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Republicans touted the legislation as a must-pass bill to protect Florida’s economy and return people to work, but many Democrats decried it as being overly broad and eliminating the public’s access to courts.
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The House spent less than two hours debating the business liability bill, with the Republican majority shooting down six proposed amendments filed by Democrats.
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A House panel on Tuesday voted 12-6 to approve legislation that would protect nursing homes, assisted living facilities, hospitals and physicians from lawsuits related to COVID-19.
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As the 60-day session begins Tuesday, social distancing and other safety rules will continue to be in place at the Capitol.
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The breadth of the liability protections and whether all long-term care facilities should be shielded are among the issues that will considered during the annual legislative session that begins Tuesday.
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While the House has not posted details about which bills it will consider during the first week, Speaker Chris Sprowls told reporters he wants to move quickly on the proposal.
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A decision by House Judiciary Chairman Daniel Perez to shelve without discussion five amendments proposed by Democrats caused many leaning toward supporting the bill to back away.
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The bipartisan committee vote was a first step in delivering on the Republican-led Legislature’s priority of shielding nursing homes, hospitals and physicians from COVID-19 lawsuits.
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By the committee agreeing to adopt three amendments proposed by Rep. Lawrence McClure of Dover, the House version is no longer is identical to its Senate counterpart.
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Senate and House leaders have fast-tracked identical bills. The Senate version, however, was held up Monday when Senate Judiciary Chair Jeff Brandes was delayed in another meeting.