The Florida Senate Committee on Fiscal Policy met April 2 and reported favorably on multiple bills covering telecommunications access, health care, education, child welfare, infrastructure and other topics. Below are the items taken up in the meeting and the committee's recorded actions. Where the transcript recorded amendments or substantive debate, a short note is included.
Votes at a glance (committee action recorded as "reported favorably" unless otherwise noted):
- CS for CS for SB 344 (Telecommunications Access System Act modernization) — reported favorably; no debate recorded on the floor aside from sponsor explanation.
- CS for CS for SB 714 (Non‑opioid advance directives) — substitute delete-all amendment adopted to create a voluntary form on the Department of Health website; final bill reported favorably.
- CS for SB 738 (Childcare and early learning providers) — sponsor described regulatory streamlining; reported favorably.
- CS for SB 756 (Health insurance coverage for individuals with developmental disabilities) — repeals diagnosis age and expands mandated coverage age provisions; reported favorably.
- CS for SB 1356 (Florida Institute for Pediatric Rare Diseases) — institute creation and pilot newborn genetic testing; late-filed amendment adopted to add board seats and remove specific appropriations; reported favorably.
- CS for CS for SB 1624 (Higher education) — comprehensive higher‑education bill with extended debate about replacing "minority" with "underrepresented" and funding priorities; late-filed amendment adopted; reported favorably.
- CS for CS for SB 1626 (Child welfare) — multiple amendments adopted including authority to refill existing psychotropic prescriptions in limited circumstances and board-composition revisions; reported favorably.
- SB 178 (Agronomic study for emerging crops) — pilot study at Florida A&M University; reported favorably.
- SB 1162 (Water access facilities and boating improvements) — expands eligible uses and discounts for clean marine manufacturers; reported favorably.
- CS for CS for SB 958 (Type 1 diabetes early-detection program) — DOH to post materials and notify parents of VPK/kindergarten/first grade; reported favorably.
- CS for CS for CS for SB 1070 (ECG requirement for student athletes) — committee adopted amendments on rollout and exemptions; extensive public testimony; reported favorably.
- SB 774 (Electronic transmittal of court orders) — requires clerks to transmit orders to sheriffs within six hours; presented with law-enforcement support; reported favorably.
- SB 1516 (International Aerospace Innovation Fund) — Space Florida-administered fund; reported favorably.
- SB 994 (Driver's license education requirements) — changes to classroom and online driver-education structure; sponsor open to adding distracted-driving instruction; reported favorably.
- CS for CS for SB 1402 (Dropout retrieval programs) — expands eligibility for dropout-retrieval services; reported favorably.
- CS for SB 810 (Stormwater management systems) — amended to limit annual inspections to MS4-identified high-vulnerability infrastructure; significant stakeholder debate about cost; reported favorably as amended.
- CS for SB 1470 (School safety) — package of school-safety provisions including centralized panic-alert integration and $450,000 recurring appropriation for mapping/alerts; reported favorably.
- SB 1472 (Public-records exemptions for school security guards) — extends existing exemption to school security guards; reported favorably.
- SB 608 (Rename Gulf of Mexico as Gulf of America) — reported favorably.
- SB 1226 (Pet insurance regulatory framework) — creates statutory framework for pet insurance regulation; reported favorably.
Several bills received late-filed or substitute amendments during the hearing (noted above). Some items prompted extended debate and public testimony (notably SB 1070 and SB 810). Where stakeholders raised fiscal or implementation concerns (SB 810, SB 1070, SB 1624), sponsors committed to continued conversations prior to future committee stops.
Summary: The committee forwarded a multi-issue package to the next stage, with several items carrying requests for technical fixes, funding clarifications or further stakeholder engagement.