Senate panel advances CS for SB 1246 to expand workforce funding to allied health programs

The Senate Appropriations Committee on Higher Education on Feb. 5 voted to report favorably CS for SB 1246, a bill that expands the state’s Nursing Education Line Fund to support allied health programs and other measures to address workforce shortages.

Senator Davis, sponsor of SB 1246, told the committee the bill revises the definition of “student,” authorizes the Line Fund to provide dollar-for-dollar matches for contributions by individuals or entities that are not health-care partners (while giving priority to health-care partner contributions), and broadens allowable expenditures to include student recruitment and facility renovation or remodeling. The bill also revises grant evaluation criteria and requires grant recipients to report enrollment data for applicable health science education programs.

Chair Harrell called up a strike-all amendment (barcode 943756) that, she said, incorporates the sponsor’s revisions. After no members objected and with no appearance cards on the amendment, the chair announced the amendment was adopted as presented.

Supporting testimony came from Taylor Mejia Roberts of Florida State College at Jacksonville (waived in support) and David Micah of the Florida Hospital Association, who told senators the Line Fund had helped reduce vacancy rates by more than 50% since 2022 and that more than 175 hospitals are participating in matching funds. “If you think about it like a team, we can’t go into surgery unless we have the surgical tech as well,” Micah said, urging favorable support for the bill.

Committee members praised the bill’s workforce focus and its potential to draw additional private funds into training programs. The clerk called the roll on the committee substitute; the transcript records affirmative votes and the chair announced CS for SB 1246 will be reported favorably.

The committee’s action now sends the committee substitute forward in the Senate process; the transcript does not state the next legislative step or calendar date.

Authorities referenced in committee included CS for SB 1246 (described in committee testimony) and procedural references to committee rule and the Line Fund as discussed by the sponsor and witnesses.

Next steps: the committee reported CS for SB 1246 favorably; further action (additional committee consideration or floor action) was not specified in the transcript.