a license by completing up to 40 contact classroom
   24  hours of continuing education.
   25         (a) Continuing education courses sponsored by chiropractic
   26  colleges whose graduates are eligible for examination under any
   27  provision of this chapter may be approved upon review by the
   28  board if all other requirements of board rules setting forth
   29  criteria for course approval are met.
   30         (b) The board shall approve those courses that build upon
   31  the basic courses required for the practice of chiropractic
   32  medicine, and the board may also approve courses in adjunctive
   33  modalities. Courses that consist of instruction in the use,
   34  application, prescription, recommendation, or administration of
   35  a specific company’s brand of products or services are not
   36  eligible for approval.
   37         (c) The board may not limit the number of approved
   38  continuing education hours that may be completed through
   39  distance learning.
   40         (2) The board may provide exceptions to make exception from
   41  the requirements of this section in emergency or hardship cases
   42  and during a declared state of emergency in this state.
   43         (3) Courses must be taught by a person who has at least one
   44  of the following qualifications:
   45         (a) Has a postgraduate degree, or a bachelor’s degree with
   46  at least 2 years of experience in the subject matter being
   47  taught;
   48         (b) Is a current faculty member of a chiropractic college
   49  or school maintaining standards approved by the board or is a
   50  current faculty member at a medical or osteopathic college or a
   51  university accredited by, or having status with, an accrediting
   52  agency, or its successor, recognized and approved by the United
   53  States Department of Education or by the Council for Higher
   54  Education Accreditation or its successor; or
   55         (c) Is a postgraduate-level instructor at a chiropractic
   56  college or school maintaining standards approved by the board or
   57  is a postgraduate-level instructor at a medical or osteopathic
   58  college or a university accredited by, or having status with, an
   59  accrediting agency, or its successor, recognized and approved by
   60  the United States Department of Education or by the Council for
   61  Higher Education Accreditation or its successor.
   62         (4) The board shall may adopt rules necessary to implement
   63  within the requirements of this section that are necessary for
   64  its implementation.
   65         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2024.