Bill Text: FL S0322 | 2024 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Public Records and Meetings
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2024-03-22 - Chapter No. 2024-13 [S0322 Detail]
Download: Florida-2024-S0322-Enrolled.html
ENROLLED 2024 Legislature SB 322 2024322er 1 2 An act relating to public records and meetings; 3 creating ss. 456.4503, 468.1336, and 486.113, F.S.; 4 providing an exemption from public records 5 requirements for certain information held by the 6 Department of Health, the Board of Medicine, the Board 7 of Osteopathic Medicine, the Board of Speech-Language 8 Pathology and Audiology, and the Board of Physical 9 Therapy Practice pursuant to the Interstate Medical 10 Licensure Compact, the Audiology and Speech-Language 11 Pathology Interstate Compact, and the Physical Therapy 12 Licensure Compact, as applicable; authorizing 13 disclosure of the information under certain 14 circumstances; providing an exemption from public 15 meetings requirements for certain meetings, or 16 portions of meetings, of the Interstate Medical 17 Licensure Compact Commission, the Audiology and 18 Speech-Language Pathology Interstate Compact 19 Commission, and the Physical Therapy Compact 20 Commission; providing an exemption from public records 21 requirements for recordings, minutes, and records 22 generated during the exempt meetings or exempt 23 portions of meetings; providing for future legislative 24 review and repeal of the exemptions; providing 25 statements of public necessity; providing a contingent 26 effective date. 27 28 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 29 30 Section 1. Section 456.4503, Florida Statutes, is created 31 to read: 32 456.4503 Interstate Medical Licensure Compact Commission; 33 public records and meetings exemptions.— 34 (1) A physician’s personal identifying information, other 35 than the physician’s name, licensure status, or licensure 36 number, obtained from the coordinated information system 37 described in Section 7 of s. 456.4501 and held by the 38 department, the Board of Medicine, or the Board of Osteopathic 39 Medicine, is exempt from s. 119.07(1) and s. 24(a), Art. I of 40 the State Constitution unless the state that originally reported 41 the information to the coordinated information system authorizes 42 the disclosure of such information by law. If disclosure is so 43 authorized, information may be disclosed only to the extent 44 authorized by law by the reporting state. 45 (2)(a) A meeting or a portion of a meeting of the 46 Interstate Medical Licensure Compact Commission established in 47 Section 10 of s. 456.4501 is exempt from s. 286.011 and s. 48 24(b), Art. I of the State Constitution if the Interstate 49 Commission determines by a two-thirds vote of the commissioners 50 present that the meeting would be likely to: 51 1. Relate solely to the internal personnel practices and 52 procedures of the Interstate Commission; 53 2. Discuss matters specifically exempted from disclosure by 54 federal statute; 55 3. Discuss trade secrets or commercial or financial 56 information that is privileged or confidential; 57 4. Involve accusing a person of a crime, or formally 58 censuring a person; 59 5. Discuss information of a personal nature, the disclosure 60 of which would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of 61 personal privacy; 62 6. Discuss investigative records compiled for law 63 enforcement purposes; or 64 7. Specifically relate to the participation in a civil 65 action or other legal proceeding. 66 (b) Recordings, minutes, and records generated during an 67 exempt meeting or exempt portion of a meeting are exempt from s. 68 119.07(1) and s. 24(a), Art. I of the State Constitution. 69 (3) This section is subject to the Open Government Sunset 70 Review Act in accordance with s. 119.15 and shall stand repealed 71 on October 2, 2029, unless reviewed and saved from repeal 72 through reenactment by the Legislature. 73 Section 2. Section 468.1336, Florida Statutes, is created 74 to read: 75 468.1336 Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology Interstate 76 Compact Commission; public meetings and public records 77 exemptions.— 78 (1) An audiologist’s or a speech-language pathologist’s 79 personal identifying information, other than the audiologist’s 80 or the speech-language pathologist’s name, licensure status, or 81 licensure number, obtained from the coordinated database and 82 reporting system described in Article IX of s. 468.1335 and held 83 by the department or the board is exempt from s. 119.07(1) and 84 s. 24(a), Art. I of the State Constitution unless the state that 85 originally reported the information to the coordinated database 86 and reporting system authorizes the disclosure of such 87 information by law. If disclosure is so authorized, information 88 may be disclosed only to the extent authorized by law by the 89 reporting state. 90 (2)(a) A meeting or a portion of a meeting of the Audiology 91 and Speech-Language Pathology Interstate Compact Commission 92 established in Article VIII of s. 468.1335 at which matters 93 specifically exempted from disclosure by federal or state law 94 are discussed is exempt from s. 286.011 and s. 24(b), Art. I of 95 the State Constitution. 96 (b) Recordings, minutes, and records generated during an 97 exempt meeting or an exempt portion of a meeting are exempt from 98 s. 119.07(1) and s. 24(a), Art. I of the State Constitution. 99 (3) This section is subject to the Open Government Sunset 100 Review Act in accordance with s. 119.15 and shall stand repealed 101 on October 2, 2029, unless reviewed and saved from repeal 102 through reenactment by the Legislature. 103 Section 3. Section 486.113, Florida Statutes, is created to 104 read: 105 486.113 Physical Therapy Compact Commission; public records 106 and meetings exemptions.