2004-2005

2004 - 2005

“Women’s Health Officer” – Establishes the Officer of Women’s Health Strategy in the Department of Health requiring an annual report to the Governor and Legislature.  Requires the consideration of women’s health issues and gender in state policy, planning and budgeting.

“Florida Women’s Health Awareness Day” -  House Resolution recognizing March 24, 2004 as the 2004 Florida Women’s Health Awareness Day.

“Parental Rights” - Proposes an amendment to the State Constitution that must be approved by the voters to provide certain constitutional rights of parents with respect to their children to be notified before minors get an abortion.  It gives the Legislature the authority to protect such rights by appropriate legislation to require parental notification.

“Health Care Facilities” – This bill will foster greater community based long term care services by allowing nursing homes to use licensed, but unoccupied beds for alternative long term care uses such as long term care uses such as adult as adult day care, assisted living, for extended periods of time.  It also requires nursing-home-bed-need methodology established by AHCA by rule to include goal of maintaining specified district average occupancy rate.

“Foster Care Services” – Requires the Department of Children and Family Services to develop a proposal regarding use and structure of a statewide financial shared risk pool for the protection of local lead agencies that contract with DCF for the provision of foster care services.  The proposal will address issues for how the risk pool will be used, such as foster care caseload growth, changes in client composition and changes in availability of funds.  Must specify steps to ensure the financial integrity of the revenue for risk pool.  Specifies contracts with DCF and community based care.  It also includes performance outcome measures established by the legislature.

“Motor Vehicle Driver’s Responsibility” – Creates the driver’s responsibility program; directs the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles to annually impose specified monetary penalties against motor vehicle licensees who have violated certain laws within the previous 36 months; directs the department to remit all penalties to the Trauma Services Trust Fund for supporting, maintaining, and strengthen our hospital trauma systems.

“Aging Resource Center” – Requires the Department of Elderly Affairs to provide for transitioning certain elderly services to a long-term care delivery system under the direction of an aging resource center. Bill requires the phased in development of Aging Resource Centers which are state systems that integrate information and referral with eligibility determination and authorization of services.  Creates a pilot to integrate funding for a Medicaid long term care services for the elderly within a designate area.  Requires on going monitoring and evaluation of the areas on aging.  Allows community care for the elderly providers to provide both services and case management.

“Automated Pharmacy Systems” – This bill allows a pharmacy to provide services to a long-term care facility, nursing home, or a state correctional institution through an automated pharmacy system to dispense medications to their patients from the automated system, on site, in the nursing home so the drugs will be controlled on a more efficient manner and to reduce fraud.  It requires that the operation of an automated pharmacy system be under the supervision of a pharmacist; requires the Board of Pharmacy to adopt rules.

“Developmental Services” – Creates a new “Agency for Persons with Disabilities” to ensure the safety, self-sufficiency, and support to vulnerable citizens with developmental disabilities.  Increase penalties for those who commit sexual crimes against those with disabilities and expand guardianship services for the disabled.

“Human Trafficking” – Bill creates a new section relating to forced labor which makes it a second degree felony for any person to knowingly obtain the labor or services of a person by inflicting bodily injury on the victim or threatening the victim with bodily injury, by restraining a person against their will or by withholding the person’s records.  Maximum penalty will be fifteen years.  Creates a penalty of 2^nd degree felony to knowingly transport another person with intent to traffic a person in forced labor.