Senate passes Live Healthy legislation championed by Passidomo, others

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Two bills related to the Senate’s Live Healthy 2024 legislative agenda unanimously passed the floor on Thursday.

SB 7016 was sponsored by the Senate’s Health and Fiscal Policy Committees and SB 7018 was sponsored by the Health Policy Committee and Sen. Gayle Harrell, R-Stuart.

Sen. Colleen Burton, R-Lakeland, spoke as the sponsor of SB 7016, which intends to provide incentives and opportunities to help retain and grow Florida’s health care workforce.

Harrell explained the other bill while it was on the floor. SB 7018 seeks to grow health care technology innovation by providing funding for research and production.

Burton shared how the state’s health care workforce has not been able to keep up with Florida’s significantly growing population each year.

She added that months of conversations with senators and local community leaders resulted in the bill that seeks to address a few major goals.

“Grow Florida’s health care workforce with new opportunities for education, training and innovation,” she said. “Remove regulatory barriers to increase workforce mobility, and to expand the availability, efficiency and quality of health care for all Floridians.”

The Senate passed six amendments to the legislation, resulting in a cut of roughly $70 million from the original $800 million being distributed in the bill.

Sen. Tracie Davis, D-Jacksonville, expressed her concerns with the cuts during the questioning period. Burton reassured her that the funding is still significantly going to help Florida health care workforce, despite the cuts.

Davis also voiced her feelings on the expansion of private birthing enters that the bill encourages. She argued that because most birthing centers only hold women for 24 hours, it may be difficult for hospitals to willingly take mothers who have already spent time at the center.

Harrell explained that her legislation is going to “increase efficiency, improve outcomes,” and “decrease the strain on the workforce.”

She talked about how the bill would create a 15 member health care innovation council, designed to direct and help promote innovation in the state.

“The council will travel around the state, holding public hearings, listening to those innovative ideas that are coming forth throughout the incredible state of Florida,” Harrell said.

She said the bill would set aside $75 million for a loan fund that innovators can tap into when working the testing, research and development of health care technology.

Harrell’s bill had one amendment that was adopted relating to how and when the funds would be moved from the state’s General Revenue Fund.