Florida Senate - 2022 SB 562 By Senator Cruz 18-00416-22 2022562__ 1 A bill to be entitled 2 An act relating to military occupational licensure; 3 amending s. 455.02, F.S.; requiring the Department of 4 Business and Professional Regulation or the applicable 5 board or program to expedite professional license 6 applications submitted by spouses of active duty 7 members of the Armed Forces of the United States; 8 requiring the department to issue temporary 9 professional licenses under certain circumstances; 10 amending s. 456.024, F.S.; requiring the Department of 11 Health or the applicable board to issue a professional 12 license to spouses of active duty members of the Armed 13 Forces of the United States if certain requirements 14 are met; requiring the department to waive the 15 application fee for such license applications; 16 authorizing applicants issued such licenses to renew 17 their licenses if certain requirements are met; 18 providing construction; requiring the department or 19 applicable board to expedite applications for such 20 licenses; requiring the department or applicable board 21 to issue a temporary professional license under 22 certain circumstances; conforming provisions to 23 changes made by the act; providing an effective date. 24 25 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 26 27 Section 1.Paragraph (d) is added to subsection (3) of 28 section 455.02, Florida Statutes, and paragraph (a) of that 29 subsection is republished, to read: 30 455.02Licensure of members of the Armed Forces in good 31 standing and their spouses or surviving spouses with 32 administrative boards or programs. 33 (3)(a)The department shall issue a professional license to 34 an applicant who is or was an active duty member of the Armed 35 Forces of the United States, or who is a spouse or surviving 36 spouse of such member, upon application to the department in a 37 format prescribed by the department. An application must include 38 proof that: 39 1.The applicant is or was an active duty member of the 40 Armed Forces of the United States or is married to a member of 41 the Armed Forces of the United States and was married to the 42 member during any period of active duty or was married to such a 43 member who at the time of the members death was serving on 44 active duty. An applicant who was an active duty member of the 45 Armed Forces of the United States must have received an 46 honorable discharge upon separation or discharge from the Armed 47 Forces of the United States. 48 2.The applicant holds a valid license for the profession 49 issued by another state, the District of Columbia, any 50 possession or territory of the United States, or any foreign 51 jurisdiction. 52 3.The applicant, where required by the specific practice 53 act, has complied with insurance or bonding requirements. 54 4.a.A complete set of the applicants fingerprints is 55 submitted to the Department of Law Enforcement for a statewide 56 criminal history check. 57 b.The Department of Law Enforcement shall forward the 58 fingerprints submitted pursuant to sub-subparagraph a. to the 59 Federal Bureau of Investigation for a national criminal history 60 check. The department shall, and the board may, review the 61 results of the criminal history checks according to the level 2 62 screening standards in s. 435.04 and determine whether the 63 applicant meets the licensure requirements. The costs of 64 fingerprint processing shall be borne by the applicant. If the 65 applicants fingerprints are submitted through an authorized 66 agency or vendor, the agency or vendor shall collect the 67 required processing fees and remit the fees to the Department of 68 Law Enforcement. 69 (d)The department or the applicable board or program 70 shall: 71 1.Expedite all applications submitted by a spouse of an 72 active duty member of the Armed Forces of the United States 73 pursuant to this subsection; and 74 2.Issue a temporary professional license valid for the 75 duration of the application review process to such spouse once 76 the department, board, or program verifies the information 77 provided by the spouse pursuant to subparagraphs (a)1., 2., and 78 3. is accurate. 79 Section 2.Paragraphs (a), (c), (e), (f), (g), (h), and (i) 80 of subsection (4) of section 456.024, Florida Statutes, are 81 amended, and paragraph (j) is added to that subsection, to read: 82 456.024Members of Armed Forces in good standing with 83 administrative boards or the department; spouses; licensure. 84 (4)(a)The board, or the department if there is no board, 85 shall may issue a temporary professional license to the spouse 86 of an active duty member of the Armed Forces of the United 87 States who submits to the department: 88 1.A completed application upon a form prepared and 89 furnished by the department in accordance with the boards 90 rules; 91 2.The required application fee; 92 3.Proof that the applicant is married to a member of the 93 Armed Forces of the United States who is on active duty; 94 3.4.Proof that the applicant holds a valid license for the 95 profession issued by another state, the District of Columbia, or 96 a possession or territory of the United States, and is not the 97 subject of any disciplinary proceeding in any jurisdiction in 98 which the applicant holds a license to practice a profession 99 regulated by this chapter; 100 4.5.Proof that the applicants spouse is assigned to a 101 duty station in this state pursuant to the members official 102 active duty military orders; and 103 5.6.Proof that the applicant would otherwise be entitled 104 to full licensure under the appropriate practice act, and is 105 eligible to take the respective licensure examination as 106 required in Florida. 107 (c)Each board, or the department if there is no board, 108 shall review the results of the state and federal criminal 109 history checks according to the level 2 screening standards in 110 s. 435.04 when granting an exemption and when granting or 111 denying the temporary license. 112 (e)The department shall waive the applicants licensure 113 set an application fee, which may not exceed the cost of issuing 114 the license. 115 (f)An applicant issued a license under this subsection may 116 renew such license upon completion of the conditions for renewal 117 required of licenseholders under the applicable practice act, 118 including, without limitation, continuing education 119 requirements. This paragraph does not limit waiver of initial 120 licensure requirements under this subsection A temporary license 121 expires 12 months after the date of issuance and is not 122 renewable. 123 (g)An applicant for a temporary license under this 124 subsection is subject to the requirements under s. 456.013(3)(a) 125 and (c). 126 (h)An applicant shall be deemed ineligible for a temporary 127 license pursuant to this section if the applicant: 128 1.Has been convicted of or pled nolo contendere to, 129 regardless of adjudication, any felony or misdemeanor related to 130 the practice of a health care profession; 131 2.Has had a health care provider license revoked or 132 suspended from another of the United States, the District of 133 Columbia, or a United States territory; 134 3.Has been reported to the National Practitioner Data 135 Bank, unless the applicant has successfully appealed to have his 136 or her name removed from the data bank; or 137 4.Has previously failed the Florida examination required 138 to receive a license to practice the profession for which the 139 applicant is seeking a license. 140 (i)The board, or the department if there is no board, may 141 revoke a temporary license upon finding that the individual 142 violated the professions governing practice act. 143 (j)The board, or the department if there is no board, 144 shall: 145 1.Expedite all applications submitted by a spouse of an 146 active duty member of the Armed Forces of the United States 147 pursuant to this section; and 148 2.Issue a temporary professional license valid for the 149 duration of the application review process to such spouse once 150 the board or department verifies the information provided by the 151 spouse pursuant to paragraph (a) is accurate. 152 Section 3.This act shall take effect July 1, 2022.