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Rideshare legislation filed in house and senate

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Bill will establish uniform standards statewide for ridesharing services

Senator Jeff Brandes (R-St. Petersburg) and Representative Chris Sprowls (R-Clearwater) today announced they filed Senate Bill 340 and House Bill 221, proposing a statewide set of standards governing and authorizing ridesharing services and transportation network companies. If successful, Florida would join 36 other states that have adopted rideshare laws.
“Ridesharing is a part of our transportation future, and it is time Florida embrace these services,” stated Senator Brandes. “This is something that Florida businesses demand, tourists expect, and our residents deserve. It is time to end the patchwork of regulations across the state that stand in the way of transportation innovation and adopt a uniform, common sense law focused on safety and access to the new technology.”
“Floridians deserve a thriving and innovative transportation marketplace,” stated Representative Sprowls. “This bill provides certainty to a growing transportation market, by putting consumers in the driver’s seat of their transportation options, not special interest regulators. Not only is this bill good for consumers, but also it provides jobs for many Floridians still looking for work, or supplemental income to families struggling to make ends meet.”
The bill establishes the regulatory framework for the operation of Transportation Network Companies (TNCs) in Florida. SB 340 and HB 221 establish minimum insurance requirements for TNCs, require thorough background screening standards for TNC drivers, and include consumer protection provisions that strengthen the community of riders and drivers in Florida. In addition, the bill provides regulatory certainty for TNC services in Florida by replacing a patchwork of conflicting local regulations with a unified statewide framework.
For more information on the legislation visit http://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2017/0340.
 

St. Johns River and the Keystone Heights Region

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Senator Rob Bradley (R-Fleming Island) filed legislation today to protect the St. Johns River and the lakes of the Keystone Heights region for future generations. Senate Bill 234 requires the state to spend a minimum of $35 million annually from Amendment One funds on projects that preserve or provide public access to the River and the Keystone lakes.
“I grew up on the banks of the St. Johns River and visited the lakes of Keystone Heights as a child, and my family enjoys these incredible gifts from God today,” said Senator Bradley. “This is very personal for me. These natural resources define the character of the northeast Florida region of our state.”
In 2014, Floridians overwhelmingly adopted Amendment One, a constitutional amendment mandating that the Legislature spend one-third of documentary stamp tax revenues on environmental preservation efforts. The bill directs a portion of those dollars to the River and Lake Region.
“As a conservative, I believe in absolute fidelity to the State Constitution,” Bradley continued. “The Constitution requires us to protect these natural resources, as we should, and this bill helps fulfill that constitutional obligation to the people of the northeast Florida.”
Senate President Joe Negron recently appointed Senator Bradley as Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on the Environment and Natural Resources. “President Negron and I share a passion for implementing real solutions to the environmental challenges facing our state in the 21st century, from Lake Okeechobee and the Everglades to our springs to the St. Johns River. Not only do we need to insure that our water is clean, but we need to insure the public has reasonable access to these wonderful natural assets for all time.”

Nelson files legislation to prevent repeal of Medicare “donut hole” provisions

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U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson filed legislation today to prevent Congress from repealing key provisions of the Affordable Care Act that have, on average, saved many of Florida’s Medicare-covered seniors nearly $1,000 per year on the cost of their prescription drugs.
The measure, which Nelson filed as an amendment to a broader budget bill currently under debate, would prevent the Senate from considering any legislation that repeals the Affordable Care Act’s provisions aimed at closing the gap in Medicare’s prescription drug coverage, commonly known as the “donut hole.”
Under current law, when a Medicare beneficiary and their plan spends $3,700 on prescription drugs in a single year, that beneficiary becomes responsible for a larger share of the cost of their prescription drugs until the beneficiary’s total out-of-pocket costs for the year reach $4,950, at which time Medicare will resume paying for the cost of the drugs.
Prior to the 2010 healthcare law taking effect, the gap in coverage started at $2,700 and ended at $6,100. The provisions included in the ACA have shrunk that gap and aims to completely close it by 2020.
Nelson’s measure would protect those provisions, ensuring that seniors continue to save on the cost of their prescription drugs even if Congress repeals the rest of the law.
“Closing this gap in coverage, known as the donut hole, has helped seniors in Florida save nearly $1,000 a year,” Nelson said. “Why would you want to get rid of that? We should be looking for ways to lower – not increase – the cost of prescription drugs, especially for our seniors.”
According to the Department of Health and Human Services, the provisions Nelson wants to keep in place saved Florida’s 355,000 Medicare-covered seniors more than $350 million in 2015 alone. That’s an average annual savings of $987 per senior.
The text of Nelson’s legislation is available here.

Senator Tom Lee Files Bill to Give Patients Greater Flexibility and Access to Quality Primary Care

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Senator Tom Lee (R–Thonotosassa) announced today the filing of SB 240, designed to improve access to direct primary care by giving physicians and their patients an alternative to the traditional third party, fee-for-service system.
In a direct primary care model, patients receive access to their physician for a flat monthly fee. A full range of comprehensive primary care visits and services are included under this contract, ranging from acute and urgent care to regular checkups, labs, preventative care and chronic disease management. SB 240 recognizes these arrangements, establishes protections for both the physicians and the patients, as well as defines them as outside the scope of state insurance regulation.
“Direct primary care offers an innovative solution and greater efficiency to a healthcare system plagued by exorbitant costs and a lack of accessible, quality care for the uninsured and underinsured,” Senator Lee said. “This type of free-market approach grants patients greater flexibility and expands access to concierge-level healthcare that was once available only to the wealthy.”
Direct primary care practices allow patients to establish a personal relationship with their doctor, diminishing the dependence on expensive surgeries, urgent care, emergency rooms and other preventable hospitalizations. Physicians are able to spend more time caring directly for their patients and significantly reduce operating expenses by cutting out the hassle and costs associated with billing a health insurance company.
“These arrangements empower Florida families by giving them more control and choice in how they pay for the care they need,” Senator Lee added.