Ryan Ray
A day after signing nine bills into law on Wednesday, Gov. Rick Scott gave final approval to 33 bills passed during the 2016 Legislative Session late Thursday morning.
The raft of newly enacted legislation includes HB 93 by Democratic Rep. Shevrin Jones, which requires Florida law enforcement agencies to “establish policies and procedures regarding the use” of police body cameras.
The bill does not require all police to actually use the cameras, but it does appear it could hasten the arrival of police body cameras across the state.
Scott also approved bills to revise the internal organization of the Department of Environmental Protection and Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services, tweak family law regarding divorce and child custody, and allow students to defer their Bright Futures Scholarship awards until after the completion of religious or service obligations.
All 33 of the bills enacted Thursday originated in the Florida House. Wednesday Scott signed Senate-originated bills, including a high-profile bill to require faster testing of backlogged rape kits.
Below are descriptions of the bills set to become law, via the Executive Office of the Governor.
HB 93: Law Enforcement Officer Body Cameras — This bill requires law enforcement agencies to establish policies and procedures regarding the use of body cameras.
HB 231: Motor Vehicle Manufacturer Licenses — This bill relates to contracts between motor vehicle manufacturers and dealers.
HB 293: Public Records — This bill revises a public records exemption regarding certain juvenile criminal history records.
HB 303: Unlicensed Activity Fees — This bill relates to unlicensed activity fees at the Department of Business and Professional Regulation.
HB 373: Mental Health Counseling Interns — This bill provides certain requirements for internship supervision at mental health institutions.
HB 387: Offenses Evidencing Prejudice — This bill revises an existing provision in Florida’s hate crime statutes for individuals with mental or physical disabilities.
HB 413: Title Insurance — This bill relates to title insurance companies.
HB 431: Fire Safety — This bill provides fire classifications for nonresidential farm buildings.
HB 549: Offenses Concerning Racketeering and Illegal Debts — This bill relates to the Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organization (RICO) Act.
HB 561: Organizational Structure of the Department of Environmental Protection — This bill revises the organizational structure of the Department of Environmental Protection.
HB 633: Public Food Service Establishments — This bill exempts religious and other nonprofit organizations from regulations when hosting certain charity events.
HB 701: Art in the Capitol Competition — This bill creates the “Art in the Capitol Competition” for Florida students.
HB 749: Agriculture — This bill relates to the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and the Florida Greenbelt Law.
HB 773: Special Assessments on Agricultural Lands — This bill exempts agricultural lands from certain local assessments.
HB 783: Unclaimed Property — This bill revises several provisions in the Florida Disposition of Unclaimed Property Act.
HB 793: Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program — This bill allows students to defer their acceptance of Florida Bright Futures Scholarships until completion of religious or service obligations.
HB 965: Fire Safety — This bill updates fire safety standards for assisted living facilities.
HB 967: Family Law — This bill creates the collaborative law process.
HB 971: Community Development Districts — This bill increases the size of certain Community Development Districts.
HB 1025: Public Records — This bill relates to public records and the state infrastructure bank program.
HB 1051: Anchoring Limitation Areas — This bill prohibits overnight anchoring of vessels in certain zones.
HB 1063: Public Records and Meetings — This bill creates a public records and meeting exemption for the Nurse Licensure Compact.
HB 1125: Eligibility for Employment as Child Care Personnel — The bill aligns requirements for child care facilities and providers with federal regulations.
HB 1133: Applicability of Revenue Laws to Out-of-State Businesses During Disaster-Response Periods — This bill exempts out-of-state businesses from certain requirements during disaster response.
HB 1149: Alternative Sanctioning — This bill allows alternative punishments for technical violations of probation.
HB 1181: Bad Faith Assertions of Patent Infringement — This bill relates to the Patent Troll Prevention Act.
HB 1219: Veterans’ Employment — This bill requires state agencies and authorizes local governments to implement a veterans’ employment recruitment plan.
HB 1245: Medicaid Provider Overpayments — This bill authorizes the Agency for Health Care Administration to certify certain payments.
HB 1333: Sexual Offenders — This bill increases registration requirements for sexual offenders and predators in compliance with the Adam Walsh Act.
HB 1347: Illicit Drugs — This bill expands the prohibition of synthetic drugs.
HB 4009: Slungshot — This bill makes it lawful to make, sell, and carry a concealed slungshot.
HB 7013: Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission — This bill revises certain penalties for fish and wildlife violations.
HB 7025: At-Risk Vessels — This bill authorizes the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to prohibit vessels that are at-risk of becoming derelict from occupying state waters.
