---
type: "Bill"
title: "Benefits, Training, and Employment for Veterans and Their Spouses"
description: "Benefits, Training, and Employment for Veterans and Their Spouses; Requires analysis of VETS Program; revises duties of DVA & Florida Is For Veterans, Inc., to include assistance to veterans' spouses; revises purpose & duties of VETS Program to include assistance to veterans' spouses; requires Florida Is For Veterans, Inc., to assist veterans or their spouses in accessing employment & licensure in health care professions; requires DOH to waive certain fees for veterans & their spouses; requires appropriate board or DOH to expedite health care licensure applications submitted by veterans; establishes Office of Veteran Licensure Services; provides appropriations & authorizes positions."
jurisdiction: "us/states/fl"
legislature: "Florida Legislature"
session: "2023"
identifier: "HB 139"
citation: "Florida HB 139 (2023)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["appropriations", "public business", "regulation of professions and occupations", "veterans"]
status: "enacted"
chapter_law: "2023-161"
primary_sponsors: ["Woodson"]
version_count: 4
action_count: 54
vote_count: 6
first_action: "2023-01-09"
last_action: "2023-05-26"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/ece4e52d-c215-4b95-a9bb-3cc6ee4c997b"
source_url: "https://flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2023/139/ByCategory"
source_hash: "0f1c34ec477d9930c7b885cf7099a047e249ef596a915d3a6c3d3a92bd3e5209"
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 139 (2023) — Benefits, Training, and Employment for Veterans and Their Spouses

Benefits, Training, and Employment for Veterans and Their Spouses; Requires analysis of VETS Program; revises duties of DVA & Florida Is For Veterans, Inc., to include assistance to veterans' spouses; revises purpose & duties of VETS Program to include assistance to veterans' spouses; requires Florida Is For Veterans, Inc., to assist veterans or their spouses in accessing employment & licensure in health care professions; requires DOH to waive certain fees for veterans & their spouses; requires appropriate board or DOH to expedite health care licensure applications submitted by veterans; establishes Office of Veteran Licensure Services; provides appropriations & authorizes positions.

**Enacted** — Laws of Florida, Chapter 2023-161.

## Version chain

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

1. **H 139 Filed** (filed) — [source](https://flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2023/139/BillText/Filed/PDF)
2. **H 139 c1** (committee substitute) — [source](https://flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2023/139/BillText/c1/PDF)
3. **H 139 c2** (committee substitute) — [source](https://flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2023/139/BillText/c2/PDF)
4. **H 139 er** (enrolled) — [source](https://flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2023/139/BillText/er/PDF)

