Florida HB 1279 updates professional licensing, school health policies, and vocational service disclosures
May 5, 2026
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Where This Stands
Currently passed_both. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Signed.
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →The Frame
These changes impact the operational requirements for vocational service providers, child care facilities, and school districts, while altering the standards for professional licensure and student health access.
Potentially affected actors named in the source documents. Mention is not a position.
Individuals who are blind or visually impaired
They will receive written disclosures regarding the availability of free services from fee-based providers.
Vocational rehabilitation service providers
They must now apply to the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation rather than simply registering.
Child care providers
They are subject to new determinations by the Department of Children and Families regarding the primary cause of class I violations.
Current stage: passed_both.
Signed.
Summary
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
What must providers for the blind now disclose?
How does the bill change student access to epinephrine?
Why It Matters
These changes impact the operational requirements for vocational service providers, child care facilities, and school districts, while altering the standards for professional licensure and student health access.
News Coverage
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Bias ratings based on AllSides / Media Bias/Fact Check
Lobbying Activity
The Cleveland Clinic Foundation
on behalf of Cleveland Clinic Foundation
2026
“Quantum computing Immigration Issues National Institute of Health CHILDReN Act EARLY Minds Act Interoperability Issues Brain Health 340B Graduate Medical Education Workforce Issues Payer Accountability Organ Transplant Legislation Healthy Competition Act Price Transparency ”
ACG Advocacy
on behalf of DREXEL UNIVERSITY
2026
“General issues impacting higher education. Research and development funding for specialty materials. Appropriations for University funding. Issues related to pediatric hospitals.”
725 STRATEGIES
on behalf of Schuerger Law Group
2026
“Lobbying to restart PCP referrals on student loan collections”
ACG Advocacy
on behalf of March Fourth
2026
“School safety/security.”
ADOBE INC
2026
“IT Modernization and Digital Service delivery issues; Digital Service Delivery IT Acquisition, and Content Authenticity and digital provenance issues; Content Authenticity Initiative (CAI); artificial intelligence; content provenance; privacy; technology in and competition issues; AI innovation and the economy; Content provenance and AI Labelling; IT modernization; Support for H.R. 9112 - CREATOR Act”
ACTE
2026
“Providing information surrounding the benefits of supporting career and technical education (CTE); Supporting the work of the House and Senate CTE Caucuses; Supporting the Skills Saving Account Act, H.R. 464; Supporting the Loan Forgiveness for Educators Act, S.4576/H.R.8896; Providing input for K-12 AI Literacy and Readiness Act, H.R. 8747; Supporting the Early Childhood Workforce Advancement Act, S. 4597/H.R.8937; opposing Interagency Agreements between the Department of Education and other agencies; sharing recommendations for the reauthorization of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act.”
AARP
2026
“P.L. 119-21, One Big Beautiful Bill Act H.R. 8867, Planning for Long-term Aging Needs (PLAN) Act H.R. 5861, Legacy Act of 2025 H.R. 9393, the Lower Costs, More Transparency Act. H.R. 9396, the Prior Authorization Accountability Act. S. 4916, the Aging with Artificial Intelligence Act. H.R. 8100, Safe Staffing Saves Lives Act. S. 3886, Nurses Belong in Nursing Homes Act. H.R. 6766/S. 3492, the Essential Caregivers Act of 2025. H.R. 7966/S. 4118, Hospice Care Accountability, Reform, and Enforcement (Hospice CARE) Act. S. 2120, the Older Americans Act Reauthorization Act of 2025 H.R. 5575, the Firefighters Assisting Seniors to Emergency Response (FASTER) Act of 2025. H.R. 3954/S. 4641, Improving Access to Medicare Coverage Act. H.R.5554/S.2831, Stand Strong for Medicare Act. S. 3439/H.R. 6735, Connecting Caregivers to Medicare Act and efforts related to the bill S. 1227/H.R. 2491, Alleviating Barriers for Caregivers Act S. 668/H.R. 3183, Supporting Access to Falls Education and Prevention and Strengthening Training Efforts and Promoting Safety Initiatives (SAFE STEPS) for Veterans Act of 2025 CMS-1851-P, Hospice Proposed rule. CMS-1843-P, Skilled Nursing Facility Proposed rule. CMS-1844-P, Home Health Proposed rule. No bill number. Health care transparency. No bill number. Discussed use of artificial intelligence and health data technology. No bill number. Discussed health-related policies and activities around the fall respiratory virus season. No bill number. Discussed health insurance affordability proposals. No bill number. Discussed Nursing Home staffing standards, safety, and quality. No bill number. Discussed Nursing home transparency and ownership requirements. No bill number. Discussed home health, hospice, and long-term care. No bill number. Discussed falls prevention. No bill number. Discussed social isolation. No bill number. Discussed HUD Assisted Living Requirements No bill number. Discussed family caregiving. No bill number. Discussed AARP paper on Medicare Caregiver Training Services. No bill number. Discussed Medicaid community engagement interim final rule, including the family caregiver exemption. No bill number. Discussed the paid direct care workforce in long-term care. No bill number. Discussed the unaffordability of long-term care. No bill number. Discussed Money Follows the Person Rebalancing Demonstration Program and Medicaid HCBS spousal impoverishment protections. No bill number. Discussed Medicaid fraud and family caregivers, Medicaid self-direction programs. No bill number. Discussed sandwich generation family caregiver hearing and submitted a statement for the record discussing family caregivers and sandwich generation caregivers, programs that support them, AARP caregiving resources, and federal policies to support sandwich generation caregivers and caregivers more broadly. No bill number. Discussed long-term care. No bill number. CMS-2453-NC; Medicaid Program; 2028 Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services Quality Measure Set Submitted comments No bill number. Discussed expanding access to home care. No bill number. Discussed the increasing cost of home care No bill number. Discussed HSA use for telehealth chronic care management services/subscriptions. No bill number. Discussed artificial intelligence and technology”
1607 STRATEGIES, LLC
on behalf of inspHIRE IO Corp. DBA Candidly
2026
“Student loan and retirement security issues. Implementation of SECURE 2.0 of 2022 Act. Access to student loan payment data to allow employees to match student loan payments with retirement savings payments. Issues related to Stop Student Debt Relief Scams Act of 2019.”
