House Speaker Daniel Perez said Thursday the chamber will try again next year to pass a repeal of the “free kill” statute following Gov. Ron DeSantis’ veto of the proposal.
DeSantis on May 29 vetoed the Legislature’s attempt to remove the bar on parents of adult children and the adult children of single parents from suing hospitals and physicians for non-economic damages for the deaths of loved ones. The Governor said repealing “free kill” would increase health care costs for Floridians and make it harder to keep physicians in the state.
“Of course, the Governor has in his right the power to veto this bill, and he chose to do so,” Perez told reporters. “I disagree with the veto, and we will be bringing that bill back next year for a continued conversation.”
The Florida Justice Association, the group that represents the state’s trial lawyers that championed the measure, released a statement saying the decision to not override the veto was “disappointing.”
Lawmakers passed HB 6017 with bipartisan support. Repealing the ban on suits to recover noneconomic damages is one of the perennial arguments in Tallahassee, as business interests and medical groups oppose the move.
Perez said he remains opposed to placing caps on the pain-and-suffering damages, which is something that DeSantis said could make him support the repeal in the future, along with caps on attorneys fees. The family members barred from suing for pain-and-suffering damages can recover economic damages, such as lost wages, medical bills and funeral costs.
“I don’t think that we should determine how much a person’s life is worth when someone negligently ended it,” Perez said.
The Senate also rejected a bid to cap the damages at $1 million on April 30. Florida, for now, remains the only state banning the recovery of pain-and-suffering damages for parents of adult children and adult children of single parents.
Florida Justice Association President Todd Michaels said the decision to not override the Governor’s veto is disappointing, noting that 93% of the Legislature voted for the bill.
“The Governor’s veto and call for caps in all medical malpractice cases fails to consider victims and instead gives the green light to negligent medical providers and limits their accountability when they hurt or kill other people. The safety of all Floridians will suffer,” he said in a prepared statement.
“The continuation of this unjust law in Florida means insurance companies’ discriminatory practice to ensure that victims are unable to achieve justice or accountability when a bad doctor kills their parents or child. It means that a lack of accountability, and therefore a lack of safety, continue.”
___
Jackie Llanos reporting. Florida Phoenix is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Florida Phoenix maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Michael Moline for questions: info@floridaphoenix.com.
The post House won’t override Gov. DeSantis’ ‘free kill’ repeal veto appeared first on Florida Politics – Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government..