---
type: "Bill"
title: "Substance Abuse Services"
description: "Substance Abuse Services; Requiring, rather than authorizing, an exemption from disqualification from employment for certain substance abuse service provider personnel under certain circumstances; providing that certain persons may be granted such exemption without a waiting period under certain circumstances; removing the authority of the Department of Children and Families to grant exemptions from disqualification under ch. 397, F.S., under certain circumstances; providing criminal penalties for violations relating to recovery residence patient referrals, etc."
jurisdiction: "us/states/fl"
legislature: "Florida Legislature"
session: "2020"
identifier: "SB 1120"
citation: "Florida SB 1120 (2020)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["(vetoed)"]
status: "enacted"
chapter_law: "2020-38"
primary_sponsors: ["Harrell"]
version_count: 5
action_count: 36
vote_count: 6
first_action: "2019-12-04"
last_action: "2020-06-19"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/06bc844a-ec4a-44f2-8639-c2af8e2be530"
source_url: "http://flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2020/1120/ByCategory"
source_hash: "0fb3b43be5f2d4bcb58586334ba3d3739f3aacdcfb892b419c1317ae913855bf"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-fl"]
---

# Florida SB 1120 (2020) — Substance Abuse Services

Substance Abuse Services; Requiring, rather than authorizing, an exemption from disqualification from employment for certain substance abuse service provider personnel under certain circumstances; providing that certain persons may be granted such exemption without a waiting period under certain circumstances; removing the authority of the Department of Children and Families to grant exemptions from disqualification under ch. 397, F.S., under certain circumstances; providing criminal penalties for violations relating to recovery residence patient referrals, etc.

**Enacted** — Laws of Florida, Chapter 2020-38.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **S 1120 Filed** (filed) — [source](http://flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2020/1120/BillText/Filed/HTML)
2. **S 1120 c1** (committee substitute) — [source](http://flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2020/1120/BillText/c1/HTML)
3. **S 1120 c2** (committee substitute) — [source](http://flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2020/1120/BillText/c2/HTML)
4. **S 1120 e1** (engrossed) — [source](http://flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2020/1120/BillText/e1/HTML)
5. **S 1120 er** (enrolled) — [source](http://flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2020/1120/BillText/er/HTML)

## Votes

- Favorable with Committee Substitute — **18–0** (pass) · upper
- Passage, Third Reading — **117–0** (pass) · lower
- Favorable with Committee Substitute — **6–0** (pass) · upper
- Favorable with Committee Substitute — **10–0** (pass) · upper
- Third Reading — **38–0** (pass) · upper
- Returning Messages — **38–0** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Harrell — primary (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2019-12-04** Filed `filing`
- **2019-12-13** Referred to Children, Families, and Elder Affairs; Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and Human Services; Appropriations `referral-committee`
- **2020-01-14** Introduced `introduction`
- **2020-01-23** On Committee agenda-- Children, Families, and Elder Affairs, 01/28/20, 4:00 pm, 301 Senate Building
- **2020-01-28** CS by Children, Families, and Elder Affairs; YEAS 6 NAYS 0
- **2020-01-29** Pending reference review under Rule 4.7(2) - (Committee Substitute)
- **2020-01-29** CS by Children, Families, and Elder Affairs read 1st time
- **2020-01-31** Now in Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and Human Services
- **2020-02-13** On Committee agenda-- Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and Human Services, 02/18/20, 4:00 pm, 412 Knott Building
- **2020-02-18** Subcommittee Recommendation: CS/CS by Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and Human Services; YEAS 10 NAYS 0
- **2020-02-20** Now in Appropriations
- **2020-02-24** On Committee agenda-- Appropriations, 02/27/20, 9:00 am, 412 Knott Building
- **2020-02-27** CS/CS by- Appropriations; YEAS 18 NAYS 0
- **2020-02-28** Pending reference review -under Rule 4.7(2) - (Committee Substitute)
- **2020-03-02** Placed on Calendar, on 2nd reading
- **2020-03-02** CS/CS by Appropriations read 1st time
- **2020-03-05** Placed on Special Order Calendar, 03/09/20
- **2020-03-09** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2020-03-09** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2020-03-09** CS passed; YEAS 38 NAYS 0 `passage`
- **2020-03-09** In Messages
- **2020-03-09** Referred to Calendar `referral-committee`
- **2020-03-09** Received
- **2020-03-10** Placed on Special Order Calendar, 03/10/20
- **2020-03-10** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2020-03-10** Amendment(s) adopted (162269, 780023) -HJ 1051, 1052
- **2020-03-10** Placed on 3rd reading
- **2020-03-11** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2020-03-11** CS passed as amended; YEAS 117 NAYS 0 `passage`
- **2020-03-11** In returning messages
- **2020-03-13** Concurred in 2 amendment(s) (162269, 780023)
- **2020-03-13** CS passed as amended; YEAS 38 NAYS 0 `passage`
- **2020-03-13** Ordered engrossed, then enrolled
- **2020-06-03** Signed by Officers and presented to Governor
- **2020-06-18** Approved by Governor `executive-signature`
- **2020-06-19** Chapter No. 2020-38

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/06bc844a-ec4a-44f2-8639-c2af8e2be530`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Florida legislature records).