SELECT FLORIDA LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS

Bills of interest that did not pass: [scroll down for bills that passed the 04 Legislative Session]

HB 0063 (Relating to Death Sentence)
SB 0224 (Relating to Death Sentence)
Provided that only criminals who were 18 years of age or older at time crime was committed may be sentenced to death.

HB 1115 (Relating to Children’s Summer Nutrition Act)
Children's Summer Nutrition Program; supported by Florida Impact provided popular name of "Ms. Willie Ann Glenn Act"; required each school district to develop plan to sponsor at least one summer nutrition program by specified date; provided for criteria for summer nutrition program; provided that a school board may choose to be exempt from operating summer nutrition program.

HB 0077 (Relating to Schools/Food Service/Beverages)
Student Health & Fitness; required district school boards to annually provide student health report to each parent; required school improvement plans to address issues relative to student health & fitness; allowed district school boards to adopt policies re indoor environmental quality; required DOE to develop & distribute support materials to assist local implementation of programs to improve student health & fitness, etc.


HB 0275 (Relating to Dignity for All Students Act)
Dignity for All Students Act; created said act; provided legislative findings re: harassment, discrimination, & violence in Florida schools; prohibited specified conduct & provided for punitive measures; defined term "harassment"; amended provision re: required instruction in public schools; required character-development program curriculum to include information re harassment, discrimination, & violence, etc.

HB 0281 (Relating to Substance Abuse/Intervention)
Substance Abuse/Intervention; provided additional legislative purposes & intent re treatment of substance abuse, including use of drug court program model; authorizes court to require certain persons to undergo treatment following adjudication; provided that court is not precluded from ordering drug testing; authorized court to order specified persons to submit to substance abuse assessment as part of adjudicatory order or pursuant to disposition hearing, etc.


SB 0308 (Relating to Health Achievers Act)
Healthy Achievers Act; (THIS BILL COMBINES S308, 1780, 2534) required DOE to conduct study on physical education in public schools & to develop physical fitness assessment instrument & support materials for fitness assessment programs; required dist. school boards to address student health & fitness in school improvement plans; required dist. school boards to develop physical education programs & to adopt written physical education policies, etc.

HB 0459 (Relating to County Delinquency Prevention)
County Delinquency Prevention; authorized board of county commissioners to adopt ordinance that incorporates provisions of act; provided funding for teen court through assessment of additional court cost against each person who pleads guilty or nolo contendere to, or is convicted of, violation of criminal law, ordinance, or traffic offense in county; provided for administration by clerk of circuit court, etc.

SB 0510 (Relating to Child Care Facilities)
Child Care Facilities; authorized local licensing agency or CFS Dept. to issue provisional license or registration to child care facility, family day care home, or large family child care home; required dept. to establish database of information concerning violations, citations, & penalties imposed against child care facilities, family day care homes, & large family child care homes licensed by or registered with dept., etc.


HB 0525 (Relating to Florida Infant Crib Safety Act)
Fla. Infant Crib Safety Act; created said act: prohibited commercial users from manufacturing, remanufacturing, retrofitting, selling, contracting to sell or resell, leasing, or subletting specified cribs determined to be unsafe for use by infants; prohibited transient public lodging establishments from offering or providing for use specified cribs determined to be unsafe for use by infants, etc.

SB 0158 (Relating to Religious-exempt Child Care Programs)
Zaniyah Hinson Act; provided for child care program affiliated with religious congregation or parochial school to be exempt from regulation by CFS Dept. as religious-exempt child care program; required such programs to display certificate of compliance issued by accrediting agency recognized by dept.; provided that act does not authorize dept. to regulate certain specified elements of such program, etc.

SB 1140 (Relating to Medication/Administering to Children)
Medication/Administering to Children; provided that refusal of parent, legal guardian, or other person having control of child to administer or consent to administration of any psychotropic medication to child does not, in & of itself, constitute grounds for dept. to take child into custody; prohibited specified persons working in child care facilities from administering medications to child without written authorization of child's parent or legal guardian, etc.

HB 1589 (Relating to Juvenile Justice System)
Juvenile Justice System; required gender-specific programming within Juvenile Justice Dept. for children in this state; required OPPAGA to conduct analysis of gender-specific programs in department; provided certain gender-specific information to be included in analysis; required analysis to address administration of psychotropic medication to youth in commitment facilities, etc.

SB 2330 (Relating to Infant Eye Care)
Infant Eye Care; required certain eye examinations for all infants born in hospitals in state; exempted this requirement from specified provision re: penalty; amended exception to requirements for infant eye care; provided that coverage for children under health insurance policies & HMO contacts must include certain eye examinations for infants & children.

Bills of interest that did pass:

HB 0821 (Related to Early Learning)
Early Learning; creates "Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program" (VPK Program) within DOE to implement s. 1 (b) & (c), Art. IX of State Constitution; provided scholarship options & for issuance of scholarships; provides for use of web-based or book-based curriculum in lieu of scholarship; provides that VPK Program is choice option for parents & providers & not part of system of public education, etc.

SB 1572 (Relating to Child Care Personal Training)
Child Care Personnel Training; requires child care personnel to be trained in recognizing & preventing shaken baby syndrome, preventing sudden infant death syndrome, & understanding early childhood brain development·

SB 2372 (Relating to Physical Fitness & Health)
Physical Fitness & Health; requires Health Department to undertake certain actions to promote healthy lifestyles & body weight; authorizes DOH to adopt rules; provides that act is contingent on appropriation; requires Florida Sports Foundation to allocate certain proceeds from sale of license plates for additional purposes.