[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6104873,"mediaKeyId","2788426-d0f59a65f99452fa8287a973c20fbb33","parentId",2788426,"title","Appropriations subcommittee reports multiple health-related bills favorably, including surgical-smoke, nursing-home quality and childcare regulatory updates","audioSeconds",2597,"startMs",368040,"endMs",2965190,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2788426-d0f59a65f99452fa8287a973c20fbb33&start=368&end=2965","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2788426-d0f59a65f99452fa8287a973c20fbb33/thumbnail_368040.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6104873/Florida/Appropriations-subcommittee-reports-multiple-health-related-bills-favorably-including-surgical-smoke-nursing-home-quality-and-childcare-regulatory-updates","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6104873-d62b9b2c785e77e6008ea784ff42941b/orig.mp4?Expires=1771146671&Signature=NxDODCCntLCf~-e00Pr1OAheGSxC5fl6WfNqHX6xgOLtzAIqXaz1qVL7M-juCrki4Xux~tM2oEgAqxOrbgdsVlUtZT3pLncK~iFgwiHY3uNhCS9SdGUXkDxgbCvCWidFcnCqtj6IdUh6E8FVRZF5qFLHAPMzKMZmxXJ7O7hueu~1Ml3fSM9lCuWaOsp~y2g7zI0Nzj1fqY~BoutByueWNIh9HMIfd935JGERPgD3nn8UUuKEMRJK-mu9Pc4ae2MAUxQXX~aVSNwS5Zie9sggcFJDRZiyB6ZM1eaNGxHGTIWcdrtLVWFEGZR8QH6xLWwB~WuiSWqhpslZoWhLD4kTfg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Florida Legislature","date","2025-03-26T00:00:00Z","article","The Appropriations Committee on Health and Human Services voted to report favorably a set of bills addressing patient and worker safety, long‑term‑care oversight, childcare regulation, pediatric rare‑disease research and other health‑sector items. Committee members recorded favorable reports or voice approvals on the following measures during the May 20 session.

Votes at a glance (key actions and outcomes)

- Senate Bill 152 (protection from surgical smoke): reported favorably by roll call. The bill requires hospitals and ambulatory surgical care centers to adopt policies requiring the use of smoke‑evacuation systems during surgical procedures. The committee heard multiple public witnesses in support; Megan Maroney of the Florida Nurses Association said, \"Surgical smoke is produced in 90 percent of surgeries,\" and urged passage to protect patients and health workers. Retired operating‑room nurse Sandra Falk described respiratory and eye problems she attributes in part to smoke exposure and told the committee that no mask provides 100 percent protection. By roll call, members present voted to report SB 152 favorably.

- CS for Senate Bill 958 (diabetes early detection materials for schools): reported favorably by roll call. The bill requires the Department of Health, in collaboration with school districts, to post early‑detection information for type‑1 diabetes and, as amended, adds Early Learning Coalitions as recipients of the materials.

- CS for Senate Bill 170 (nursing‑home quality and transparency): reported favorably by roll call. The bill requires AHCA to develop a consumer satisfaction survey for nursing homes, mandates medical‑director credentialing or equivalent, requires biannual patient‑safety culture surveys, expands Florida Nursing Home Uniform Reporting System (FINHRS) reporting rules and directs AHCA to report on Medicaid Quality Incentive Program payments. An amendment exempted certain state‑operated homes (for example, Department of Veterans Affairs homes) from particular FINHRS reporting requirements and directed AHCA to incorporate survey results into the quality‑incentive formula; the committee also directed a contractor study on best practices and technologies, with a final report due Dec. 1.

- CS for Senate Bill 738 (childcare regulation modernization): reported favorably by roll call. Sponsors said the bill updates or removes obsolete statutory provisions, speeds hiring for childcare teachers, increases use of technical assistance from DCF and aims to reduce administrative barriers for providers.

- CS for Senate Bill 1356 (Florida Institute for Pediatric Rare Diseases at FSU): reported favorably by roll call. The bill creates an institute to advance genomic and precision‑medicine research, pilot screening programs at affiliated hospitals and coordinate education and clinical care for rare pediatric diseases.

- Senate Bill 1370 (ambulatory surgery centers statutory modernization): reported favorably by roll call. The bill moves ambulatory surgical centers into a standalone statute separate from hospital licensure language to reflect changes in the industry since 1978; the Florida Society of Ambulatory Surgery Centers testified in support, noting lower reimbursement rates and substantial savings for patients.

- CS for Senate Bill 1626 (child welfare and licensing changes): reported favorably by roll call. As amended, the bill strengthens child‑welfare protections, codifies current collaborative practices with military installations regarding child‑protective investigations, creates provisional shelter certification authority for emergency situations, adjusts appointee timelines for children's services councils, allows narrowly tailored exemptions for certain criminal backgrounds, extends compliance timelines for licensees (30 to 90 days), clarifies subcontractor liability language and updates rules for small residential group homes and missing‑child reporting protocols.

Public testimony and debate: The committee received testimony both from professional associations and individual witnesses. On SB 152, multiple nurses told the committee they face long‑term respiratory and ocular risks from surgical smoke and urged mandated smoke evacuation. On nursing‑home reforms, industry representatives and advocates discussed reporting rates to FINHRS, protections for residents with cognitive impairments and survey administration concerns; the sponsor said AHCA will be required to incorporate survey results into quality incentive payments. On the child‑welfare bill, advocates raised concerns about jurisdiction and missing‑child reporting for mixed‑status immigrant families; the sponsor said recent amendments addressed many concerns but advocates asked for continued collaboration.

