Tallahassee – Lawmakers released the final drafts of their state government spending plans as they reached the halfway point of their 60-day annual legislative session this Wednesday. As Florida begins to emerge from the darkest days of the pandemic, the economic outlook for the Sunshine State is proving to be extraordinarily sunny. That’s encouraged the House to proposing a record-setting $105.3-billion spending plan while across the lobby the Senate is recommending a slightly more lofty $108.6-billion, also a record setter. In the remaining four weeks of their session, lawmakers will begin the process of resolving the differences between their plans, meeting in a series of joint Senate-House conference committees to reach a consensus on a single plan to take to their respective floors for a final vote before they can adjourn.

While committees continue to meet for the next several weeks, they will start to wrap up their deliberations as more time is devoted in both houses on the floor debating bills and moving them toward final passage. While anything is still possible, bills that have not started their journey through the committee process very soon will lose their chance for a final blessing. Nevertheless, here’s a look at some of the issues still very much alive – plus several others now on life support -- based on lawmaker’s actions during the fifth week of their nine-week session.

Tallahassee – The controversial issue of repealing Florida’s long-standing No-fault/PIP auto insurance system easily won passage last night in the House Civil Justice and Property Rights Subcommittee despite overwhelming public testimony offered by insurance stakeholders and health care providers in opposition to the proposal.

In stark contrast to the superficial 10-minute review offered last week by the Senate Banking and Insurance Committee during which no public testimony was permitted to be heard, the House subcommittee, chaired by Rep. Wyman Duggan (R-Jacksonville), devoted almost an hour-and-a half to the 122-page document seeking to end a 50-plus-year concept anchored in Florida auto insurance law.

Thursday, February 3, 2022, Tallahassee – It took the Senate Banking and Insurance Committee just ten minutes at the end of their meeting yesterday morning to hear, consider, debate and vote on a controversial proposal seeking to repeal and replace Florida’s No-fault auto insurance system with a requirement the drivers carry mandatory bodily insurance (MBI) instead. Even more astonishing was the pronouncement by committee Chairman Jim Boyd (R-Bradenton) that no public testimony would be allowed on Senate Bill 150 given the large number of appearance requests the committee had received.

Audience members were not the only ones taken aback. Committee member Jeff Brandes (R-St. Petersburg) called the abbreviated exercise “essentially, in my opinion, legislative malpractice,” further expressing his dismay that Senators were being asked to vote on an issue that would affect over 12 million Floridians without knowing how it’s going to impact premium rates.

Brandes also questioned if further research or studies on the potential effects of the changeover had been commissioned after the Governor vetoed the similar measure passed by the Legislature last spring. Prime bill sponsor Sen. Danny Burgess (R-Zephryhills) responded, “We have not.” Brandes later concluded, “The fact the Legislature would produce a bill and not provide a study to back the bill at this level is tantamount to malpractice.”

The bill introduced this session is essentially the same bill passed last session with one major change: This newest version would require policyholders to “opt in” to accept optional medical payments coverage (MedPay) insurers would have to offer. Last year’s version instead had a provision allowing drivers to “opt out” of a mandatory offer of MedPay coverage. Burgess claimed he believed this adjustment would have the effect of reducing premiums enough to offset the rate hike suggested by the 2021 study which, in his opinion, was otherwise “fundamentally flawed.”

The Committee moved quickly to pass the bill 10-to-1 with Brandes casting the lone dissenting vote. The proposal next moves to the Senate Judiciary Committee, its second of three committee references. A similar House bill, HB 1525 by Rep. Grall (R-Vero Beach) remains in its first committees of reference, awaiting scheduling for its first public hearings.

The FCA remains opposed to the repeal of No-fault/PIP and was on hand planning to testify at the hearing before the chair decreed there would not be an opportunity for the committee to listen to any public comments.

