Impact Report 14: Session Ends with Historic Budget

Impact Report 14: Session Ends with Historic Budget
The Florida Legislature adjourned the 2019 regular session after passing a historic $91.1 billion budget. Over 3,000 bills were introduced this year, but which ones made it through the House and Senate? FICPA Director of Governmental Affairs, Justin Thames, has a complete roundup.
Also in this edition of the IMPACT Report:
- Bill Tracking Updates
- Florida Politics: Winners and losers emerging from the 2019 Legislative Session
- Many major issues died in Florida Legislature this session
- End of Tax Season Special Offer from Brightline
Sincerely
Justin Thames
Director of Governmental Affairs
News Round-UpMay 10th, 2019
Florida Politics: Winners and losers emerging from the 2019 Legislative Session
Click here for the full list:
https://floridapolitics.com/archives/295674-winners-and-losers-of-the-2019-legislative-session
Many major issues died in Florida Legislature this session
10 high-profile Issues didn’t make it through the Legislature: Parental consent for minor abortions, campus surveys, raising the smoking age to 21,THC limit for smokable marijuana, constitution revision commission, banning oil/gas fracking, gambling, allowing nurse practitioners to work independently from doctors, school board term limits, and preventing life insurance companies from using genetic test information. You can read more about these topics here: https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/os-ne-10-things-that-died-in-legislature-20190506-story.html

