F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
HB 7087 2024
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to cancer funding; amending s.
3 381.915, F.S.; revising the purpose of the Casey
4 DeSantis Cancer Research Program; revising duties of
5 the Department of Health under the program; creating
6 the Cancer Connect Collaborative within the department
7 for a specified purpose; authorizing the collaborative
8 to make certain recommendations on state policy
9 relating to cancer research or treatment; providing
10 for membership and meetings of the collaborative;
11 requiring the collaborative to develop a long-range
12 comprehensive plan for the program; requiring the
13 collaborative to solicit input from certain
14 stakeholders in the development of the plan; requiring
15 the collaborative to submit the plan to the Governor
16 and the Legislature by a specified date; specifying
17 required components of the plan; requiring the
18 department to provide administrative support and staff
19 to the collaborative; requiring the collaborative to
20 administer the Cancer Innovation Fund; requiring the
21 collaborative to review grant applications and make
22 recommendations to the department for awarding grants
23 upon the appropriation of funds to the fund; requiring
24 the department to make the final grant allocation
25 award; requiring the collaborative to prioritize
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26 certain applications for grant funding; revising the
27 frequency with which the department, in conjunction
28 with participating cancer centers, must submit a
29 specified report to the Cancer Control and Research
30 Advisory Council and the collaborative; requiring the
31 department to submit the report, and any equivalent
32 independent reports, to the Governor and the
33 Legislature by a specified date each year; revising
34 requirements of such reports; beginning on a specified
35 date, requiring that each allocation agreement issued
36 by the department relating to certain cancer center
37 payments include specified elements; providing an
38 effective date.
39
40 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
41
42 Section 1. Subsections (8), (9), and (10) of section
43 381.915, Florida Statutes, are renumbered as subsection s (10),
44 (12), and (13), respectively, subsection (2) and present
45 subsection (8) are amended, and new subsections (8) and (9) and
46 subsection (11) are added to that section, to read:
47 381.915 Casey DeSantis Cancer Research Program.—
48 (2) The Casey DeSantis Cancer Research Program is
49 established to enhance the quality and competitiveness of cancer
50 care in this state, further a statewide biomedical research
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51 strategy directly responsive to the health needs of Florida's
52 citizens, and capitalize on the potential educational
53 opportunities available to its students, and promote the
54 provision of high-quality, innovative health care for persons
55 undergoing cancer treatment in this state. The department shall:
56 (a) Make payments to cancer centers recognized by the
57 National Cancer Institute (NCI) at the National Institutes of
58 Health as NCI-designated cancer centers or NCI-designated
59 comprehensive cancer centers, and cancer centers working toward
60 achieving NCI designation. The department shall distribute funds
61 to participating cancer centers on a quarterly basis during each
62 fiscal year for which an appropriation is made.
63 (b) Make cancer innovation grant funding available through
64 the Cancer Innovation Fund administered by the Cancer Connect
65 Collaborative under subsection (9) to health care providers and
66 facilities that demonstrate excellence in patient-centered
67 cancer treatment or research.
68 (8) The Cancer Connect Collaborative, a council as defined
69 in s. 20.03, is created within the department to advise the
70 department and the Legislature on developing a holistic approach
71 to the state's efforts to fund cancer research, cancer
72 facilities, and treatments for cancer patients. The
73 collaborative may make recommendations on proposed legislation,
74 proposed rules, best practices, data collection and reporting,
75 issuance of grant funds, and other proposals for state policy
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76 relating to cancer research or treatment.
77 (a) The Surgeon General shall serve as an ex officio,
78 nonvoting member and shall serve as the chair.
79 (b) The collaborative shall be composed of the following
80 voting members, to be appointed by September 1, 2024:
81 1. Two members appointed by the Governor, one member
82 appointed by the President of the Senate, and one member
83 appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, based
84 on the criteria of this subparagraph. The appointing officers
85 shall make their appointments prioritizing members who have
86 experience or expertise in the following:
87 a. The practice of a health care profession specializing
88 in oncology clinical care or research;
89 b. The development of preventive and therapeutic
90 treatments to control cancer;
91 c. The development of innovative research into the causes
92 of cancer, the development of effective treatments for persons
93 with cancer, or cures for cancer; or
94 d. Management-level experience with a cancer center
95 licensed under chapter 395.
96 2. One member who is a resident of this state who can
97 represent the interests of cancer patients in this state,
98 appointed by the Governor.
99 (c) The terms of appointees under paragraph (b) shall be
100 for 2 years unless otherwise specified. However, to achieve
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101 staggered terms, the initial appointees under that paragraph
102 shall serve 3 years for their first term. These appointees may
103 be reappointed for no more than four consecutive terms.
104 (d) Any vacancy occurring on the collaborative must be
105 filled in the same manner as the original appointment. Any
106 member who is appointed to fill a vacancy occurring because of
107 death, resignation, or ineligibility for membership shall serve
108 only for the unexpired term of the member's predecessor.
