HB 1261 Summary

• Creates the "Diabetes Educators Practice Act" establishing licensure requirements for diabetes educators and diabetes self-management education or training (DSME/DSMT) practitioners in Florida under Board of Medicine supervision.

• Requires diabetes educators to hold one of five qualifying credentials: CDE certification, BC-ADM certification, or be a licensed healthcare professional (nurse, physician, dietitian, psychologist, etc.) with 250 hours of DSME/DSMT experience and NCBDE certification.

• Prohibits unlicensed individuals from practicing diabetes education for compensation and establishes violations as first-degree misdemeanors, with licensure fees not to exceed $100 for application, $100 for initial license, and $50 for renewal.

• Establishes grounds for license denial or disciplinary action including fraud, incompetency, inability to practice safely, criminal convictions related to the profession, and false advertising.

• Amends the Dietetics and Nutrition Practice Council to include one diabetes educator member and establishes the council's responsibility for licensing, monitoring, and disciplining diabetes educators; effective January 1, 2018.