End of Tax Season Special Offer from Brightline
Celebrate the end of tax season aboard Brightline! Book a group outing of 16 or more of your colleagues and one drink is on us!
- Book by May 31st
- Email groups@gobrightline.com
- Subject to availability
Bill Tracking
Government
HB 3 – Preemption of Local Regulations by Rep. Mike Grant
Indefinitely postponed and withdrawn from consideration
Summary
Prohibits local governments from imposing or adopting new regulations on businesses & business entities on or after specified date; specifies certain regulations expire & may only be readopted or continue to be imposed after meeting specified criteria; preempts regulation & licensing of professions & occupations to state; prohibits local governments from imposing additional regulations unless specified conditions are met; specifies that local regulations that do not meet specified criteria do not apply; specifies certain specialty contractors are not required to register with the Construction Industry Licensing Board; prohibits local governments from requiring certain specialty contractors to obtain license; specifies job scopes for which local jurisdiction may not require license.
PASSED – SB 7014 – Governmental Accountability by Governmental Oversight Committee
Approved by Governor. Chapter No. 2019-15
Summary
Specifies that the Governor, the Commissioner of Education, or the designee of the Governor or of the commissioner, may notify the Legislative Auditing Committee of an entity’s failure to comply with certain auditing and financial reporting requirements; specifies that any person who willfully fails or refuses to provide access to an employee, officer, or agent of an entity under audit is subject to a penalty; requires each school district, Florida College System institution, and state university to establish and maintain certain internal controls, etc.
HB 15 – Local Government Fiscal Transparency
Indefinitely postponed and withdrawn from consideration
Summary
Revises Legislative Auditing Committee duties; specifies purpose of local government fiscal transparency requirements; requires local governments to post voting record information on websites; requires property appraisers & local governments to post property tax information & history on websites; requires public notices for public hearings & meetings prior to increases of local government tax levies; specifies noticing & advertising requirements; requires local governments to conduct debt affordability analysis under specified conditions; provides method for local governments to post certain required information.
HB 679 – Legislative Review of Proposed Regulation of Unregulated Functions
Indefinitely postponed and withdrawn from consideration
Summary
Provides that certain requirements must be met before adoption of regulation of unregulated profession or occupation or substantial expansion of regulation of regulated profession or occupation; requires state agency to provide certain information to Legislature; revises information that legislative committee must consider when determining whether regulation is justified.
Professional Regulation
HB 27 – Deregulation of professions and Occupations
Indefinitely postponed and withdrawn from consideration
Summary
Removes regulations on specified DBPR professions, including labor organizations, hair braiders, hair wrappers & body wrappers, & boxing timekeepers & announcers; revises certain requirements for barbers, nail specialists, business organizations that provide architecture services and interior design, landscape architects, & geologists.
HB 397 – Professional Regulation by Scott Plakon
Indefinitely postponed and withdrawn from consideration
Summary
Requires board to use specified process for review of applicant’s criminal record to determine eligibility for certain licenses; prohibits conviction of crime before specified date from being grounds for denial of certain licenses.
Business Issues
HB 17 – Damages
Indefinitely postponed and withdrawn from consideration
Summary
Provides for calculation of damages; specifies that certain contracts are not subject to discovery or disclosure in certain actions; limits amount of damages in certain actions involving liens or subrogation claims by certain payors; limits noneconomic damages in civil actions; provides that jury may not be informed of such limit; provides exceptions.
PASSED – HB 1009 – Business Organizations
Ordered enrolled
Summary
Amends requirements relating to entities under Florida Business Corporation Act, Florida Revised Limited Liability Company Act; & corporations not for profit, & limited partnership laws.
PASSED – HB 977 – Public Accountancy
Ordered enrolled
Summary
Revises percentage of total hours of accounting-related & auditing-related continuing education required by Board of Accountancy for license renewal; updating provisions relating to license reactivation; prohibits person from performing or offering to perform certain services without license.
School Issues
SB 114 – High School Graduation Requirements by Senator Travis Hutson
Indefinitely postponed and withdrawn from consideration
Summary
Designates the act as the “Dorothy L. Hukill Financial Literacy Act”; revises the requirements for the Next Generation Sunshine State Standards to include financial literacy; revises the required credits for a standard high school diploma to include one-half credit of instruction in personal financial literacy and money management and seven and one-half, rather than eight, credits in electives, etc.
Tech
PASSED – SB 1024 – Blockchain Technology
Ordered enrolled
Summary
Establishes the Florida Blockchain Working Group in the Agency for State Technology; provides for membership and duties of the working group; requires the working group to submit a report to the Governor and the Legislature and make presentations, etc.
PASSED- HB 409 – Electronic Legal Documents
Ordered enrolled
Summary
Authorizes online notarizations; specifies requirements & standards for performance of such online notarizations; requires DOS to adopt rules by specified date
Tax
SB 1112 – Taxation
Indefinitely postponed and withdrawn from consideration
Summary
Revises the definition of the term “inventory,” for purposes of ad valorem taxation, to include certain rented construction, earthmoving, or industrial equipment; provides that certain marketplace providers are subject to dealer requirements for the registration, collection, and remittance of sales taxes; provides sales tax exemptions on the sale of specified disaster preparedness supplies during a specified timeframe, etc. APPROPRIATION: $70,072.00
HB 1377 – Taxation
Indefinitely postponed and withdrawn from consideration
Summary
Imposes sales tax on specified services; specifies that only services performed in state are taxable; specifies calculation of tax on services not performed in state; requires dealer to collect tax; specifies transaction to which tax does not apply; creates Joint Legislative Sales & Use Tax Review Committee; provides duties of committee; exempts certain products from sales & use tax; provides for review & repeal of specified tax exemptions, tax exclusions, tax credits, & tax reductions; requires OLS to certify upcoming exemptions, exclusions, tax credits, & tax reductions; requires Legislature to consider specified items during its review; removes teacher certification examination fees; creates an anti-terrorism and vacant property tax; provides amount, methods of collection; penalties & uses of money.
PASSED – HB 7127 – Corporate Income Tax
Ordered enrolled
Summary
Adopts IRC provisions in effect on January 1, 2019; extends period during which specified automatic refunds & downward adjustments to tax rates apply; revises subtractions to be made in calculating taxable income requiring submission of certain corporate tax information to DOR; requires DOR to create secure online application form to allow taxpayers to submit such information; provides deadlines; provides audit & investigation authority; provides for penalty; provides repeal date; authorizes emergency rules; provides appropriation. APPROPRIATION: $120,000.00

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