Senate Bill 116, a package of measures aimed at veterans services, was reported favorably by the Florida Senate Appropriations Committee on Health and Human Services after the panel adopted an amendment funding a veterans health survey and a suicide-prevention training pilot.

The bill, sponsored by Sen. Burgess and taken up by the committee at its meeting, would reduce the annual number of nominations for the Veterans Hall of Fame from 20 to five, expand Florida Department of Veterans' Affairs (FDVA) health-survey and coordination efforts to connect veterans to benefits, add mental-health training to the Veterans Suicide Prevention Training pilot program, and require FDVA to develop a plan to establish adult day health-care facilities across the state to serve veterans and their families.

The bill’s sponsor, Sen. Burgess, described the adult day-health provision as a response to the prohibitive cost and logistics of adding more skilled nursing beds and said adult day health centers would help keep veterans at home while ensuring they receive care. Burgess also said the bill would improve interoperability between Veterans Florida and the department to better link veterans to workforce services.

Committee members adopted amendment barcode 3901 by unanimous consent. The amendment appropriated $300,000 to the Veterans Suicide Prevention Training Pilot Program and $50,000 for the FDVA health survey; no mover or seconder was recorded on the amendment and it was adopted without objection.

During debate, Sen. Hale thanked the sponsor for adding the adult day-health provision, calling it key to building a support community for veterans and a pipeline into veterans nursing-home services. The committee recorded two appearance forms from Karen Murillo of AARP and Mitchell McCombs; neither gave extended public testimony in the transcript beyond appearance-form acknowledgment.

The committee took a roll call after debate and the clerk reported the committee would show CS for Senate Bill 116 as reported favorably. The roll call in the transcript gives affirmative responses for Senator Berman, Senator Broder, Senator Burton, Senator Garcia, Senator Harrell, Senator Roussan, Vice Chair Davis and Chair Trumbull; separate entries later show Senator Rodriguez and Senator Garcia asking to be recorded affirmative on SB116.

SB116 now goes forward as a committee substitute reported favorably; the transcript does not specify the bill’s next committee or floor calendar date.