TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The House on Wednesday gave final approval to a bill (SB 450) that would extend regulations on pain-management clinics, sending the issue to Gov. Rick Scott.
House members voted 117-1 to approve the bill, with Rep. John Tobia, R-Melbourne Beach, the lone dissenter.
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The Senate unanimously passed the bill April 1.
Lawmakers in 2011 approved a wide-ranging law to try to crack down on "pill mills," which had helped lead to Florida becoming a magnet for prescription-drug abuse and trafficking.
But the 2011 law included a Jan. 1, 2016, expiration date on clinic regulations. This year's bill eliminates the expiration date, keeping the regulations in place.
Attorney General Pam Bondi, who helped spearhead the 2011 law, issued a statement Wednesday praising the bill.
"Florida has made great strides to stop prescription drug abuse and save lives,'' Bondi said. "Still, prescription drug abuse remains a major problem, not only for Florida, but for the entire country, and we must remain diligent in our efforts to make sure we do not return to the days when Florida was known as the pill mill capital of the country."