Florida HB 281: Required Instruction in the History of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders

Bill Text

HB 281 2026

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb281-00
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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 use of artificial intelligence 2
in psychological, clinical, counseling, and therapy 3
services; creating ss. 490.016 and 491.019, F.S.; 4
defining the term "artificial intelligence"; 5
prohibiting the use of artificial intelligence in the 6
practice of psychology, clinical social work, marriage 7
and family therapy, and mental health counseling; 8
providing exceptions; providing an effective date. 9
10
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 11
12
Section 1. Section 490.016, Florida Statutes, is created 13
to read: 14
490.016 Use of artificial intelligence.— 15
(1) As used in this section, the term "artificial 16
intelligence" means any machine-based system that varies in 17
level of autonomy and that, for any explicit or implicit 18
objective, infers from the inputs the system receives how to 19
generate outputs, including, but not limited to, content, 20
decisions, predictions, or recommendations that can influence 21
physical or virtual environments. 22
(2) Except as otherwise provided in this section, a 23
licensee may not use artificial intelligence in the practice of 24
psychology or school psychology. A licensee may use artificial 25

HB 281 2026

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb281-00
Page 2 of 3
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

intelligence to: 26
(a) Assist in administrative or supplementary support 27
services. Administrative and supplementary support services 28
include, but are not limited to, all of the following: 29
1. Managing appointment scheduling and reminders. 30
2. Drafting general communications related to therapy 31
logistics that do not involve therapeutic advice. 32
3. Processing billing and insurance claims. 33
4. Preparing and managing patient records. 34
5. Analyzing data for operational purposes. 35
(b) Record or transcribe a counseling or therapy session 36
if a licensee obtains written, informed consent at least 24 37
hours before the provision of services. 38
Section 2. Section 491.019, Florida Statutes, is created 39
to read: 40
491.019 Use of artificial intelligence.— 41
(1) As used in this section, the term "artificial 42
intelligence" means any machine-based system that varies in 43
level of autonomy and that, for any explicit or implicit 44
objective, infers from the inputs the system receives how to 45
generate outputs, including, but not limited to, content, 46
decisions, predictions, or recommendations that can influence 47
physical or virtual environments. 48
(2) Except as otherwise provided in this section, a 49
licensee, registered intern, or certificateholder may not use 50

HB 281 2026

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb281-00
Page 3 of 3
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

artificial intelligence in the practice of clinical social work, 51
marriage and family therapy, or mental health counseling. A 52
licensee, registered intern, or certificateholder may use 53
artificial intelligence to: 54
(a) Assist in administrative or supplementary support 55
services. Administrative and supplementary support services 56
include, but are not limited to, all of the following: 57
1. Managing appointment scheduling and reminders. 58
2. Drafting general communications related to therapy 59
logistics that do not involve therapeutic advice. 60
3. Processing billing and insurance claims. 61
4. Preparing and managing patient records. 62
5. Analyzing data for operational purposes. 63
(b) Record or transcribe a counseling or therapy session 64
if a licensee, registered intern, or certificateholder obtains 65
written, informed consent at least 24 hours before the provision 66
of services. 67
Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026. 68