---
type: "Bill"
title: "Group Health Plans"
description: "Group Health Plans; Revises definition of & providing requirements for bona fide groups for purposes of issuance of certificates of authority & multiple-employer welfare arrangements."
jurisdiction: "us/states/fl"
legislature: "Florida Legislature"
session: "2023"
identifier: "HB 897"
citation: "Florida HB 897 (2023)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
chapter_law: "2023-212"
primary_sponsors: ["Fernandez-Barquin"]
version_count: 4
action_count: 42
vote_count: 4
first_action: "2023-02-16"
last_action: "2023-06-12"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/8cd037a6-a54f-450b-a825-f6c505eb7731"
source_url: "https://flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2023/897/ByCategory"
source_hash: "9bbd15b49c9285a8f42c71cca98ecd61e7538f99b8e0d81ec43132f23e1b9803"
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 897 (2023) — Group Health Plans

Group Health Plans; Revises definition of & providing requirements for bona fide groups for purposes of issuance of certificates of authority & multiple-employer welfare arrangements.

**Enacted** — Laws of Florida, Chapter 2023-212.

## Version chain

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

1. **H 897 Filed** (filed) — [source](https://flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2023/897/BillText/Filed/PDF)
2. **H 897 c1** (committee substitute) — [source](https://flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2023/897/BillText/c1/PDF)
3. **H 897 c2** (committee substitute) — [source](https://flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2023/897/BillText/c2/PDF)
4. **H 897 er** (enrolled) — [source](https://flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2023/897/BillText/er/PDF)

## Votes

- Favorable With Committee Substitute (Health & Human Services Committee) — **14–1** (pass) · lower
- Third Reading — **38–0** (pass) · upper
- Passage, Third Reading — **100–7** (pass) · lower
- Favorable With Committee Substitute (Healthcare Regulation Subcommittee) — **16–0** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Fernandez-Barquin — primary (person)
- Health & Human Services Committee — primary (organization)
- Healthcare Regulation Subcommittee — primary (organization)
- Basabe — cosponsor (person)
- Benjamin — cosponsor (person)
- Borrero — cosponsor (person)
- Fabricio — cosponsor (person)
- Garcia — cosponsor (person)
- Leek — cosponsor (person)
- Lopez, V. — cosponsor (person)
- Porras — cosponsor (person)
- Rizo — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2023-02-16** Filed `filing`
- **2023-02-28** Referred to Healthcare Regulation Subcommittee `referral-committee`
- **2023-02-28** Referred to Insurance & Banking Subcommittee `referral-committee`
- **2023-02-28** Referred to Health & Human Services Committee `referral-committee`
- **2023-02-28** Now in Healthcare Regulation Subcommittee
- **2023-03-07** 1st Reading (Original Filed Version) `filing, reading-1`
- **2023-03-20** Added to Healthcare Regulation Subcommittee agenda
- **2023-03-22** Favorable with CS by Healthcare Regulation Subcommittee `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2023-03-24** Reported out of Healthcare Regulation Subcommittee
- **2023-03-24** Laid on Table under Rule 7.18(a) `deferral`
- **2023-03-24** CS Filed `filing`
- **2023-03-27** Original reference removed: Insurance & Banking Subcommittee
- **2023-03-27** Referred to Health & Human Services Committee `referral-committee`
- **2023-03-27** Now in Health & Human Services Committee
- **2023-03-27** 1st Reading (Committee Substitute 1) `reading-1`
- **2023-04-06** Added to Health & Human Services Committee agenda
- **2023-04-10** Favorable with CS by Health & Human Services Committee `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2023-04-12** Reported out of Health & Human Services Committee
- **2023-04-12** Laid on Table under Rule 7.18(a) `deferral`
- **2023-04-12** CS Filed `filing`
- **2023-04-12** 1st Reading (Committee Substitute 2) `reading-1`
- **2023-04-13** Bill referred to House Calendar
- **2023-04-13** 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 100, NAYS 7 `passage`
- **2023-04-20** In Messages
- **2023-04-21** Referred to Rules `referral-committee`
- **2023-04-25** Received `enrolled`
- **2023-05-01** Withdrawn from Rules `withdrawal`
- **2023-05-01** Placed on Calendar, on 2nd reading
- **2023-05-01** Substituted for CS/SB 940
- **2023-05-01** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2023-05-01** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2023-05-01** CS passed; YEAS 38 NAYS 0 `passage`
- **2023-05-01** In Messages
- **2023-05-01** Ordered enrolled `enrolled`
- **2023-06-05** Signed by Officers and presented to Governor `executive-receipt`
- **2023-06-09** Approved by Governor `executive-signature`
- **2023-06-12** Chapter No. 2023-212

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/8cd037a6-a54f-450b-a825-f6c505eb7731`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Florida legislature records).