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Governor Scott Signs 28 Bills Into Law This Week

Governor Rick Scott signed 27 bills into law on Thursday and added another one Friday by signing a bill that mandates online voter registration in October 2017.

Scott, who is currently in the first year of his second term as governor, addresses issues ranging from beer growlers to revenge porn.

Scott signed the following bills into law this week:

1. Closing the Gap Grant Program (SB 94)

Expands the list of priority health areas under the Closing the Gap grant program to include sickle cell disease.

2. Disabled Parking Permits (SB 132)

Authorizes veterans to use alternative documentation for renewal or replacement of a disabled parking permit.

3. Alcoholic Beverages (SB 186)

Legalizes the sale of 64 ounce growlers in Florida and prohibits EBT cards from being used to purchase alcohol.

4. Public Records/E-mail Addresses/Tax Notices (SB 200)

Exemption from public records requirements for e-mail addresses used in official business between tax collectors and taxpayers.

5. Electronic Commerce (SB 222)

Creates a civil cause of action through the Computer Abuse and Data Recovery Act for businesses that are victims of hacking to supplement the existing criminal and limited civil penalties. Effective Oct. 1.

6. Traffic Enforcement Agencies and Traffic Citations (SB 264)

Prohibits a county or municipality from establishing traffic citation quotas.

7. Nursing Home Facility Pneumococcal Vaccination Requirements (SB 332)

Creates requirements for the pneumococcal polysaccharide (pneumonia) vaccine as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

8. No Contact Orders (SB 342)

An increase in the protection of victims by making no contact orders that are part of pre-trial release effective immediately and specifies prohibited acts in the order. Effective Oct. 1.

9. Animal Control (SB 420)

Provides alternatives to auction provisions for stray livestock, including adoptions, and allows cruelty violations to be pursued through code enforcement boards in lieu of the court system.

10. Regulation of Health Care Facilities and Services (HB 441)

Revision of the requirements relating to home health agencies and other providers. Effective May 14.

11. Florida College System Boards of Trustees (SB 446)

Requires all Florida College System board of trustee members to serve staggered, four-year terms. The bill also requires St. Johns River State College to have seven board of trustee members from the area the college serves. Effective May 14.

12. Labor Pools (SB 456)

Authorizes certain employers to use a debit card as compensation.

13. Long-Term Care Insurance (SB 520)

Allows an insurer to offer a non-forfeiture provision in a long term care insurance policy that returns a premium if the insured dies or the policy is completely surrendered or cancelled.

14. Division of Bond Finance (SB 552)

Deletes the requirement that the Division of Bond Finance publishes a hard copy newsletter that is available online.

15. Notaries Public (SB 526)

Revises the methods available to notaries for verifying documents including the use of reliable electronic means.

16. Disclosure of Sexually Explicit Images (SB 538)

Provides criminal penalties for publishing sexually explicit images of a person with personal identification information on the internet without the person’s consent with the intent to cause emotional distress. Makes "revenge porn" punishable by law. Effective Oct. 1.

17.City of Panacea (HB 593)

Creates the City of Panacea in Wakulla County if approved by voters in a referendum.

18.Transitional Living Facilities (SB 682)

Revises and streamlines regulations for transitional living facilities.

19. Surveillance by a Drone (SB 766)

Prohibits the use of drones to record an image of private property or conduct surveillance without consent.

20. Estates (SB 897)

Update on Florida law to comply with federal law concerning the apportionment between eligible heirs for federal estate tax purposes.

21. Controlled Substances (HB 897)

Adds five dangerous synthetic cannabinoids to Florida’s drug crime laws. Effective May 14.

22. Exemption from Legislative Lobbying Requirements (SB 984)

Allows the use of public property made available by a governmental entity to a legislator for a public purpose.

23. False Personation (SB 1010)

Impersonating firefighters and fire or arson investigators is punishable by law. Effective Oct. 1.

24. Community Development (SB 1216)

Revision on several growth management laws as well as the geographic boundaries of regional planning councils. Effective May 14.

25. Corporate Income Tax (HB 7009)

Updates on Florida’s corporate income tax law with the majority of 2014 Congressional law changes. Effective May 14.

26. State Ombudsman Program (SB 7018)

Revisions on the requirements of citizen and state ombudsmen and the state long-term care ombudsman program.

27. Public Records, E-mail Addresses, Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (SB 7040)

Provides an exemption from public records requirements for certain e-mail addresses collected by the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.

28. Online Registration ( SB 228)

Requires the Division of Elections of the Department of State to develop an online voter registration system.

 

Lauren is a reporter who can be contacted by calling 352-392-6397 or emailing news@wuft.org.