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FL H0763

FL H0763
Child Welfare


summary

Introduced
12/12/2025
In Committee
02/24/2026
Crossed Over
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 quarterly for a specified purpose; authorizing such meetings to be in person or via teleconference or other electronic means; requiring such meetings to 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. 409.145, F.S.; providing legislative findings; requiring a caregiver to provide a weekly cash allowance to each child in his or her care beginning when the child attains a certain age; prohibiting a caregiver from withholding a child's allowance as punishment; providing that a child may not be required hb763-01-c1 to use his or her allowance for certain items; encouraging caregivers to offer certain opportunities to children in their care; authorizing the department to adopt rules; amending s. 409.175, F.S.; revising the definitions of the terms "personnel" and "household member"; 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; providing an effective date.

AI Summary

This bill makes several changes to Florida's child welfare laws, including specifying that new medical reports for psychotropic medication for children in the Department of Children and Families' custody are only required if there's a change in dosage, type, administration, or prescriber, and clarifying that physicians in the same group practice are considered a single prescriber. It also mandates that the Department of Children and Families and community-based care lead agencies must quarterly meet with organizations focused on children with lived experience to gather input on improving the child welfare system, with agendas and minutes to be publicly available online, and that by 2027, they must publish biannual reports detailing how suggestions from these meetings have been implemented. Furthermore, the bill requires caregivers to provide a weekly cash allowance of at least $20 to children aged 13-17 in their care, starting when a child turns 6, and prohibits withholding this allowance as punishment or requiring its use for necessities like hygiene items or clothing, while encouraging opportunities for children to earn extra money. The bill also revises definitions of "personnel" and "household member" for screening purposes to exclude dependent children and clarifies that physicians prescribing psychotropic medication for Medicaid recipients must provide a copy of the consent documentation to the pharmacy with the prescription, rather than a signed attestation.

Committee Categories

Budget and Finance, Health and Social Services

Sponsors (7)

Other Sponsors (1)

Health Care Budget Subcommittee (House)

Last Action

1st Reading (Committee Substitute 1) (on 02/24/2026)

bill text


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