Justification
Governor's Recommendations 2023-24

The Governor's Budget Recommendation for Fiscal Year 2023-2024 includes a nonrecurring fund shift of expenditures from
the Planning and Evaluation (P&E) Trust Fund to the General Revenue Fund to support testing performed by the Bureau of
Public Health Laboratories (BPHL) that do not have an associated funding source.

BPHL consists of three (3) laboratories located in Jacksonville, Miami, and Tampa.  The laboratories play a critical role
in protecting the health of Florida's citizens and visitors by performing health related laboratory services.  Programs
in the BPHL are mostly funded through a combination of General Revenue (16 percent), Federal Grants (15 percent) and
revenues deposited into the P&E Trust Fund (69 percent).  Programs funded from the P&E Trust Fund are State Laboratories,
Newborn Screenings, and Vital Statistics.  Fees collected and deposited into the trust fund related to the State
Laboratories are not sufficient to support the appropriations made from the Trust Fund.  The State Laboratories have the
authorization to bill for the lab tests they perform.  However, there are several limitations which prevent billing for
100 percent of services provided.  A few examples of non-billable situations are:

1)    Performing epidemiological investigations and surveillance provided at the direction of the Department of Health
(DOH);

2)    Performing test on underinsured or uninsured clients served by the County Health Departments;

3)    Performing tests for core public health programs like rabies and sentinel chicken; and

4)    Performing tests for new and emerging pathogens and disorders.

This issue allows for a one-year fund shift of appropriations to the General Revenue Fund.  A separate issue will allow
the BPHL to contract with a vendor that can review BPHL's business operations and their billing practices and recommend a
long-term funding solution.