Week 9 - End of Legislative Session in Tallahassee Update

Week 9 Update

End-of-Session Edition 

The 2013 Florida Legislative Session has come to a close and what a week it was for our priority issues. The Health & Human Services budget was one of the last sections of the budget to be resolved. In an uplifting development on the last day of budget conference negotiations, Speaker Will Weatherford and Senate President Don Gaetz came through with state funding for the Mary Brogan Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program out of their own budget reserves. That allocation, and the others outlined below, simply wouldn’t have been possible without the efforts of more than 400,000 volunteers like you throughout the state. 

As a result of our collective voice, a budget including more than $146 million in mission-related appropriations for next year is on its way to the Governor for his approval, including funding for all three of ACS CAN’s top session priorities. Below is a quick summary of how each fared:

Mary Brogan Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program - The Legislature approved total state funding of $1.54 million, including $300,000 in recurring revenue - meaning it will be included in next year’s base budget. This marks the second year in a row that the Legislature has invested its own dollars to augment the federal screening program for medically-underserved women.

 
Please take a moment to call Senate President Gaetz and Speaker Weatherford to thank them for their leadership in continuing Florida’s commitment to lifesaving cancer screenings for women.

Senate President Don Gaetz: (850) 487-5001
Speaker Will Weatherford: (850) 717-5038

BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH - The King and Bankhead-Coley Programs were appropriated $10 million each for FY 2013-14, representing significant increases for the state’s two competitive, peer-review research programs. The $20 million in total funding for those programs includes a $5 million increase for Bankhead-Coley, and a $2.85 million increase for the King program. Additionally, a number of institutions engaged in cancer research in Florida received a substantial boost in their respective appropriations.

TOBACCO PREVENTION AND EDUCATION - The program is slated to receive $65.64 million for FY 2013-14, with all contracts awarded through the appropriation to now include performance measures and measurable outcomes based upon the Centers for Disease Control’s best practices.

The Cancer Treatment Fairness Act, by Sen. Lizbeth Benacquisto (R - Ft. Myers) and Rep. Debbie Mayfield (R - Vero Beach) provided a dramatic prelude to Sine Die when a compromise between the House and Senate on the language contained in the bill was reached in the waning moments of the session.  As a result of final passage of HB 1159, the vast majority of health insurance policies that provide cancer treatment medication coverage must also provide coverage for oral cancer treatment medications. Out-of-pocket costs to the insured are often higher for oral cancer treatment medications than for other forms of treatment - including intravenous and injectable meds.  By helping to level those costs, quality of life can be enhanced for many seeking the treatment option that best fits their needs.
 

A complete 2013 session summary will be available in the coming days.

We would like to thank you for your continued commitment to this cause, and for the important role you played in a very successful legislative session. Please stay tuned for alerts and updates on our legislative priorities at www.fightcancer.org/florida and on Twitter at https://twitter.com/ACSCAN_Florida.