---
type: "Bill"
title: "Step-therapy Protocols"
description: "Step-therapy Protocols; Revises circumstances under which step-therapy protocols may not be required; requires health insurers & HMOs to publish on their websites & provide to their insureds & subscribers specified information; provides requirements for procedures for requests & appeals of denials of protocol exemptions; provides requirements for authorizations & denials of protocol exemption requests; authorizes health insurers & HMOs to request specified documentation."
jurisdiction: "us/states/fl"
legislature: "Florida Legislature"
session: "2022"
identifier: "HB 459"
citation: "Florida HB 459 (2022)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["insurance"]
status: "enacted"
chapter_law: "2022-47"
primary_sponsors: ["Willhite"]
version_count: 2
action_count: 35
vote_count: 4
first_action: "2021-11-02"
last_action: "2022-04-08"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/7d4af3ca-0728-4ca5-8d51-0aa82a7caa8c"
source_url: "https://flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2022/459/ByCategory"
source_hash: "2c4795a553211d498dbe0c6b29b631bb9bd1ff662cb5e9dc83d3f63d5ee38ddd"
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 HB 459 (2022) — Step-therapy Protocols

Step-therapy Protocols; Revises circumstances under which step-therapy protocols may not be required; requires health insurers & HMOs to publish on their websites & provide to their insureds & subscribers specified information; provides requirements for procedures for requests & appeals of denials of protocol exemptions; provides requirements for authorizations & denials of protocol exemption requests; authorizes health insurers & HMOs to request specified documentation.

**Enacted** — Laws of Florida, Chapter 2022-47.

## Version chain

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

1. **H 459 Filed** (filed) — [source](https://flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2022/459/BillText/Filed/PDF)
2. **H 459 er** (enrolled) — [source](https://flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2022/459/BillText/er/PDF)

## Votes

- Favorable (Finance & Facilities Subcommittee) — **15–0** (pass) · lower
- Third Reading — **39–0** (pass) · upper
- Passage, Third Reading — **107–0** (pass) · lower
- Favorable (Health & Human Services Committee) — **19–0** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Willhite — primary (person)
- Bartleman — cosponsor (person)
- Benjamin — cosponsor (person)
- Davis — cosponsor (person)
- Eskamani — cosponsor (person)
- Hunschofsky — cosponsor (person)
- Joseph — cosponsor (person)
- Morales — cosponsor (person)
- Salzman — cosponsor (person)
- Skidmore — cosponsor (person)
- Tant — cosponsor (person)
- Thompson — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2021-11-02** Filed `filing`
- **2021-11-10** Referred to Finance & Facilities Subcommittee `referral-committee`
- **2021-11-10** Referred to Health & Human Services Committee `referral-committee`
- **2021-11-10** Now in Finance & Facilities Subcommittee
- **2021-11-23** Added to Finance & Facilities Subcommittee agenda
- **2021-12-02** Favorable by Finance & Facilities Subcommittee `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2021-12-02** Reported out of Finance & Facilities Subcommittee
- **2021-12-02** Now in Health & Human Services Committee
- **2022-01-11** 1st Reading (Original Filed Version)
- **2022-01-20** Added to Health & Human Services Committee agenda
- **2022-01-24** Favorable by Health & Human Services Committee `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2022-01-24** Reported out of Health & Human Services Committee
- **2022-01-24** Bill released to House Calendar
- **2022-01-24** Added to Second Reading Calendar
- **2022-02-17** Bill added to Special Order Calendar (2/24/2022)
- **2022-02-24** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2022-02-24** Placed on 3rd reading
- **2022-02-24** Added to Third Reading Calendar
- **2022-02-25** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2022-02-25** Passed; YEAS 107, NAYS 0 `passage`
- **2022-02-25** Immediately certified
- **2022-02-25** In Messages
- **2022-02-25** Referred to Rules `referral-committee`
- **2022-02-28** Received
- **2022-03-08** Withdrawn from Rules `withdrawal`
- **2022-03-08** Placed on Calendar, on 2nd reading
- **2022-03-08** Substituted for SB 730
- **2022-03-08** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2022-03-08** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2022-03-08** Passed; YEAS 39 NAYS 0 `passage`
- **2022-03-08** In Messages
- **2022-03-08** Ordered enrolled
- **2022-03-28** Signed by Officers and presented to Governor
- **2022-04-06** Approved by Governor `executive-signature`
- **2022-04-08** Chapter No. 2022-47

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/7d4af3ca-0728-4ca5-8d51-0aa82a7caa8c`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Florida legislature records).