CS/CS/HB 559 2022
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
A bill to be entitled 1
An act relating to occupational licensure of military 2
spouses; amending s. 456.024, F.S.; requiring the 3
Department of Health or the applicable board to issue 4
a professional license to spouses of active duty 5
members of the Armed Forces of the United States if 6
certain requirements are met; requiring the department 7
to waive the application fee for such license 8
applications; authorizing applicants issued such 9
licenses to renew their licenses if certain 10
requirements are met; providing construction; 11
requiring the department or applicable board to 12
expedite applications for such licenses; conforming 13
provisions to changes made by the act; providing an 14
effective date. 15
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Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 17
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Section 1. Paragraphs (a), (c), (e), (f), (g), (h), and 19
(i) of subsection (4) of section 456.024, Florida Statutes, are 20
amended, and paragraph (j) is added to that subsection, to read: 21
456.024 Members of Armed Forces in good standing with 22
administrative boards or the department; spouses; licensure. — 23
(4)(a) The board, or the department if there is no board, 24
shall may issue a temporary professional license to the spouse 25
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
of an active duty membe r of the Armed Forces of the United 26
States who submits to the department: 27
1. A completed application upon a form prepared and 28
furnished by the department in accordance with the board's 29
rules; 30
2. The required application fee; 31
3. Proof that the applica nt is married to a member of the 32
Armed Forces of the United States who is on active duty; 33
3.4. Proof that the applicant holds a valid license for 34
the profession issued by another state, the District of 35
Columbia, or a possession or territory of the United States, and 36
is not the subject of any disciplinary proceeding in any 37
jurisdiction in which the applicant holds a license to practice 38
a profession regulated by this chapter; 39
4.5. Proof that the applicant's spouse is assigned to a 40
duty station in this sta te pursuant to the member's official 41
active duty military orders; and 42
5.6. Proof that the applicant would otherwise be entitled 43
to full licensure under the appropriate practice act, and is 44
eligible to take the respective licensure examination as 45
required in Florida. 46
(c) Each board, or the department if there is no board, 47
shall review the results of the state and federal criminal 48
history checks according to the level 2 screening standards in 49
s. 435.04 when granting an exemption and when granting or 50
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
denying the temporary license. 51
(e) The department shall waive the applicant's licensure 52
set an application fee, which may not exceed the cost of issuing 53
the license. 54
(f) An applicant issued a license under this subsection 55
may renew such license upon complet ion of the conditions for 56
renewal required of licenseholders under the applicable practice 57
act, including, without limitation, continuing education 58
requirements. This paragraph does not limit waiver of initial 59
licensure requirements under this subsection A temporary license 60
expires 12 months after the date of issuance and is not 61
renewable. 62
(g) An applicant for a temporary license under this 63
subsection is subject to the requirements under s. 456.013(3)(a) 64
and (c). 65
(h) An applicant shall be deemed ineligible for a 66
temporary license pursuant to this section if the applicant: 67
1. Has been convicted of or pled nolo contendere to, 68
regardless of adjudication, any felony or misdemeanor related to 69
the practice of a health care profession; 70
2. Has had a health care provider license revoked or 71
suspended from another of the United States, the District of 72
Columbia, or a United States territory; 73
3. Has been reported to the National Practitioner Data 74
Bank, unless the applican t has successfully appealed to have his 75
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
or her name removed from the data bank; or 76
4. Has previously failed the Florida examination required 77
to receive a license to practice the profession for which the 78
applicant is seeking a license. 79
(i) The board, or the department if there is no board, may 80
revoke a temporary license upon finding that the individual 81
violated the profession's governing practice act. 82
(j) The board, or the department if there is no board, 83
shall expedite all applications submitted by a spouse of an 84
active duty member of the Armed Forces of the United States 85
pursuant to this section that satisfy the requirements of 86
paragraph (a). 87
Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2022. 88