With just 16 days remaining in the 2025 Florida Legislative Session, we’re thrilled to share a major win for Florida’s home care provider community: HCAF’s top legislative priority, House Bill 1353, passed the Florida House of Representatives today with a unanimous vote of 115-0!

Watch the House in action — click here to view the bill’s passage.

This pivotal legislation — which modernizes home health agency operations and strengthens the Excellence in Home Health Program — continues to gain momentum. Its Senate companion, Senate Bill 1412, also advanced unanimously this morning (22-0) through its final committee stop and is now poised for a full Senate vote, expected next week.

These back-to-back wins are a testament to your advocacy, our strong relationships with legislators, and the growing bipartisan recognition of home care’s vital role in Florida’s health care system.

A Proud Moment for Florida Home Care

During today’s House floor session, Representative Gallop Franklin (D-Tallahassee), the bill sponsor, took a moment to recognize HCAF President Cindy Lavoie, Administrator of Interim Healthcare of Northwest Florida, and Executive Director Denise Bellville, RN, and who were present in the gallery for the vote. Click here to watch the recognition on The Florida Channel at the 2:45:50 mark.

Additionally, the HCAF policy team also met with Senator Alexis Calatayud (R-Miami), the Senate sponsor of SB 1412, to personally express our appreciation for her leadership as the bill cleared all three of its assigned committees with unanimous support.

More Good News: Progress on Our Second Legislative Priority

We’re also excited to report forward movement on our second key priority: Senate Bill 1156 and House Bill 1529, legislation that strengthens the Home Health Aide for Medically Fragile Children (Family Home Health Aide) Program.

• HB 1529 cleared its final House committee stop yesterday and now awaits a full vote by the House.
• SB 1156 has passed two committees with unanimous support and has just one more to go before reaching the Senate floor.

These bills build on the foundation laid in 2023 to better serve children with complex medical needs by expanding provider eligibility, increasing service flexibility, and creating a meaningful training and competency model.

Why This Matters

In a session where more than half of all bills have already failed to advance, our two legislative priorities continue to march forward — each with unanimous, bipartisan support. That kind of progress is rare, and it reflects the strategic advocacy efforts of the HCAF policy team and the active engagement of our members across the state.

We are proud to be your voice in Tallahassee — and proud of what we’re accomplishing together.

Stay in the Fight: Track the Progress & Fuel the Mission

As we enter the final stretch of the 2025 Legislative Session, we encourage members to stay informed and engaged by tracking key legislation in real time through our members-only bill tracker.

We also urge you to support the Home Care Political Action Committee (PAC). Your contributions are essential to strengthening our industry’s voice and helping elect lawmakers who understand and champion home care. There are no contribution limits, and both individuals and businesses may contribute. With legislators resuming fundraising as soon as session ends, now is the time to act.

Click here to make a contribution.

Thank you for standing with us as we fight to strengthen and elevate home care in Florida. Let’s finish strong!

For more information, contact Kyle Simon, Senior Director of Policy, Advocacy & Communications, at ksimon@homecarefla.org or (850) 222-8967.