Bill > H1301

Introduced Session

An act relating to child welfare; amending s. 16.56, F.S.; authorizing the Office of Statewide Prosecution in the Department of Legal Affairs to investigate and prosecute specified violations; amending s. 39.01, F.S.; revising the definition of the term "child who is found to be dependent"; defining the term "legal custodian"; amending s. 39.206, F.S.; authorizing certain persons to petition the court to release a reporter's identity in order to file a lawsuit for civil damages; authorizing the court to issue an order for an in-camera inspection of certain records; prohibiting the Department of Children and Families from being made a party to such action; creating s. 39.3011, F.S.; defining the term "Family Advocacy Program"; requiring the department to enter into agreements with certain military installations for child protective investigations involving military families; providing requirements for such agreements; amending s. 39.401, F.S.; authorizing a law enforcement officer or an authorized agent of the department to take a child into custody who is the subject of a specified court order; amending s. 39.5075, F.S.; authorizing, rather than requiring, the department or a community-based care provider to petition the court for a specified order; providing that a certain order may only be issued if a certain petition is filed by specified entities; creating s. 39.5077, F.S.; defining the term "unaccompanied alien child"; requiring any natural person who meets certain criteria to submit a specified report with the department; requiring such report be submitted within a specified time period; requiring any natural person who meets certain criteria to verify his or her relationship with an unaccompanied alien child in certain ways; requiring the person verifying his or her relationship with such child to pay for DNA testing; requiring such person to verify his or her relationship within a specified time period; requiring certain entities to submit a specified report to the department within a specified time period; requiring a specified attestation; providing criminal penalties and civil fines; requiring the department to notify certain persons or entities of certain requirements; requiring the department to notify the Department of Law Enforcement, the Office of Refugee Resettlement, and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement under certain circumstances; authorizing the department to adopt certain rules; requiring certain persons or entities to submit a report to the central abuse hotline under certain circumstances; amending s. 39.905, F.S.; authorizing the department to waive a specified requirement if there is an emergency need for a new domestic violence center, to issue a provisional certification to such center under certain circumstances, and to adopt rules relating to provisional certifications; amending s. 125.901, F.S.; revising membership requirements for certain independent special districts; amending s. 402.305, F.S.; authorizing the department to grant certain exemptions from disqualification for certain persons; amending s. 409.145, F.S.; requiring the department to establish a fee schedule for daily room and board rates for certain children by a date certain, which may include different rates based on a child's acuity level or the geographic location of the residential child-caring agency; requiring the department to adopt rules; amending s. 409.175, F.S.; authorizing the department to grant certain exemptions from disqualification for certain persons; authorizing the department to extend the expiration date of a license by a specified amount of time for a certain purpose; amending s. 419.001, F.S.; providing that certain residential child-caring agencies are not subject to certain proximity requirements; requiring a local government to exclude certain residential child-caring agencies from proximity limitations; amending s. 553.73, F.S.; prohibiting the Florida Building Commission from mandating the installation of fire sprinklers or a fire suppression system in certain agencies licensed by the department; amending s. 633.208, F.S.; providing that certain residential child-caring agencies are not required to install fire sprinklers or a fire suppression system under certain circumstances; amending s. 937.0201, F.S.; revising the definition of "missing child"; amending s. 937.021, F.S.; specifying the entity with jurisdiction for accepting missing child reports under certain circumstances; authorizing law enforcement agencies to use reasonable force to take certain children into custody; amending ss. 402.30501, 1002.57, and 1002.59, F.S.; conforming cross-references; providing effective dates.

AI Summary

Committee Categories

Taylor Yarkosky (R)*, 

Died in Human Services Subcommittee, companion bill(s) passed, see CS/SB 7012 (Ch. 2025-186) (on 06/16/2025)

Official Document