Legislative Updates
Florida Bills to watch for the 2020 Legislative Session
Below is a listing of current and previous legislative bills that have been introduced in the Florida Legislature.
SB 366/ HB 1015 Veterinary Medicine
General Bill by Hooper. Veterinary Medicine: Defining and redefining terms relating to veterinary medical practice, etc.
Status
S: Innovation, Industry & Technology
H: Business & Professions Subcommittee
SB 474 Deregulation of Professions & Occupations
Seeks to redefine the term “limited-service veterinary medicine” to include vacciantions, deworming & microchipping. Seeks to establish reciprocal licensing agreements with other states. Seeks to permit licensure for those applicants who have completed P.A.V.ES: Innovation, Industry & Technology
SB 48 Declawing of Cats
General Bill by Book. Declawing of Cats: Prohibiting a person from performing a declawing on a cat within this state; providing an exception; providing that a veterinarian who performs a prohibited declawing is subject to disciplinary action by the Board of Veterinary Medicine, etc.
Status
S: Agriculture
HB 181 Adoption of Retired Research Animals
General Bill by Grieco (CO-SPONSORS) Casello; Eskamani. Adoption of Retired Research Animals: Requires specified research facilities to offer retired research animals for adoption; provides requirements for such adoption; provides immunity from civil liability for such facilities.
Status:
H: Agriculture & Natural Resources Subcommittee
SB 186 /HB363 Contracts for the Sale/Lease of pets
General Bill by Taddeo. Contracts for the Sale or Lease of Pets: Defining the term “pet”; declaring that certain contracts entered into on or after a specified date for the sale or lease of a pet are void and unenforceable as being against the public policy of this state; providing an exception, etc.
Status:
S: Judiciary
H: Business & Professions Subcommittee
SB 1084/ HB 209 Emotional Support Animals
General Bill by Killebrew. Emotional Support Animals: Prohibits discrimination in rental of dwelling to person with disability or disability-related need who has emotional support animal; prohibits landlord from requiring such person to pay extra compensation; provides exception; authorizes landlord to request certain written documentation; prohibits falsification of written documentation or other misrepresentation; specifies person with disability or disability-related need is liable for damage done by emotional support animal; revises definition of “handicap.”
Status:
S: Favorable by Agriculture
H:Children, Families & Seniors Subcommittee
HB 243 Nonservice Animals
General Bill by Anton. Nonservice Animals: Prohibits nonservice animals from entering specified public food service establishments or places of business; requires DBPR to create & maintain publicly accessible website for complaints; provides penalties.
Status:
H: Business & Professions Subcommittee
SB 522 Cruelty to Dogs
Prohibiting a person from leaving a dog outside and unattended during certain weather events; providing a criminal penalty; providing a fine, etc.
Status:
S: Judiciary
HB 509/ SB 1278 Companion Animal Public-Private Partnership Act
Prohibits animal shelters from euthanizing animals under certain conditions; requires animal shelters to release animals to rescue organizations; provides exceptions.
Status:
H: Business & Professions Subcommittee
S: Referred to Community Affairs
HB 241/ SB 1082 Domestic Violence Injunctions
Authorizes court to take certain actions regarding care, possession, or control of animal in domestic violence actions.
Status:
H: Criminal Justice Subcommittee
S: Favorable by Agriculture
HB 685/ SB 980 Lost or Stray Dogs & Cats
Requires certain animal organizations to adopt policies & procedures to achieve specified goals; authorizes such organizations to implant dogs & cats with radio frequency identification devices & verify pet ownership.
Status:
H: Business & Professions Subcommittee
S: Referred to Agriculture
SB 806/ HB 847 Public Records/Animal Health Records/Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
Exempting from public records requirements certain animal health records submitted to or generated by the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services or the state veterinarian in connection with the Bronson Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory; providing for future legislative review and repeal of the exemption; providing a statement of public necessity, etc.
Status:
S: Referred to Agriculture
H: Agriculture & Natural Resources Subcommittee
SB 66 / HB 77 Student Loans and Scholarship Obligations of Health Care Practitioners
General Bill by Cruz. Student Loans and Scholarship Obligations of Health Care Practitioners: Establishing that a health care practitioner’s failure to repay a student loan or to comply with service scholarship obligations does not constitute grounds for disciplinary action; removing a civil fine; removing the requirement that the Department of Health investigate and prosecute health care practitioners for failing to repay a student loan or to comply with scholarship service obligations, etc.
Status:
S: Appropriations SubCmte on Education
H: Withdrawn
SB 356/ HB 115 Keep our Graduates Working (new version published)
Creating the “Keep Our Graduates Working Act of 2020”; prohibiting a state authority from suspending or revoking a person’s professional license, certificate, registration, or permit solely on the basis of a delinquency or default in the payment of his or her student loan, etc. (New version published 11/7/19)
Status:
S:Rules
H:Commerce Committee
SPB 7008 OGSR/Animal Medical Records/State College of Veterinary Medicine
Amending a provision which provides an exemption from public records requirements for certain animal medical records held by a state college of veterinary medicine that is accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association Council on Education; removing the scheduled repeal of the exemption, etc.