ACTION REQUEST: Now is the Time to Make Your Voice Heard on No-fault/PIP Repeal

Friday, January 28, 2022, Tallahassee – Legislators wrapped up week three of their annual nine-week session with much of their deliberations dedicated to committee hearings on individual member bills, taking public testimony and considering amendments, all readying the proposals for final consideration by both the full House and Senate. During the remaining six weeks, more and more of members’ time will be spent developing a state budget for FY 2022-23 and meeting in full sessions to debate and vote on bills that successfully navigated the committee process.

For example, on Thursday afternoon the full Senate tackled the contentious issue of designating Florida’s official “State Dessert.” Not to be confused with Florida’s designated official “State Pie,” previously awarded to the key lime pie in 2006, the Senate voted to add “Strawberry Shortcake” to the list of 42 other official state symbols.

With that hotly-debated issue now behind us – at least in the Senate – here’s a look at several other issues which saw action this week, together with one that didn’t, that your FCA Lobby Team continues to monitor and work on, primarily focusing on the health care and insurance fronts.

Thursday, January 20, 2022, Tallahassee – State lawmakers spent the second week of their nine-week regular session focusing primarily on committee work on individual member bills together with hearing individual appropriation requests. State budget committees also began their early work developing a plan to fund state government, the only exercise the constitution mandates legislators must complete each year.

But none of these tasks have taken priority over their top issue that must be tackled: A once-every-decade charge to redraw the political boundaries for our state legislative and congressional districts following each decennial census. Given pandemic-related delays in the 2000 national headcount, lawmakers in both chambers are now in full overdrive trying to agree on maps that will attract enough votes for final passage and satisfy a review by both the Attorney General and Florida Supreme Court. Then, in the case of the congressional exercise, it will need to please the Governor and ultimately win a nod of approval from the U.S. Department of Justice following its final review. Plus, all of this must happen before candidate qualifying opens on July 13th.

Friday, January 14, 2022, Tallahassee – Tuesday marked the start of Florida’s annual 60-day legislative session amid the traditional revelry of opening day. Speeches, spouses, flowers and former legislators all filled the House chamber as the three branches of state government came together to listen to the Governor’s annual State-of-the-State address. DeSantis’ remarks highlighted his legislative priorities for this year ranging from a gas tax holiday to election security reforms, to even his introduction of Florida’s top python hunter.

Tuesday, January 11, 2022, Tallahassee – On the eve of the first day of their 2022 annual lawmaking session, a measure seeking to repeal Florida’s long-standing PIP/No-fault automobile insurance system and replace it a mandatory bodily injury (MBI) coverage requirement once again reared its head. Rep. Erin Grall (R-Vero Beach) is the prime sponsor of HB 1525 proposing to dump PIP and replace it with the MBI requirement. Grall sponsored a similar measure that sailed through committees and was passed by both the House and Senate last year, only to be vetoed by Gov. DeSantis once it reached his desk.

- Voices from Back Home Shine a Light on Chiropractic Issues

- Update from the Clinical Compass

- Logan University Blazes the Trail for Chiropractic Pediatrics

- A Legacy of Leadership

The FCA again shone a bright light on chiropractic at the 75th Annual Workers' Compensation Educational Conference in Orlando, where some 3,600 industry professionals gathered to learn the latest in industry trends and solutions. The FCA exhibited and sponsored a breakout session on "Innovative Results-Driven Approach to Reducing Frequency and Severity of Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSD's) With Chiropractic Care" with instructors Chad Henricksen, D.C. and Lisa Rosenau.

Friday, November 19, Tallahassee – Governor DeSantis took less than a day to give his approval on Thursday to a package of bills that the Florida House and Senate passed late Wednesday in deference to the Biden Administration’s recently issued vaccine and mask mandates.  State legislators were in Tallahassee last week for their second special session this year, for what was originally planned to be just another round of routine committee work in preparation for their annual 60-day legislative session set to begin in January. But Gov. DeSantis changed their course, instead calling them back to consider a package of four bills snubbing the White House.