— 107 (1) A physical therapist’s or physical therapist 108 assistant’s personal identifying information, other than the 109 person’s name, licensure status, or licensure number, obtained 110 from the coordinated database and reporting system described in 111 Article VIII of s. 486.112 and held by the department or the 112 board is exempt from s. 119.07(1) and s. 24(a), Art. I of the 113 State Constitution unless the state that originally reported the 114 information to the coordinated database and reporting system 115 authorizes the disclosure of such information by law. If 116 disclosure is so authorized, information may be disclosed only 117 to the extent authorized by law by the reporting state. 118 (2)(a) A meeting or a portion of a meeting of the Physical 119 Therapy Compact Commission or the executive board or any other 120 committee of the commission established in Article VII of s. 121 486.112 at which matters concerning any of the following are 122 discussed is exempt from s. 286.011 and s. 24(b), Art. I of the 123 State Constitution: 124 1. Noncompliance of a member state with its obligations 125 under the compact. 126 2. The employment, compensation, or discipline of, or other 127 matters, practices, or procedures related to, specific employees 128 or other matters related to the commission’s internal personnel 129 practices and procedures. 130 3. Current, threatened, or reasonably anticipated 131 litigation against the commission, executive board, or other 132 committees of the commission. 133 4. Negotiation of contracts for the purchase, lease, or 134 sale of goods, services, or real estate. 135 5. An accusation of any person of a crime or a formal 136 censure of any person. 137 6. Information disclosing trade secrets or commercial or 138 financial information that is privileged or confidential. 139 7. Information of a personal nature where disclosure would 140 constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy. 141 8. Investigatory records compiled for law enforcement 142 purposes. 143 9. Information related to any investigative reports 144 prepared by or on behalf of or for use of the commission or 145 other committee charged with responsibility for investigation or 146 determination of compliance issues pursuant to the compact. 147 10. Matters specifically exempted from disclosure by 148 federal or member state statute. 149 (b) Recordings, minutes, and records generated during an 150 exempt meeting or an exempt portion of a meeting are exempt from 151 s. 119.07(1) and s. 24(a), Art. I of the State Constitution. 152 (3) This section is subject to the Open Government Sunset 153 Review Act in accordance with s. 119.15 and shall stand repealed 154 on October 2, 2029, unless reviewed and saved from repeal 155 through reenactment by the Legislature. 156 Section 4. (1) The Legislature finds that it is a public 157 necessity that any physician’s, audiologist’s, speech-language 158 pathologist’s, physical therapist’s, or physical therapist 159 assistant’s personal identifying information, other than the 160 person’s name, licensure status, or licensure number, obtained 161 from the coordinated database and reporting systems described in 162 Section 7 of s. 456.4501, Florida Statutes, Article IX of s. 163 468.1335, Florida Statutes, or Article VIII of s. 486.112, 164 Florida Statutes, and held by the Department of Health, the 165 Board of Medicine, the Board of Osteopathic Medicine, the Board 166 of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, or the Board of 167 Physical Therapy Practice, as applicable, be made exempt from s. 168 119.07(1), Florida Statutes, and s. 24(a), Article I of the 169 State Constitution. Protection of such information is required 170 under the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact, the Audiology 171 and Speech-Language Pathology Interstate Compact, and the 172 Physical Therapy Licensure Compact, each of which must be 173 adopted by the Legislature in order for this state to become a 174 member state of the respective compacts. Without the public 175 records exemption, this state would be unable to effectively and 176 efficiently implement and administer the respective compacts. 177 (2)(a) The Legislature finds that it is a public necessity 178 that any meeting or portion of a meeting of the Interstate 179 Medical Licensure Compact Commission, the Audiology and Speech 180 Language Pathology Interstate Compact Commission, or the 181 Physical Therapy Compact Commission held as provided in s. 182 456.4501, Florida Statutes, s. 468.1335, Florida Statutes, or s. 183 486.112, Florida Statutes, respectively, in which matters 184 specifically exempted from disclosure by federal or state law 185 are discussed be made exempt from s. 286.011, Florida Statutes, 186 and s. 24(b), Article I of the State Constitution. 187 (b) The Interstate Medical Licensure Compact, the Audiology 188 and Speech-Language Pathology Interstate Compact, and the 189 Physical Therapy Licensure Compact require that any meeting or 190 portion of a meeting of the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact 191 Commission, the Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology 192 Interstate Compact Commission, and the Physical Therapy Compact 193 Commission, respectively, in which the substance of paragraph 194 (a) is discussed be closed to the public. In the absence of a 195 public meetings exemption, the state would be prohibited from 196 becoming a member state of the respective compacts and, thus, 197 prohibited from effectively and efficiently administering the 198 respective compacts. 199 (3) The Legislature also finds that it is a public 200 necessity that the recordings, minutes, and records generated 201 during a meeting or a portion of a meeting exempt pursuant to s. 202 456.4503(2), Florida Statutes, s. 468.1336(2), Florida Statutes, 203 or s. 486.113(2), Florida Statutes, be made exempt from s. 204 119.07(1), Florida Statutes, and s. 24(a), Article I of the 205 State Constitution. Release of such information would negate the 206 public meetings exemption. As such, the Legislature finds that 207 the public records exemption is a public necessity. 208 Section 5. This act shall take effect on the same date that 209 SB 7016 or similar legislation takes effect, if such legislation 210 is adopted in the same legislative session or an extension 211 thereof and becomes a law.