2020 STRATEGIES LLC
on behalf of PDE Action
2026
“Federal Scholarship Tax Credit DC Opportunity Scholarship Program Returning Education to the States”
on behalf of Center for Creative Education, Inc.
2026
Voting Record
Passage
Total
117
Yes
81
No
16
Present
0
Not Voting
20
Abstain
0
How they voted (117)
Tae Edmonds
Democratic · not voting
Mike Giallombardo
Republican · not voting
Omar Blanco
Republican · yes
Dana Trabulsy
Republican · not voting
Mike Gottlieb
Democratic · not voting
Alex Andrade
Republican · yes
Wallace Aristide
Democratic · no
Yvonne Hinson
Democratic · not voting
Anna Eskamani
Democratic · no
Kim Kendall
Republican · yes
Danny Alvarez
Republican · yes
Karen Gonzalez Pittman
Republican · not voting
James Buchanan
Republican · yes
Daryl Campbell
Democratic · not voting
Felicia Robinson
Democratic · no
Christine Hunschofsky
Democratic · no
Vanessa Oliver
Republican · yes
Lawrence McClure
Republican · yes
Berny Jacques
Republican · yes
David Borrero
Republican · yes
Webster Barnaby
Republican · yes
Brad Yeager
Republican · yes
Yvette Benarroch
Republican · yes
Rachel Plakon
Republican · yes
+ 93 more
Third Reading
Total
39
Yes
36
No
1
Present
0
Not Voting
1
Abstain
0
How they voted (39)
Tracie Davis
Democratic · no
Danny Burgess
Republican · yes
Kristen Arrington
Democratic · yes
Barbara Sharief
Democratic · yes
Corey Simon
Republican · yes
Ed Hooper
Republican · yes
Ana Maria Rodriguez
Republican · yes
Kathleen Passidomo
Republican · yes
Jay Trumbull
Republican · yes
Jonathan Martin
Republican · yes
Lori Berman
Democratic · yes
Colleen Burton
Republican · yes
Don Gaetz
Republican · yes
Stan McClain
Republican · yes
Keith Truenow
Republican · yes
Nick DiCeglie
Republican · yes
Ileana Garcia
Republican · excused
Jason Pizzo
Independent · not voting
Mack Bernard
Democratic · yes
Shev Jones
Democratic · yes
Clay Yarborough
Republican · yes
Darryl Rouson
Democratic · yes
Dave Smith
Republican · yes
Alexis Calatayud
Republican · yes
+ 15 more
Passage, Third Reading
Total
117
Yes
84
No
25
Present
0
Not Voting
8
Abstain
0
How they voted (117)
Demi Busatta
Republican · yes
Patt Maney
Republican · yes
Mike Redondo
Republican · yes
Jon Albert
Republican · yes
Debra Tendrich
Democratic · yes
Danny Alvarez
Republican · yes
Lauren Melo
Republican · yes
Chuck Brannan
Republican · yes
Sam Greco
Republican · yes
Wyman Duggan
Republican · yes
Tiffany Esposito
Republican · yes
Traci Koster
Republican · yes
Tom Fabricio
Republican · yes
J.J. Grow
Republican · yes
Dianne Hart-Lowman
Democratic · no
Michael Owen
Republican · yes
Hillary Cassel
Republican · yes
Christine Hunschofsky
Democratic · no
Chase Tramont
Republican · yes
Jessica Baker
Republican · yes
Yvette Benarroch
Republican · yes
Sam Garrison
Republican · yes
Erika Booth
Republican · yes
Lisa Dunkley
Democratic · yes
+ 93 more
Sponsors
Show 6 more sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Shift to Application-Based Oversight
The bill moves vocational service providers from a passive registration model to an active application model with the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation.
Connected Entities
Sources
openstates.org
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance60How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy20Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz10Current news / social attention level
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