109 (e) Members whose terms have expired may continue to serve
110 until replaced or reappointed, but for no more than 6 months
111 after the expiration of their terms.
112 (f) Members shall serve without compensation but are
113 entitled to reimbursement for per diem and travel expenses
114 pursuant to s. 112.061.
115 (g) The collaborative shall meet as necessary, but at
116 least quarterly, at the call of the chair. A majority of the
117 members of the collaborative constitutes a quorum, and a meeting
118 may not be held with less than a quorum present. In order to
119 establish a quorum, the collaborative may conduct its meetings
120 through teleconference or other electronic means. The
121 affirmative vote of a majority of the members of the
122 collaborative present is necessary for any official action by
123 the collaborative.
124 (h) The collaborative shall develop a long-range
125 comprehensive plan for the Casey DeSantis Cancer Research
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126 Program. In the development of the plan, the collaborative must
127 solicit input from cancer centers, research institutions,
128 biomedical education institutions, hospitals, and medical
129 providers. The collaborative shall submit the plan to the
130 Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker o f the
131 House of Representatives no later than December 1, 2024. The
132 plan must include, but need not be limited to, all of the
133 following components:
134 1. Expansion of grant fund opportunities to include a
135 broader pool of Florida-based cancer centers, research
136 institutions, biomedical education institutions, hospitals, and
137 medical providers to receive funding through the Cancer
138 Innovation Fund.
139 2. An evaluation to determine metrics that focus on
140 patient outcomes, quality of care, and efficacy of treatment.
141 3. A compilation of best practices relating to cancer
142 research or treatment.
143 (i) The department shall provide reasonable and necessary
144 support staff and materials to assist the collaborative in the
145 performance of its duties.
146 (9) The collaborative shall administer the Cancer
147 Innovation Fund. During any fiscal year for which funds are
148 appropriated to the fund, the collaborative shall review all
149 submitted grant applications and make recommendations to the
150 department for awarding grants to support innovative cancer
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151 research and treatment models, including emerging research and
152 treatment trends and promising treatments that may serve as
153 catalysts for further research and treatments. The department
154 shall make the final grant allocation awards. The collaborati ve
155 shall give priority to applications seeking to expand the reach
156 of innovative cancer treatment models into underserved areas of
157 this state.
158 (10)(8) Beginning July 1, 2025 2017, and each year every 3
159 years thereafter, the department, in conjunction with
160 participating cancer centers, shall submit a report to the
161 Cancer Control and Research Advisory Council and the
162 collaborative on specific metrics relating to cancer mortality
163 and external funding for cancer-related research in this the
164 state. If a cancer center does not endorse this report or
165 produce an equivalent independent report, the cancer center is
166 ineligible to receive shall be suspended from the program
167 funding for 1 year. The department must submit this annual
168 report, and any equivalent independent reports, to the Governor,
169 the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of
170 Representatives no later than September 15 of each year the
171 report or reports are submitted by the department. The report
172 must include:
173 (a) An analysis of trending age-adjusted cancer mortality
174 rates in the state, which must include, at a minimum, overall
175 age-adjusted mortality rates for cancer statewide and age-
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176 adjusted mortality rates by age group, geographic region, and
177 type of cancer, which must include, at a minimum:
178 1. Lung cancer.
179 2. Pancreatic cancer.
180 3. Sarcoma.
181 4. Melanoma.
182 5. Leukemia and myelodysplastic syndromes.
183 6. Brain cancer.
184 7. Breast cancer.
185 (b) Identification of trends in overall federal funding,
186 broken down by institutional source, for cancer-related research
187 in the state.
188 (c) A list and narrative description of collaborative
189 grants and interinstitutional collaboration among participating
190 cancer centers, which may include grants received by
191 participating cancer centers in collaboration, a comparison of
192 such collaborative grants in proportion to the grant totals for
193 each cancer center, a catalog of retreats and progress seed
194 grants using state funds, and targets for collaboration in the
195 future and reports on progress regarding such targets where
196 appropriate.
197 (11) Beginning July 1, 2024, each allocation agreement
198 issued by the department relating to cancer center payments
199 under subsection (2) must include all of the following:
200 (a) A line-item budget narrative documenting the annual
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201 allocation of funds to a cancer center.
202 (b) A cap on the annual award of 15 percent for
203 administrative expenses.
204 (c) A requirement for the cancer center to submit
205 quarterly reports of all expenditures made by the cancer center
206 with funds received through the Casey DeSantis Cancer Research
207 Program.
208 (d) A provision to allow the department and other state
209 auditing bodies to audit all financial records, supporting
210 documents, statistical records, and any other documents
211 pertinent to the allocation agreement.
212 (e) A provision requiring the annual reporting of outcome
213 data and protocols used in achieving those outcomes.
214 (12)(9) This section is subject to annual appropriation by
215 the Legislature.
216 (13)(10) The department may adopt rules to administer this