Rep. Marie Woodson is entering the 2026 Legislative Session on a mission to pass meaningful legislation, from ensuring Floridians have access to safe medical treatment to safeguarding children during police interactions.

Those aims, Woodson said, are consistent with the promise she made before and after her election to the House; her 2020 platform was full of people-first policies she continues to pursue today.

“When I took the vow of office, I vowed to protect the people of the state of Florida,” she told Florida Politics.

“That’s what I do every day. I look out for them, protect them and make sure they have a better quality of life, a way to become more self-sufficient and successful.”

Several of the bills that Woodson, a Hollywood Democrat, is carrying this year center on health care safety and continuity.

There’s HB 93, which is meant to protect patients from airborne contaminants during surgeries. The measure, to which Jacksonville Democratic Sen. Tracie Davis is carrying an identical companion (SB 162), would require hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers to mandate the use of smoke evacuation systems during procedures likely to generate surgical smoke.

It’s a change Woodson and Davis have sought for years and came close to getting across the proverbial finish line last year. And the risks are real; according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, repeated exposure to surgical smoke has been known since 1996 to cause, among other things, respiratory irritation, visual problems and potential cancer-causing gene mutation.

As of last year, 18 states had laws to prevent the health hazard. Woodson wants Florida to join them. But she said there’s been some industry pushback — an assertion backed by dozens of lobbyist registrations on the bill.

“Some people are against it. I don’t see why,” she said. “Hospitals are supposed to use small equipment to capture that smoke, and some aren’t using it. They might be thinking they could get sued. I don’t care about that. By 2035, we’re expected to have a nursing shortage in Florida. We have a shortage of doctors. Let’s do right by those people.”

Another health care-focused proposal (SB 114, HB 577) that Woodson is running with Miami Gardens Democratic Sen. Shevrin Jones would ensure people aren’t left without coverage or care due to corporate disagreements outside their control.

The legislation is a response to difficulties tens of thousands of Broward County patients encountered late last year after Florida Blue removed Memorial Healthcare System from its in-network provider list.

At the time, Jones had just been released from a Memorial hospital following treatment for a serious health condition and found himself suddenly without coverage.

“I’m in limbo,” Jones told Florida Politics. “I have to find another doctor, and I’m paying out-of-pocket right now.”

Woodson and Jones’ proposal, which already cleared one House committee with uniform support, would require insurers and health care providers to give affected patients at least 60 days’ advance notice.

The notice would have to explain, in plain language, each patient’s rights, transition timeline and where to direct questions or complaints, with regulators authorized to impose fines for violations. The bill would allow patients already in active treatment to continue seeing their current provider under the same contract terms for up to six months or through postpartum care, whichever applies.

“I’ve been getting a lot of calls from people about this,” Woodson said. “I want to put certain things in place to make sure people are covered, that there’s a grace period before they can tell you, ‘Hey, your insurance is not taking this.’ Because by the time they do the negotiations, you don’t even have time to look for a different hospital or doctor; you’re just being dropped.”

Woodson is also sponsoring a bill (HB 83) to better protect children whose parents are being taken into custody by law enforcement.

In some arrest situations, she said, a mother or father may not inform police that they have kids in the house who will be left alone. And even though the Department of Children and Families will ultimately intervene to pick up and care for those children if no other suitable option exists, there is still a span of time between those actions that can prove dangerous for a child.

HB 83, which awaits a Senate analog, would require law enforcement officers to ask standardized questions about minor children when arresting a person and to verify that any children are safe and in the care of a responsible guardian.

If an officer determines that a child may be unsafe or unaccounted for, the bill would authorize contact with the state’s central abuse hotline and, if necessary, protective intervention. It also directs the Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission to develop statewide policies and training on handling the special needs of children present during a parent’s arrest.

“This bill is extremely important to me,” she said, adding that she is working with several organizations and agencies to improve the bill before it hopefully passes.

Lastly, Woodson is working on a cross-aisle measure (SB 562, HB 533) with Miami Republican Sen. Ileana Garcia to help people with disabilities interact with government entities and staff in the way they best can.

The measure would create a new bill of rights for such individuals, guaranteeing that they can communicate using their preferred alternative communication methods in educational, health care and public settings.

It would prohibit state agencies, schools and health care providers from restricting those methods, mandate statewide training for relevant staff and establish a temporary advisory board to oversee implementation and compliance.

Violations could result in administrative action and civil penalties.

Woodson said a woman and her mother brought her the issue on the last day of the 2025 Session, imploring her to file legislation to help them.

“They were in tears,” she said. “People with disabilities like autism, sometimes others act like they are not even there. I want to make sure that whatever they use to speak is allowed either in school or through the state of Florida, that they have the right to communicate in whatever preferred manner they have.”

The 2026 Legislative Session begins Tuesday.