Florida SB 970: Education

Bill Text

970 
Respiratory Care Interstate Compact 
2025-12-18T11:34:11Z 
Enacting the Respiratory Care Interstate Compact; requiring member states to meet certain requirements to join and participate in the compact; providing criteria that a respiratory therapist licensee must satisfy to practice under the compact; authorizing a certain licensing authority or government agency to establish the scope of practice for a licensee providing therapy in a remote state; authorizing member states to participate with other member states in joint investigations of licensees under certain circumstances; establishing the Respiratory Care Interstate Compact Commission, etc. 
Original Filed Version 
2026 
S 
2026-07-01T00:00:00Z 
GB 
General Bill 
__ 

 Florida Senate - 2026 SB 970 

 By Senator Wright 

 8-01271-26 2026970__ 
 1 A bill to be entitled 
 2 An act relating to the Respiratory Care Interstate 
 3 Compact; creating s. 468.371, F.S.; enacting the 
 4 Respiratory Care Interstate Compact; providing purpose 
 5 and intent; defining terms; requiring member states to 
 6 meet certain requirements to join and participate in 
 7 the compact; providing that the compact does not 
 8 prohibit member states from charging a specified fee; 
 9 providing criteria that a respiratory therapist 
 10 licensee must satisfy to practice under the compact; 
 11 authorizing a certain licensing authority or 
 12 government agency to establish the scope of practice 
 13 for a licensee providing therapy in a remote state; 
 14 providing processes for a licensee whose license is 
 15 removed, encumbered, restricted, or limited; providing 
 16 requirements for renewal of an equivalent license in a 
 17 member state; authorizing an active military member 
 18 and his or her spouse to be deemed as having a home 
 19 state license under certain circumstances; authorizing 
 20 member states to impose adverse actions against 
 21 licensees under certain circumstances; authorizing 
 22 member states to participate with other member states 
 23 in joint investigations of licensees under certain 
 24 circumstances; providing construction; establishing 
 25 the Respiratory Care Interstate Compact Commission; 
 26 providing commission membership, duties, and powers; 
 27 providing for powers, duties, and responsibilities of 
 28 an executive committee; requiring the committee to 
 29 adopt and provide an annual report to member states; 
 30 providing for commission and executive committee 
 31 meetings; authorizing the commission or executive 
 32 committee to convene in closed, nonpublic meetings 
 33 under certain circumstances; requiring the commission 
 34 to keep meeting minutes in a specified manner; 
 35 providing for financing of the commission; requiring 
 36 the commission to keep certain financial 
 37 documentation; providing for qualified immunity, 
 38 defense, and indemnification of the commission; 
 39 providing exceptions; providing for the development, 
 40 maintenance, and use of a coordinated database and 
 41 reporting system; requiring member states to submit 
 42 specified information to the data system; providing 
 43 requirements for the information in the data system; 
 44 providing rulemaking procedures; providing for state 
 45 enforcement of the compact; providing for the 
 46 termination of compact membership; providing 
 47 procedures for the resolution of certain disputes; 
 48 providing for an effective date; providing for 
 49 withdrawal from the compact; providing compact 
 50 amendment procedures; providing construction and 
 51 severability and binding effect of the compact; 
 52 amending ss. 456.076, 468.353, 468.355, 468.361, and 
 53 768.28, F.S.; conforming provisions to changes made by 
 54 the act; providing an effective date. 
 55 
 56 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 
 57 
 58 Section 1. Section 468.371, Florida Statutes, is created to 
 59 read: 
 60 468.371 Respiratory Care Interstate Compact.—The 
 61 Respiratory Care Interstate Compact is hereby enacted into law 
 62 and entered into by this state with all other states legally 
 63 joining therein in the form substantially as follows: 
 64 
 65 RESPIRATORY CARE INTERSTATE COMPACT 
 66 
 67 ARTICLE I 
 68 PURPOSE AND INTENT 
 69 
 70 (1) The purpose of this compact is to facilitate the 
 71 interstate practice of respiratory therapy with the goal of 
 72 improving public access to respiratory therapy services by 
 73 providing respiratory therapists licensed in a member state the 
 74 ability to practice in other member states. The compact 
 75 preserves the regulatory authority of states to protect public 
 76 health and safety through the current system of state licensure. 
 77 (2) This compact is designed to achieve all of the 
 78 following objectives: 
 79 (a) Increase public access to respiratory therapy services 
 80 by creating a responsible, streamlined pathway for licensees to 
 81 practice in member states with the goal of i