2022 Florida Legislature

Nearly 150 laws that legislators passed this year are set to hit the books on July 1. The focus may be on the new abortion ban, but there are others affecting Medicaid, medical marijuana and telemedicine.

The law directs the Florida Department of Health, through existing programs, to educate health care providers about issues such as the importance of early detection of dementia.

The bill, in part, will give the Office of Insurance Regulation more authority over pharmacy benefit managers.

Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill Tuesday that requires training school officers to better deal with "students with emotional disturbance or mental illness" and addresses rules on emergency drills.

The law could result in methamphetamine dealers facing a death sentence if drugs they distribute kills someone.

The bans from laws criminalizing drug paraphernalia adopted decades ago, but the devices are now recommended to help prevent overdose deaths. The Florida Legislature recently failed to end its ban.

The wide-ranging bill addresses issues involving licensing of businesses known as medical-marijuana “treatment centers.”

The money will pay for a new trauma center in the next four years. Hospital administrators say the current center is outdated, overcrowded and in dire need of renovations.

The nursing home industry lobbied for the measure, which drew opposition from the senior advocacy group AARP Florida and other critics who contended it would reduce care for residents.

The bill marks a victory for family advocates who say separation during the pandemic took a harsh toll on their loved ones in hospitals and long-term care facilities.