Florida Legislature Begins Committee Weeks
The official start of the Florida legislative session isn't until January 13, 2026. However, Legislative Committees began meeting this month and Senators and Representatives have started filing bills.
You can keep track of legislative actions by going to the Senate and House websites. A list of all the bills filed can be found at the link below. Bills Filed by Legislators for 2026
League members have interacted with the following Broward County legislators through one-on-one meetings with legislators or their staff or attendance at town halls: Sen. Barbara Sharief (SD 35), Rep. Christine Hunschofsky (HD 95), Rep. Dan Daley (HD 96), Rep. Chip LaMarca (HD 100), Rep. Michael Gottlieb (HD 102) and Rep. Robin Bartleman (HD 103).
There are two Broward County Legislative Delegation Hearings forthcoming, which are open for public comment: Monday, October 27 at 5 pm at Memorial Regional Hospital Conference Center and Thursday, November 13 at 10 am at Broward Metropolitan Planning Organization Building. For more information and to register to speak, click HERE.
Dental Therapy Legislation
The Health Care Committee awaits the filing of Dental Therapy legislation again in 2026. This legislation will include a training program for dental therapists, a new professional oral health position that could make dental care more available in Florida, particularly for those in underserved poverty and rural areas. Florida is 49th in oral health care. Florida has 51 dentists per 100,000 residents. The national average is 60.
Floridians For Dental Access, is a coalition of 515 organizations (including our League and the state League) which support development of this program, which has been adopted in 14 states so far. Like Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants, dental therapists will be trained to deliver routine preventive and restorative dental care and be supervised by a licensed dentist. This is not an individual practice.