CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.House Bill 1139e1
HB 1139, First Engrossed/ntc
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to public records; amending s.
3 828.30, F.S.; providing an exemption from
4 public records requirements for information
5 contained in a rabies vaccination certificate;
6 authorizing disclosure to certain public
7 agencies and to other persons under certain
8 conditions; providing for future review and
9 repeal; providing a finding of public
10 necessity; providing an effective date.
11
12 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
13
14 Section 1. Present subsections (4) and (5) of section
15 828.30, Florida Statutes, are redesignated as subsections (5)
16 and (6), respectively, and a new subsection (4) is added to
17 that section, to read:
18 828.30 Rabies vaccination of dogs and cats.--
19 (4) Any information contained in the rabies
20 vaccination certificate provided to the animal control
21 authority which identifies the owner of the animal vaccinated
22 is confidential and exempt from s. 119.07(1) and s. 24(a),
23 Art. I of the State Constitution. However, the physician of
24 any person who has been bitten, scratched, or otherwise
25 exposed to a zoonotic disease and a veterinarian who is
26 treating an animal that has been bitten, scratched, or
27 otherwise exposed to a zoonotic disease, shall be provided
28 with any information contained in a rabies vaccination
29 certificate but only with respect to the particular animal
30 biting, scratching, or otherwise causing exposure. Federal,
31 state, and local law enforcement and prosecutorial agencies;
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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
HB 1139, First Engrossed/ntc
1 other animal control authorities; and emergency and medical
2 response, disease control, or other governmental health
3 agencies shall be provided information contained in the rabies
4 vaccination certificate for the purpose of controlling the
5 transmission of rabies but must not provide this information
6 to the public. Any person, pursuant to a written request, may
7 view or copy any individual rabies vaccination certificate
8 held by an agency, one record at a time.
9
10 This exemption is subject to the Open Government Sunset Review
11 Act of 1995 in accordance with s. 119.15, and shall stand
12 repealed on October 2, 2002, unless reviewed and saved from
13 repeal through reenactment by the Legislature.
14 (5)(4) Violation of this section is a civil
15 infraction, punishable as provided in s. 828.27(2).
16 (6)(5) This section does not prohibit or limit
17 municipalities or counties from enacting requirements similar
18 to or more stringent than the provisions of this section for
19 the implementation and enforcement of rabies-control
20 ordinances.
21 Section 2. The Legislature finds that it is a public
22 necessity that identifying information contained in a rabies
23 vaccination certificate be confidential and exempt from public
24 records requirements. Animal owners could be reluctant to have
25 their animals vaccinated against rabies for fear of receiving
26 unwanted sales solicitations. An increase in the number of
27 unvaccinated animals would hinder the ability of animal
28 control authorities to protect the public against the spread
29 of rabies and endanger the public health, safety, and welfare.
30 Section 3. This act shall take effect upon becoming
31 law.
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