Higher coverage cap possible for Citizens
Senate unanimously backs ‘rural emergency’ hospitals
The Senate on Wednesday unanimously passed a bill that would create a new category of “rural emergency hospitals” in the state, with supporters saying it would help ensure access to health care in rural areas.
The bill (SB 644), sponsored by Sen. Corey Simon, R-Tallahassee, came after a federal law allowed the creation of rural emergency hospitals and made them eligible for Medicare payments.
The hospitals are required to be licensed by states, creating a need for the bill. Under the measure, facilities designated as rural emergency hospitals could provide emergency services, observation care and outpatient services that do not exceed an average length of stay of 24 hours. They would be exempted from requirements about providing inpatient care and such things as surgical care.
A Senate staff analysis said Florida has 22 rural hospitals and that rural hospitals in DeFuniak Springs, Williston and Lake City have closed since 2010. Also, it said 15 states have approved designations of rural emergency hospitals.
The House is scheduled to take up the issue today.
GOP senators target matching campaign funds
The Republican-controlled Senate voted 28-11 along party lines Wednesday to approve a proposal that would ask voters in November to ditch a program that has given more than $33 million in state matching money to gubernatorial and Cabinet candidates over four recent election cycles.
The proposed constitutional amendment (SJR 1114), which still would need House approval to go on the ballot, seeks to do away with a campaign matching-funds program that voters approved in 1998.
Under the program, statewide candidates can receive matches for individual contributions of $250 or less. In exchange, candidates agree to abide by certain campaign expenditure limits. Matching funds are not available for contributions to political committees or outside of statewide races.
When created, the state matching-funds program was promoted as a way to reduce the influence of big-money contributors by helping underfunded candidates compete in costly statewide elections. But critics have long described it as welfare for politicians.
A 2010 ballot proposal to eliminate the program failed when it got 52.5 percent of the vote, short of the required 60 percent for approval.
Senate backs behavioral health teaching hospitals
The Senate on Wednesday unanimously passed a plan that would designate at least four behavioral health teaching hospitals, as lawmakers look to improve care for people with mental-health and substance-abuse issues.
The bill (SB 330), sponsored by Sen. Jim Boyd, R-Bradenton, would designate four behavioral-health teaching hospitals linked to universities. They would be Tampa General Hospital and the University of South Florida; UF Health Shands Hospital in Gainesville and the University of Florida; UF Health Jacksonville and the University of Florida; and Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami and the University of Miami.
Also, it would allow the state Agency for Health Care Administration to designate four more behavioral health teaching hospitals over the next two years.
A House version of the bill (HB 1617) has moved through committees and is positioned to go to the full House. The Senate made changes Wednesday to its bill.
The Senate bill would provide $100 million a year over the next three years to the behavioral health teaching hospitals, with additional money provided for such things as residency positions for psychiatrists.
The Senate Fiscal Policy Committee on Tuesday approved a bill that raises the possibility of some homes valued at more than $700,000 becoming eligible for coverage from the state’s Citizens Property Insurance Corp.
The bill (SB 1716), sponsored by Senate Banking and Insurance Chairman Jim Boyd, R-Bradenton, addresses a series of issues related to Citizens.
Under current law, Citizens is barred from selling policies for homes with a “dwelling replacement cost” of $700,000 or more, except in Miami-Dade and Monroe counties, where the limit is $1 million.
But a change approved to Boyd’s bill would allow homes with values up to $1 million to get coverage from Citizens if the state Office of Insurance Regulation determines they are in Zip codes that lack a “reasonable degree” of insurance competition. Dwelling replacement costs reflect the amount of money that would be required to rebuild homes. They can differ from market values of homes, at least in part because they do not include land values.
The House is scheduled to take up its version of a Citizens bill (HB 1503) today, but that measure does not include the possibility of raising the cap. The full Senate is set to take up its bill.
House unanimously backs school ‘regulation’ bill
The House on Wednesday unanimously passed a bill that is part of an effort aimed at “deregulation” of public schools, with the measure including flexibility for school districts on certain reporting requirements.
For example, the bill (SB 7002) would allow districts to publish notices of intent to adopt tentative budgets on the districts’ websites, changing a requirement that such notices be published in newspapers.
The Senate passed the bill last month, but the House revised it. With the House revisions, the bill will have to go back to the Senate for further consideration. Meanwhile, two other education “deregulation” bills await votes by the full House after passing the Senate.
‘History of communism’ bill advances in Senate
A bill that would require the history of communism to be taught in public schools, potentially in grades as low as kindergarten, is ready for consideration by the full Senate.
The Senate Fiscal Policy Committee on Tuesday approved the bill (SB 1264), which would direct the state Department of Education to “prepare and offer” educational standards for communism history instruction.
Students currently can get lessons on communism in high-school social studies courses or in a seventh grade civics and government course. A high school U.S. government class required for graduation also includes 45 minutes of instruction on “Victims of Communism Day” that covers various communist regimes throughout history.
The bill calls for new communism-instruction standards to launch in the 202627 school year. The measure also calls for standards to be “age appropriate and developmentally appropriate” for students.
— Compiled from wire reports