Next steps: Each reported bill will be scheduled for consideration by the full Senate Appropriations Committee or by the relevant floor committee as determined by the Senate leadership. Committee members recorded favorable reports by roll call on the listed bills; several matters were adopted with amendments during the subcommittee meeting.

Votes and roll-call evidence (excerpted roll calls from the transcript are used to report recorded votes and outcomes).","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Appropriations Committee on Health and Human Services 3/26/2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Appropriations Committee on Health and Human Services reported favorably on a slate of health‑sector bills, including protections against surgical smoke, nursing‑home quality measures and childcare‑regulation updates, forwarding each to the full Senate process.","taxTitle","Appropriations Committee on Health and Human Services, Standing Committees, Senate, Legislative, Florida","taxId",26939,"location","Florida","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6104876,"Senate subcommittee advances $1.8 billion increase for Health and Human Services budget",242,66710,309210,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2788426-d0f59a65f99452fa8287a973c20fbb33&start=66&end=309","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2788426-d0f59a65f99452fa8287a973c20fbb33/thumbnail_66710.jpg","/articles/6104876/Florida/Senate-subcommittee-advances-18-billion-increase-for-Health-and-Human-Services-budget","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6104876-48bca68147c9fddd5bc8d5675863beef/orig.mp4?Expires=1771146671&Signature=FdRHJUAoRu8EcaUPdAxvGpt0R-X4urh-bWg3APSbYdUw1vZ~UZ-UGXjPtKMmvw0e~gNu~sCkn~jiuGKuDtm74RwyPV3ISSx1c9VzEVdK7ZVjAxpFfirIToZIyB5XeUccLNhfFnGzxdQ7~IRfVeP4GBSp0J7X~w5KFykvy5LciCOyil83mC1vqfFbXlZSqiSww3Uco9W6N5KE0Tf2ol4NjtiQ16HuqWt0aaIGbtPvj3lMF2Me5~iFmnocpgWut8Yb~VKoQbXb1RD-c44Yf7OCdyLCQ93eqBhNZ4sddlmj4dhwPh1Xa4qqXTYNIL~w7Kvqi-NAs-iepM~m1lI29AYS2Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Appropriations Committee on Health and Human Services advanced a proposed fiscal 2025–26 state budget that the chair described as a \"meaningful commitment to the health and well-being of Florida residents,\" reporting the package to the full Senate Appropriations Committee without objection.

The proposal packages a $1,800,000,000 increase over the current base budget, the chair said, and dedicates roughly half that amount—$905,000,000—to fully funding Medicaid and kid-care programs. \"Our proposed budget reflects a meaningful commitment to the health and well-being of Florida residents across all stages of life,\" Chair Trumbull told senators as she opened the committee’s review.

Why it matters: The draft allocates statewide health spending across both entitlement programs and targeted initiatives intended to address workforce shortages, behavioral health, veterans’ care and cancer research. Committee members adopted the package by motion and then voted to send the subcommittee’s recommendation to the full Senate committee without recorded opposition.

Key provisions and dollar amounts spelled out by the chair include: a $238,000,000 investment for 44 IT projects; reduction of 865.5 FTEs identified as sustained unfilled positions or driven by staff augmentation; a $63,000,000 base-budget reduction tied to historical reversions; $93,600,000 in Medicaid provider rate increases; $13,300,000 for developmentally disabled center facilities; $50,000,000 for recruitment and retention incentives for home- and community-based waiver direct support professionals; $38,000,000 to address caseload growth in the Guardian Assistance Program, extended foster care and adoption subsidy programs; $117,000,000 to support operations and care in state mental health treatment facilities; $34,300,000 for community mental health and substance-use prevention initiatives; and $179,500,000 earmarked for opioid treatment, prevention and recovery efforts.

The budget also includes program-level additions: $6,000,000 for the Alzheimer’s Disease Initiative; $15,000,000 for Community Care for the Elderly and Home Care for the Elderly programs; $30,000,000 to support pediatric cancer center research through the newly created Cancer Connect Collaborative Research Incubator (established in a separate bill cited in the discussion as SB 7028); $4,200,000 to increase funding for breast and cervical cancer screenings; $1,000,000 for a statewide healthcare-screenings marketing campaign; $18,400,000 to support current nurse staffing levels in schools; $3,400,000 for Healthy Start coalitions; $2,000,000 for the Florida Is For Veterans program and $1,000,000 for the Veteran Dental Care Grant Program; and $19,200,000 to support State Veterans Nursing Homes, including expansion of a dementia unit at the Land O’Lakes facility.

Committee actions: Senators adopted a motion from Vice Chair Davis allowing staff to make technical adjustments to the draft and then, again by voice and without objection, voted to report the subcommittee budget recommendation to the full Senate Appropriations Committee.

Background and next steps: Committee members were given time to review details and were asked to contact staff with questions before the full committee meeting. The subcommittee’s recommendation will be considered by the full Senate Appropriations Committee as part of the larger state budget process.

Notes: Figures and program names are taken from the committee presentation; where the transcript contained typographical anomalies (for example, \"acres in FTE\"), the article uses the intended term (FTEs—full‑time equivalents) to preserve clarity.","The Appropriations Committee on Health and Human Services voted without objection to report a proposed fiscal 2025–26 budget that increases funding by $1.8 billion, including major Medicaid and provider-rate investments and dozens of targeted program increases.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Appropriations subcommittee reports multiple health-related bills favorably, including surgical-smoke, nursing-home quality and childcare regulatory updates

Senate subcommittee advances $1.8 billion increase for Health and Human Services budget