Breast & Cervical Cancer Screening: House and Senate budget negotiators originally allocated only $931,017 to the program for the coming budget year. On the last day of budget conference, Speaker of the House, Will Weatherford, came through again with an additional $868,983, bringing total funding for the Mary Brogan program to $1,800,000; the most state funding ever provided in the program’s history.
Biomedical Research:
Funding for Florida's biomedical research programs, the James and Esther King Biomedical Research Program and the Bankhead-Coley Cancer Research Program, came in at $10 million each for the upcoming year for a total of $20 million. In addition, a number of institutions engaged in cancer research in Florida received substantial legislative appropriations and the legislature passed a proposal to help more Florida based cancer centers become certified by the National Cancer Institute (NCI).
Tobacco Prevention & Education: The Legislature approved $66,613,730 in funding for the Comprehensive Statewide Tobacco Prevention and Education Program. The dollars distributed within the larger program were generally consistent with the CDC’s Guidelines and Best Practices for tobacco control.
E-Cigarettes: Nicotine Dispensing Devices: Senator Lizbeth Benacquisto (R - Ft. Myers) and Representative Frank Artiles (R- Miami) sponsored Senate Bill 224 which extends the current prohibitions related to tobacco products for persons under the age of 18 to prohibit the sale, gifting, possession or use of nicotine dispensing devices, including electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes), to minors. After it was amended on the House floor, the bill passed both chambers unanimously.
Cancer Care & Research: Florida Consortium of National Cancer Institute Centers Program: Included in the budget this year was an initiative originally proposed by Governor Rick Scott. The Florida Consortium of National Cancer Institute Centers Program, housed within the Department of Health, will work to enhance the quality and competitiveness of cancer care in the state, further a statewide biomedical research strategy responsive to the health needs of Florida’s citizens and capitalize on the potential educational opportunities available to students.