Florida SB 980: 911 Public Safety Telecommunicator Certifications

Bill Text

Florida Senate - 2023 CS for SB 980

By the Committee on Regulated Industries; and Senators Brodeur
and Stewart

580-02577-23 2023980c1
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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
A bill to be entitled 1
An act relating to 911 public safety telecommunicator 2
certifications; amending s. 401.465, F.S.; increasing 3
the timeframe within which an inactive 911 public 4
safety telecommunicator certificate may be reactivated 5
before it permanently expires; deleting a process by 6
which a certificateholder may voluntarily place his or 7
her certificate in inactive status; providing 8
applicability; prohibiting the Department of Health 9
from requiring certificateholders to pay a fee or to 10
make an election to place their certificates in 11
inactive status, beginning on a specified date; 12
requiring that certain fees paid by a 13
certificateholder before a specified date be credited 14
toward any future renewal fees required to be paid by 15
the certificateholder; providing for retroactive 16
application; providing an effective date. 17
18
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 19
20
Section 1. Paragraphs (f) and (h) of subsection (2) of 21
section 401.465, Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 22
401.465 911 public safety telecommunicator certification.— 23
(2) PERSONNEL; STANDARDS AND CERTIFICATION.— 24
(f) A 911 public safety telecommunicator certificate 25
expires automatically if not renewed at the end of the 2-year 26
period and may be renewed if the holder meets the qualifications 27
for renewal as established by the department. A certificate that 28
is not renewed at the end of the 2-year period automatically 29

Florida Senate - 2023 CS for SB 980

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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
reverts to an inactive status for a period that may not exceed 6 30
years 180 days. Such certificate may be reactivated and renewed 31
within the 6-year 180-day period by if the certificateholder 32
pursuant to paragraph (h). A certificate that has been inactive 33
for more than 6 years automatically expires and may not be 34
renewed meets all other qualifications for renewal and pays a 35
$50 late fee. Reactivation shall be in a manner and on forms 36
prescribed by department rule. 37
(h) A certificateholder may request that his or her 911 38
public safety telecommunicator certificate be placed on inactive 39
status by applying to the department before his or her current 40
certification expires and paying a fee set by the department, 41
which may not exceed $50. 42
1. A certificateholder whose certificate has been on 43
inactive status for 6 years 1 year or less may renew his or her 44
certificate pursuant to the rules adopted by the department and 45
upon payment of a renewal fee set by the department, which may 46
not exceed $50. 47
2. A certificateholder whose certificate has been on 48
inactive status for more than 1 year may renew his or her 49
certificate pursuant to rules adopted by the department. 50
3. A certificate that has been inactive for more than 6 51
years automatically expires and may not be renewed. 52
Section 2. (1) The amendments made by this act to s. 53
401.465(2)(f) and (h), Florida Statutes, apply regardless of 54
whether the certificateholder voluntarily placed his or her 55
certificate in inactive status pursuant to former s. 56
401.465(2)(h), Florida Statutes, or the certificate reverted to 57
inactive status pursuant to s. 401.465(2)(f), Florida Statutes, 58

Florida Senate - 2023 CS for SB 980

580-02577-23 2023980c1
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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
during the 6-year period before the effective date of this act. 59
Beginning on the effective date of this act, the Department of 60
Health may not require a certificateholder to pay a fee or to 61
make an election to place his or her certificate in inactive 62
status. 63
(2) Any fee paid by a certificateholder to voluntarily 64
place his or her certificate in inactive status during the 6-65
year period before the effective date of this act must be 66
credited toward any future renewal fee required to be paid by 67
the certificateholder under s. 401.465(2)(h), Florida Statutes. 68
(3) This act is remedial in nature and applies 69
retroactively to any public safety telecommunicator certificate 70
that has expired pursuant to former s. 401.465(2)(f), Florida 71
Statutes, during the 6-year period before the effective date of 72
this act. 73
Section 3. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law. 74