## Votes

- Favorable (Healthcare Regulation Subcommittee) — **17–0** (pass) · lower
- Favorable (Health & Human Services Committee) — **16–0** (pass) · lower
- Favorable With Committee Substitute (Appropriations Committee) — **27–0** (pass) · lower
- Third Reading — **40–0** (pass) · upper
- Passage, Third Reading — **115–0** (pass) · lower
- Favorable (Local Administration, Federal Affairs & Special Districts Subcommittee) — **16–0** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Appropriations Committee — primary (organization)
- Healthcare Regulation Subcommittee — primary (organization)
- Woodson — primary (person)
- Arrington — cosponsor (person)
- Bankson — cosponsor (person)
- Bartleman — cosponsor (person)
- Basabe — cosponsor (person)
- Benjamin — cosponsor (person)
- Chaney — cosponsor (person)
- Daniels — cosponsor (person)
- Eskamani — cosponsor (person)
- Harris — cosponsor (person)
- Hart — cosponsor (person)
- Hunschofsky — cosponsor (person)
- Joseph — cosponsor (person)
- Killebrew — cosponsor (person)
- Leek — cosponsor (person)
- López, J. — cosponsor (person)
- Nixon — cosponsor (person)
- Roth — cosponsor (person)
- Salzman — cosponsor (person)
- Snyder — cosponsor (person)
- Trabulsy — cosponsor (person)
- Valdés — cosponsor (person)
- Williams — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2023-01-09** Filed `filing`
- **2023-01-17** Referred to Healthcare Regulation Subcommittee `referral-committee`
- **2023-01-17** Referred to Local Administration, Federal Affairs & Special Districts Subcommittee `referral-committee`
- **2023-01-17** Referred to Appropriations Committee `referral-committee`
- **2023-01-17** Referred to Health & Human Services Committee `referral-committee`
- **2023-01-17** Now in Healthcare Regulation Subcommittee
- **2023-02-16** PCS added to Healthcare Regulation Subcommittee agenda
- **2023-03-07** PCS added to Healthcare Regulation Subcommittee agenda
- **2023-03-07** 1st Reading (Original Filed Version) `filing, reading-1`
- **2023-03-09** Favorable with CS by Healthcare Regulation Subcommittee `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2023-03-11** Reported out of Healthcare Regulation Subcommittee
- **2023-03-11** Laid on Table under Rule 7.18(a) `deferral`
- **2023-03-11** CS Filed `filing`
- **2023-03-13** 1st Reading (Committee Substitute 1) `reading-1`
- **2023-03-14** Referred to Local Administration, Federal Affairs & Special Districts Subcommittee `referral-committee`
- **2023-03-14** Referred to Appropriations Committee `referral-committee`
- **2023-03-14** Referred to Health & Human Services Committee `referral-committee`
- **2023-03-14** Now in Local Administration, Federal Affairs & Special Districts Subcommittee
- **2023-03-16** Added to Local Administration, Federal Affairs & Special Districts Subcommittee agenda
- **2023-03-20** Favorable by Local Administration, Federal Affairs & Special Districts Subcommittee `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2023-03-20** Reported out of Local Administration, Federal Affairs & Special Districts Subcommittee
- **2023-03-20** Now in Appropriations Committee
- **2023-03-24** Added to Appropriations Committee agenda
- **2023-03-28** Favorable with CS by Appropriations Committee `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2023-03-28** Reported out of Appropriations Committee
- **2023-03-28** Laid on Table under Rule 7.18(a) `deferral`
- **2023-03-28** CS Filed `filing`
- **2023-03-29** Referred to Health & Human Services Committee `referral-committee`
- **2023-03-29** Now in Health & Human Services Committee
- **2023-03-29** 1st Reading (Committee Substitute 2) `reading-1`
- **2023-04-06** Added to Health & Human Services Committee agenda
- **2023-04-10** Favorable by Health & Human Services Committee `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2023-04-11** Reported out of Health & Human Services Committee
- **2023-04-11** Bill released to House Calendar
- **2023-04-11** Added to Second Reading Calendar
- **2023-04-13** Bill added to Special Order Calendar (4/20/2023)
- **2023-04-20** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2023-04-20** Added to Third Reading Calendar
- **2023-04-20** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2023-04-20** CS passed; YEAS 115, NAYS 0 `passage`
- **2023-04-20** In Messages
- **2023-04-21** Referred to Fiscal Policy `referral-committee`
- **2023-04-25** Received `enrolled`
- **2023-05-02** Withdrawn from Fiscal Policy `withdrawal`
- **2023-05-02** Placed on Calendar, on 2nd reading
- **2023-05-02** Substituted for CS/SB 858
- **2023-05-02** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2023-05-02** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2023-05-02** CS passed; YEAS 40 NAYS 0 `passage`
- **2023-05-02** In Messages
- **2023-05-02** Ordered enrolled `enrolled`
- **2023-05-22** Signed by Officers and presented to Governor `executive-receipt`
- **2023-05-26** Approved by Governor `executive-signature`
- **2023-05-26** Chapter No. 2023-161

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/ece4e52d-c215-4b95-a9bb-3cc6ee4c997b`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Florida legislature records).