TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed another 10 bills into law on Wednesday, adding to the list of over 200 new laws approved this year.
These new laws deal with issues like child welfare, mental illness and medical treatments, among others.
The majority of these latest laws are set to take effect next week, alongside over 100 other laws. You can find the full list of those upcoming laws here.
[BELOW: Check out some of the major Florida laws that took effect last year]
In the meantime, the list of Wednesday’s laws is as follows:
HB 907 — Pediatric Rare Diseases
House Bill 907 codifies the Florida Institute for Pediatric Rare Diseases as a statewide resource for research and care related to conditions that impact fewer than 200,000 children nationally.
Under this law, the institute is required to establish a five-year pilot program that offers opt-in newborn genetic screening.
The institute must also maintain a database of information from this pilot program so that the de-identified data may be used for research.
The law is set to take effect on July 1.
HB 1545 — Parkinson’s Disease
House Bill 1545 creates a research program consortium at the University of South Florida to investigate the causes of and potential treatments for Parkinson’s disease.
The law is set to take effect on July 1.
SB 68 — Health Facilities
Senate Bill 68 expands the definition of a “health facility” under state law, extending it to cover certain LLCs that are organized as or otherwise controlled by a nonprofit.
The law is set to take effect on July 1.
SB 168 — Mental Illness
Senate Bill 168 — dubbed the “Tristin Murphy Act” — aims to add alternative means for prosecuting defendants with mental illnesses.
Under this law, a defendant who faces certain charges and suffers from mental illness, an intellectual disability or autism may instead be placed in a diversion program (if this is a feasible alternative to incarceration).
In addition, the law provides legislative intent to give law enforcement officers crisis intervention team training.
The law is named for Tristin Murphy, who took his own life in a Florida prison in 2021 and became the subject of a CBS News documentary that explored the treatment of mentally ill prisoners in the state.
The law is set to take effect on Oct. 1.
SB 738 — Child Care Facilities
Senate Bill 738 directs the DCF to establish minimum standards for licensing childcare facilities, including classification levels for violations that compromise the health and safety of a child.
In addition, the law makes the following changes:
- Provides for a 45-day provisional-hire status upon a delayed background screening of childcare personnel
- Adjusts training requirements for introductory childcare and CPR
- No longer requires facilities to provide parents with pagers or beepers during drop-in childcare
- Removes requirements for facilities to provide parents with information about influenza and the dangers of a distracted adult leaving a child in a vehicle
- Exempts preschools from special assessments levied by local governments
The law is set to take effect on July 1.
SB 954 — Recovery Residences
Senate Bill 954 requires local governments to streamline rules to make it easier for certified recovery residences (CRRs) to open.
In addition, the law eliminates staffing requirements when patients aren’t present, and it doubles the number of residents that a CRR administrator may oversee if the operator maintains a proper ratio of personnel to residents.
The law is set to take effect on July 1.
SB 1070 — Electrocardiograms
Senate Bill 1070 — dubbed the “Second Chance Act” — requires electrocardiogram (EKG) assessments for student athletes before they can participate in athletics.
The law is set to take effect on July 1.
SB 1620 — Baker Act Changes
Senate Bill 1620 strengthens Florida’s Baker Act, which allows a person to be involuntarily detained and examined if they may be having a mental health crisis and pose a danger to themselves or others.
The law requires that individual treatment plans for people under this act be reevaluated at least once every six months.
In addition, this law requires the state to prioritize licensing for short-term residential treatment facilities in underserved counties and high-need areas.
The law is set to take effect on July 1.
SB 1768 — Stem Cell Therapy
Senate Bill 1768 allows physicians to perform stem cell therapies that haven’t been approved by the FDA when used for orthopedic conditions, wound care or pain management.
In these situations, the physician must disclose to the patient that the treatment isn’t approved by the FDA.
The law is set to take effect on July 1.
SB 7012 — Child Welfare
Senate Bill 7012 requires the DCF to create a CPI and case manager recruitment program for people with prior public safety and service experience.
In addition, the law mandates that the DCF create a pilot program for treatment foster care. This program aims to introduce a “short-term, family-like placement option” for children in foster care who have high resource indicators.
Lastly, the law requires specialized training for foster parents and 24-hour on-call workers to provide crisis intervention services if needed.
The law is set to take effect on July 1.
Meanwhile, other batches of bills recently signed into law by DeSantis include the following:
- June 24 — Land Regulations
- June 23 — Condo Associations
- June 20 — Weather Modification
- June 17 — Aerospace Industry
- June 13 — New Highway Designations
- June 11 — South Florida
- June 10 — Sex Crime Crackdown
- June 9 — Auburndale Park
- June 6 — Oviedo Special Zone
- June 5 — Boating Crimes
- June 3 — Sewer Systems
- May 30 — New School Laws
- May 29 — Big Gun Law
- May 28 — Animal Cruelty Laws
- May 27 — Sexual Images
- May 23 — Cryptocurrency Debts
- May 22 — Execution Methods
- May 21 — Swatting Crackdown
- May 20 — Disability History
- May 19 — Motor Crimes
- May 15 — Massive Farming Bill
- May 2 — Citizen Amendment Petitions
- April 29 — Surrendered Infants
- April 18 — Pet Insurance
- April 14 — Gulf of America