Florida HB 711: Central Service Technician Services

Bill Text

HB 711 2026

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb711-00
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S

A bill to be entitled 1
An act relating to central service technician 2
services; creating s. 395.1075, F.S.; providing 3
legislative purpose and intent; defining the terms 4
"central service technician" and "health care 5
practitioner"; requiring licensed hospitals and 6
ambulatory surgical centers to employ or otherwise 7
retain the services of a central service technician 8
only if he or she meets specified criteria; requiring 9
central service technicians who do not meet specified 10
criteria to obtain a certain certification within a 11
specified timeframe as a condition of continued 12
employment; requiring central service technicians to 13
complete a specified number of continuing education 14
hours annually as a condition of continued employment; 15
providing a requirement for such continuing education; 16
requiring hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers 17
to, upon the written request of a central service 18
technician, verify in writing the technician's dates 19
of employment or contract period with the facility; 20
providing applicability; providing an effective date. 21
22
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 23
24
Section 1. Section 395.1075, Florida Statutes, is created 25

HB 711 2026

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to read: 26
395.1075 Central service technician services.— 27
(1) LEGISLATIVE PURPOSE AND INTENT.—The legislative 28
purpose for enacting this section is to ensure that every new 29
central service technician employed by a hospital or an 30
ambulatory surgical center in this state meets minimum 31
requirements for safe practice as a member of the surgical care 32
team. It is the intent of the Legislature that central service 33
technicians who fall below minimum competency or who otherwise 34
present a danger to public health and safety be prohibited from 35
practicing in this state. 36
(2) DEFINITIONS.—As used in this section, the term: 37
(a) "Central service technician" means a person who 38
decontaminates, inspects, assembles, disassembles, packages, and 39
sterilizes reusable medical instruments or devices for use in a 40
licensed facility. 41
(b) "Health care practitioner" has the same meaning as in 42
s. 456.001. 43
(3) CERTIFICATION AND CONTINUING EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS 44
FOR CENTRAL SERVICE TECHNICIANS.— 45
(a) A licensed facility shall employ or otherwise retain 46
the services of a central service technician only if such person 47
has successfully passed a nationally accredited exam for central 48
service technicians and meets at least one of the following 49
criteria: 50

HB 711 2026

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1. Holds and maintains a certified registered central 51
service technician credential issued by a nationally accredited 52
central service credentialing organization. 53
2. Holds and maintains a certified sterile processing and 54
distribution technician credential issued by a nationally 55
accredited central service credentialing organization. 56
3. Provides evidence that he or she was employed by or 57
provided services of a central service technician to a licensed 58
facility on or before December 31, 2026. 59
(b) A central service technician who does not meet the 60
requirements of paragraph (a) must obtain the required certified 61
registered central service technician credential or certified 62
sterile processing and distribution technician credential within 63
18 months after his or her date of hire in order to continue 64
employment as a central service technician. 65
(c) A person who qualifies under paragraph (a) to practice 66
as a central service technician in a licensed facility must 67
annually complete at least 10 hours of continuing education 68
credits to continue employment as a central service technician. 69
The continuing education must be related to the functions of a 70
central service technician. 71
(d) A licensed facility shall, upon the written request of 72
a central service technician, verify, in writing, the central 73
service technician's dates of employment or the contract period 74
during which the central service technician provided services to 75

HB 711 2026

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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S

the licensed facility. 76
(4) EXEMPTIONS.—This section does not apply to: 77
(a) A health care practitioner if he or she is acting 78
within the scope of his or her license or certification. 79
(b) A student or an intern if he or she is performing the 80
functions of a central service technician under the