Florida HB 1235: Fees

Bill Text

HB 1235 2026

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb1235-00
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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 the Respiratory Care Interstate 2
Compact; creating s. 468.371, F.S.; enacting the 3
Respiratory Care Interstate Compact; providing purpose 4
and intent; providing definitions; requiring member 5
states to meet certain requirements to join and 6
participate in the compact; providing criteria that a 7
respiratory therapist licensee must satisfy to 8
practice under the compact; providing requirements for 9
renewal of an equivalent license in a member state; 10
providing requirements and procedures for changing a 11
home state license designation; authorizing an active 12
military member and his or her spouse to be deemed as 13
having a home state license under certain 14
circumstances; authorizing member states to impose 15
adverse actions against licensees under certain 16
circumstances; authorizing member states to 17
participate with other member states in joint 18
investigations of licensees under certain 19
circumstances; providing applicability; establishing 20
the Respiratory Care Interstate Compact Commission; 21
providing commission membership, duties, and powers; 22
providing for powers, duties, and responsibilities of 23
an executive committee; requiring the committee to 24
adopt and provide an annual report to member states; 25

HB 1235 2026

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb1235-00
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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

authorizing the commission to convene in closed, 26
nonpublic meetings under certain circumstances; 27
providing for financing of the commission; providing 28
immunity from liability for member states under 29
certain circumstances; providing for the development, 30
maintenance, and use of a coordinated database and 31
reporting system; requiring member states to submit 32
specified information to the data system; providing 33
requirements for the information in the data system; 34
providing rulemaking procedures; providing for state 35
enforcement of the compact; providing for the 36
termination of compact membership; providing 37
procedures for the resolution of certain disputes; 38
providing compact amendment procedures; providing 39
construction and severability and binding effect of 40
the compact; amending ss. 456.076, 468.353, 468.355, 41
468.361, and 768.28, F.S.; conforming provisions to 42
changes made by the act; providing an effective date. 43
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Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the state of Florida: 45
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Section 1. Section 468.371, Florida Statutes, is created 47
to read: 48
468.371 Respiratory Care Interstate Compact.—The 49
Respiratory Care Interstate Compact is hereby enacted into law 50

HB 1235 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

and entered into by this state with all other states legally 51
joining therein in the form substantially as follows: 52
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RESPIRATORY CARE INTERSTATE COMPACT 54
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ARTICLE I 56
PURPOSE AND INTENT 57
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(1) The purpose of this compact is to facilitate the 59
interstate practice of respiratory therapy with the goal of 60
improving public access to respiratory therapy services by 61
providing respiratory therapists licensed in a member state the 62
ability to practice in other member states. The compact 63
preserves the regulatory authority of states to protect public 64
health and safety through the current system of state licensure. 65
(2) This compact is designed to achieve all of the 66
following objectives: 67
(a) Increase public access to respiratory therapy services 68
by creating a responsible, streamlined pathway for licensees to 69
practice in member states with the goal of improving outcomes 70
for patients. 71
(b) Enhance states' ability to protect the public's health 72
and safety. 73
(c) Promote the cooperation of member states in regulating 74
the practice of respiratory therapy within such member states. 75

HB 1235 2026

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
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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

(d) Ease administrative burdens on states by encouraging 76
the cooperation of member states in regulating multistate 77
respiratory therapy practice. 78
(e) Support relocating active military members and their 79
spouses. 80
(f) Promote mobility and address workforce shortages. 81
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ARTICLE II 83
DEFINITIONS 84
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As used in this compact, the term: 86
(1) "Active military member" means any person with a full-87
time duty status in the Armed Forces of the United States, 88
including members of the National Guard and the United States 89
Reserve Forces. 90
(2) "Adverse action" means any administrative, civil, 91
equitable, or criminal action permitted by a