Florida Senate - 2023                                    SB 7046
       
       
        
       By the Committee on Regulated Industries
       
       
       
       
       
       580-03460-23                                          20237046__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to licensing fee relief; amending s.
    3         455.213, F.S.; requiring the Department of Business
    4         and Professional Regulation to waive a portion of the
    5         initial license application fee and the renewal fee
    6         for certain licenses; providing a maximum waiver;
    7         providing for expiration; providing an appropriation;
    8         providing for the disposition of any unexpended
    9         balance; providing an effective date.
   10          
   11  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   12  
   13         Section 1. Subsection (15) is added to section 455.213,
   14  Florida Statutes, to read:
   15         455.213 General licensing provisions.—
   16         (15) For the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 fiscal years, the
   17  department shall waive 50 percent of the initial licensing fee
   18  for an applicant applying for an initial license for a
   19  profession under this chapter, with such waiver limited to a
   20  maximum of $200 per year per license. The department shall waive
   21  50 percent of a licensee’s license renewal fee for a profession
   22  under this chapter, with such waiver limited to a maximum of
   23  $200 per year per license. Such fee waivers shall not include
   24  any applicable unlicensed activity or background check fees.
   25  This subsection expires July 1, 2025.
   26         Section 2. For the 2023-2024 fiscal year, the sum of $50
   27  million in nonrecurring funds is appropriated from the General
   28  Revenue Fund to the Department of Business and Professional
   29  Regulation to be deposited into the Professional Regulation
   30  Trust Fund to implement this act. Any unexpended balance of
   31  funds from this appropriation remaining on June 30, 2024, shall
   32  revert and is appropriated to the Department of Business and
   33  Professional Regulation for the 2024-2025 fiscal year for the
   34  same purpose.
   35         Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2023.