summary
Introduced
11/18/2025
11/18/2025
In Committee
12/09/2025
12/09/2025
Crossed Over
03/04/2026
03/04/2026
Passed
Dead
Introduced Session
2026 Regular Session
Bill Summary
An act relating to child welfare; amending s. 39.407, F.S.; providing that a new medical report relating to the provision of psychotropic medication to a child in the legal custody of the Department of Children and Families may be required only under certain circumstances; amending s. 39.4085, F.S.; requiring the department and each community-based care lead agency to coordinate with certain organizations and meet at least quarterly for a specified purpose; authorizing such meetings to be held in person or via teleconference or other electronic means; requiring that such meetings have a formal agenda; requiring the department and each community-based care lead agency to make certain information available on their respective websites; requiring, beginning in a specified year, the department and each community based care lead agency to publish on their respective websites a biannual report containing specified information; amending s. 409.175, F.S.; revising the definition of the terms “personnel” and “placement screening”; amending s. 409.912, F.S.; requiring a physician to provide to a pharmacy a copy of certain documentation, rather than a signed attestation, with certain prescriptions; amending s. 409.993, F.S.; requiring the Office of Insurance Regulation, in collaboration with the department and other entities, to review and analyze certain data; requiring the office to provide a certain report to the Governor and Legislature; requiring certain entities to respond to certain requests for information; authorizing the office and the department to levy fines upon or otherwise penalize insurance companies and community based care lead agencies and their subcontractors, respectively, for failure to timely reply to certain requests for information; limiting the amount of certain fines to specified amounts; requiring the transfer of such fines to the General Revenue Fund; providing for legislative review and repeal; providing an effective date.
AI Summary
This bill makes several changes to Florida's child welfare laws, including clarifying when a new medical report is needed for psychotropic medication for children in the Department of Children and Families' (DCF) custody, requiring DCF and community-based care lead agencies to regularly meet with organizations focused on children with lived experience and make meeting minutes and reports publicly available online, and updating definitions related to personnel and placement screening in foster care. It also modifies requirements for physicians prescribing psychotropic medication to children in the Medicaid program, now requiring them to provide a copy of documentation to the pharmacy instead of a signed attestation. Additionally, the bill mandates that the Office of Insurance Regulation, in collaboration with DCF and community-based care agencies, analyze data on liability insurance for these agencies and their subcontractors, and report findings and recommendations to the Governor and Legislature by January 2027, with penalties for insurance companies and agencies that fail to respond to information requests, and a provision for legislative review and repeal of this insurance review section in July 2027.
Committee Categories
Budget and Finance
Sponsors (1)
Other Sponsors (3)
Appropriations Committee on Health and Human Services (Senate), Children, Families, and Elder Affairs (Senate), Rules (Senate)
Last Action
In Messages (on 03/04/2026)
Official Document
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