SB 1000 & HB 1291 – Relating to Nutrient Application Rates

On Thursday, February 17, SB 1000 by Senator Ben Albritton (R-Bartow) was read a second and third time on the Senate floor and passed with 38 yeas and 0 nays.

Also on Thursday, February 17, HB 1291 by Representative Lawrence McClure (R-Plant City) was heard by the House Appropriations Committee and was reported favorable with 22 yeas and 1 nay. AIF’s Vice President of Governmental Affairs, Adam Basford, stood in support of this legislation.

The bills allow certified crop advisors to recommend preferred fertilizer rates to tailor nutrient application rates. The bills provide that producers using rate tailoring are required to enroll in and implement applicable best management practices (BMPs) adopted by the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

SB 1000 will now go to the House for consideration.

HB 1291 will now go to the House State Affairs Committee which is the final committee stop before the House floor.

AIF supports legislation which protects an agricultural producers' enrollment in the Best Management Practices program while providing the ability to specifically tailor nutrient rates based upon variables such as crop variety, site-specific conditions, meteorological events, or pest and disease pressures.

HB 685 – Relating to Rural Development

On Thursday, February 17, HB 685 by Representative Brad Drake (R-DeFuniak Springs) was heard by the House Commerce Committee and was reported favorable with 20 yeas and 0 nays. AIF’s Legislative Affairs Assistant, BD Jogerst, stood in support of this legislation.

Florida has a variety of economic grant and loan programs to aid the development of rural and otherwise economically distressed regions of the state. The bill reduces the required non-state match amount for the Regional Rural Development Grants Program from 25% to 15% and allows in-kind contributions to count toward this threshold. The bill removes the requirement that repaid funds from the Rural Community Development Revolving Loan Fund be matched in order to be retained to fund future loans. Finally, the bill revises the uses of the Rural Infrastructure Fund to remove the requirement that grants be linked to financing specific projects. It increases the proportion of an infrastructure project that may be covered by the grant from 50% to 75% and increases the maximum grant for infrastructure feasibility studies, design and engineering activities, or other infrastructure planning and preparation activities to $300,000 for all projects.

HB 685 will now go to the House floor for consideration.

AIF supports legislative efforts to increase economic development in Florida's rural areas by increasing job growth and access to well-paying jobs.

HB 909 – Relating to Pollution Control Standards and Liability

On Thursday, February 17, HB 909 by Representative Bobby Payne (R-Palatka) was heard by the House State Affairs Committee and was reported favorable with 18 yeas and 5 nays. AIF’s Vice President of Governmental Affairs, Adam Basford, stood in support of this legislation.

Risk-based corrective action is a decision-making process used to assess and respond to incidents of contamination. The bill specifies that the Secretary of Environmental Protection has exclusive jurisdiction in setting standards or procedures for evaluating environmental conditions and assessing potential liability for the presence of contaminants on land that is classified as agricultural and is being converted to a nonagricultural use. The bill prohibits the Secretary from delegating such authority to a city, a county, or another unit of local government through a local pollution control program, but it does not preempt the enforcement authority of a local government through a local pollution control program.

HB 909 will now go to the House floor for consideration.

AIF supports legislation unifying regulatory authority over site assessments for current or former agricultural lands by making the Florida Department of Environmental Protection the sole authority for evaluating environmental conditions and assessing potential liability for the presence of contaminants on current or former agricultural properties.

 

SB 2508 – Relating to Environmental Resources

On Thursday, February 17, SB 2508, sponsored by the Senate Appropriations Committee, was read a second and third time on the Senate floor and passed with 37 yeas and 2 nays.

In the past two years, the Florida Legislature has provided over $1.1 billion to the South Florida Water Management District (district). This level of investment by the State in Everglades restoration and water resource development requires additional accountability. The bill provides a framework for ensuring that the district continues to fulfill each of its statutory responsibilities of flood control, water supply, water quality, and natural systems while implementing large scale ecosystem restoration projects.

SB 2508 will now go to the House for consideration.

AIF supports legislation that addresses the existing water quality and quantity issues as Florida's businesses and citizens alike rely on access to clean, uncontaminated water.

HB 931 – Relating to Alternate-site Testing

On Thursday, February 17, HB 931 by Representative Lawrence McClure (R-Plant City) was heard by the House Health & Human Services Committee and was reported favorable with 20 yeas and 0 nays. AIF’s Vice President of Governmental Affairs, Adam Basford, stood in support of this legislation.

Currently, advanced practice registered nurses, registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, and licensed clinical laboratory personnel are permitted to perform testing at alternate-sites (lab testing under control of a hospital but not on-site) which allows for bedside, ER and operating room testing. A freestanding emergency department (FED) is a facility that receives individuals for emergency care and is structurally separate from a hospital. Only licensed clinical laboratory personnel may perform clinical laboratory testing in a FED. The bill exempts individuals who perform alternate-site testing outside of a central laboratory of a hospital or at a hospital-based, off campus emergency department from clinical laboratory personnel licensure requirements. This allows all individuals, not just licensed clinical laboratory personnel, to perform alternate-site testing within a hospital or in a FED.

HB 931 will now go to the House floor for consideration.

AIF supports permitting registered nurses to perform moderately complex lab tests, outside of a clinical lab, but within a hospital department or an off-site hospital-based emergency department to ensure greater access to quality care.