Florida Insurance Council - Covering Florida Since 1962
By: Katrina Callaway, FIC General Counsel The Senate construction defect statute of repose bill, SB 536, was significantly amended on January 25, 2018 when it was heard and approved by its first committee of reference. The bill has two committees left. This is the second year bills have been filed on the statute of limitations…
By: Katrina Callaway, FIC General Counsel On January 25, 2018, the full House passed its direct primary care bill, HB 37, by a vote of 97-10 and sent the bill to the Senate for consideration. Although all of the “no” votes were cast by Democrats, most of the Democrats voted for the bill. A…
By: Katrina Callaway, FIC General Counsel SB 1412 makes the salary of a Judge of Compensation Claim (JCC) equal to the salary of a county court judge with the Deputy Chief JCC making $1,000 more than a county court judge. The bill passed its first Senate committee on January 25, 2018 and has two committees…
By: Greenberg Traurig The Senate Appropriations Committee passed the Senate opioid bill during its meeting on January 24, 2018. Following is a recap of the meeting prepared by staff at Greenberg Traurig: SB 8 Controlled Substances by Sen. Benacquisto (Passed) SummarySen. Benacquisto stated that this bill makes a number of changes to Florida Statutes. This bill does…
By: Katrina Callaway, FIC General Counsel The full Senate is expected to pass its step therapy and prior authorization bill, SB 98, during its next sitting, on January 31, 2018. The Senate heard the bill on the floor for the first time on January 24, 2018 and adopted one amendment to it. The…
By: Katrina Callaway, FIC General Counsel A direct primary care bill has been filed for the past four years. This year’s House bill, HB 37, is essentially the same bill as last year and is again sponsored by Rep. Burgess, Chair of the House Insurance and Banking Subcommittee. HB 37 specifies that a direct…
By: Katrina Callaway, FIC General Counsel A very bad AOB bill (SB 1168) passed the Senate Banking and Insurance Committee on January 23, 2018 by a vote of 7-3. The bill has two committees left. The bill is sponsored by Sen. Steube, a Republican closely aligned with the trial bar, so it is no surprise…
By: Katrina Callaway, FIC General Counsel The House Civil Justice and Claims Subcommittee postponed a vote on the mediation bill, HB 1043, at the request of the bill sponsor. No explanation for the postponement was provided. HB 1043 has concerned many in the insurance industry and in organizations that advocate for tort reform as…
By: Katrina Callaway, FIC General Counsel The Senate Health Policy Committee passed SB 162 during its meeting on January 23, 2018 with no amendments, questions or debate. The bill has one committee left. The bill prohibits a health insurer or health maintenance organization (HMO) from retroactively denying a claim if the insurer or HMO verified the…
By: Katrina Callaway, FIC General Counsel The Senate Banking and Insurance Committee killed the named driver exclusion bill, SB 518, on January 23, 2018 by a vote of 4-5. The “no” votes cast were bipartisan, with Sens. Bracy (D- Ocoee), Gainer (R-Panama City), Garcia (R-Hialeah), Taddeo (D-Miami), and Thurston (D-Ft. Lauderdale) voting against the…