FL H0693

Summary of H0693: Health and Human Services

• Establishes the Emergency Medical Services Personnel Licensure Interstate Compact, allowing EMTs, Advanced EMTs, and Paramedics to practice across member states through a privilege-to-practice model, with home states maintaining exclusive authority over licensure and adverse actions, and requiring FBI criminal background checks within 5 years of compact activation

• Creates the Physician Assistant Licensure Compact and Social Work Licensure Interstate Compact, enabling multistate practice for these professions while maintaining state regulatory authority, requiring fingerprint-based background checks, and establishing interstate commissions to administer the compacts

• Restricts Medicaid and Florida Kidcare eligibility (effective October 1, 2026) to U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents, Cuban/Haitian entrants, and individuals under Compacts of Free Association, requiring verification through USCIS SAVE process and eliminating coverage for those not meeting requirements except for emergency medical conditions

• Limits food assistance (SNAP) eligibility to the same citizenship/immigration categories, prohibits self-attestation alone for determining shelter or utility expenses, and requires DCF to develop a payment accuracy improvement plan targeting error rates below 6% by March 30, 2026

• Expands SNAP work requirements to ages 18-64 (from 18-59) and applies to individuals without children under age 14 (previously 18), requiring participation in employment and training programs unless federally exempt

• Removes the cap of 10 physician assistants per supervising physician, replacing it with a standard allowing supervision of as many PAs as the physician can effectively supervise within the specific practice setting, and eliminates the requirement for physicians to cosign PA charts

• Expands Advanced Practice Registered Nurse autonomous practice authority beyond primary care, allowing APRNs to perform functions within their specialty without supervision, while maintaining the prohibition on issuing medical marijuana certifications

• Authorizes dental hygienists to prescribe, administer, and dispense fluoride, fluoride varnish, antimicrobial mouth rinses, and other nonsystemic antimicrobial agents under general supervision of a dentist

• Requires health care practitioners to provide written notification to patients when referring to out-of-network providers for nonemergency services, with documentation in medical records and disciplinary action for noncompliance without good cause

• Mandates expedited license processing for veterans, active duty military members, National Guard/Reserves separating from service, and military spouses under the EMS compact, and requires member states to consider their NREMT certification as meeting minimum training requirements