CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.





                                                  SENATE AMENDMENT

    Bill No. HB 1081

    Amendment No.    

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11  Senator Saunders moved the following amendment:

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13         Senate Amendment (with title amendment) 

14         Delete everything after the enacting clause

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16  and insert:

17         Section 1.  Subsections (10) and (11) are added to

18  section 395.3025, Florida Statutes, 1998 Supplement, to read:

19         395.3025  Patient and personnel records; copies;

20  examination.--

21         (10)  The home addresses, telephone numbers, social

22  security numbers, and photographs of employees of any licensed

23  facility who provide direct patient care or security services;

24  the home addresses, telephone numbers, social security

25  numbers, photographs, and places of employment of the spouses

26  and children of such persons; and the names and locations of

27  schools and day care facilities attended by the children of

28  such persons are confidential and exempt from s. 119.07(1) and

29  s. 24(a), Art. I of the State Constitution. However, any state

30  or federal agency that is authorized to have access to such

31  information by any provision of law shall be granted such

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                                                  SENATE AMENDMENT

    Bill No. HB 1081

    Amendment No.    





 1  access in the furtherance of its statutory duties,

 2  notwithstanding the provisions of this subsection. This

 3  subsection is subject to the Open Government Sunset Review Act

 4  of 1995 in accordance with s. 119.15, and shall stand repealed

 5  on October 2, 2004, unless reviewed and saved from repeal

 6  through reenactment by the Legislature.

 7         (11)  The home addresses, telephone numbers, social

 8  security numbers, and photographs of employees of any licensed

 9  facility who have a reasonable belief that release of the

10  information may be used to threaten, intimidate, harass,

11  inflict violence upon, or defraud the employee or any member

12  of the employee's family; the home addresses, telephone

13  numbers, social security numbers, photographs, and places of

14  employment of the spouses and children of such persons; and

15  the names and locations of schools and day care facilities

16  attended by the children of such persons are confidential and

17  exempt from s. 119.07(1) and s. 24(a), Art. I of the State

18  Constitution. However, any state or federal agency that is

19  authorized to have access to such information by any provision

20  of law shall be granted such access in the furtherance of its

21  statutory duties, notwithstanding the provisions of this

22  subsection. The licensed facility shall maintain the

23  confidentiality of the personal information only if the

24  employee submits a written request for confidentiality to the

25  licensed facility. This subsection is subject to the Open

26  Government Sunset Review Act of 1995 in accordance with s.

27  119.15, and shall stand repealed on October 2, 2004, unless

28  reviewed and saved from repeal through reenactment by the

29  Legislature.

30         Section 2.  The Legislature finds that it is a public

31  necessity that personal information about employees of

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                                                  SENATE AMENDMENT

    Bill No. HB 1081

    Amendment No.    





 1  hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers be confidential and

 2  exempt from the public records laws of this state under the

 3  following circumstances:

 4         (1)  Employees in such facilities who provide direct

 5  patient care or security services encounter a wide spectrum of

 6  individuals including, among others, prisoners, criminal

 7  suspects brought for treatment by local law enforcement

 8  officers prior to incarceration, patients under the influence

 9  of drugs or alcohol at the time of treatment, and patients who

10  have been admitted for treatment of mental illnesses,

11  including involuntary admissions under the Baker Act. In

12  addition, patients or family members of patients may at times

13  become angry or upset with the nature of the treatment or the

14  circumstances under which it has been provided. If any of

15  these individuals gain access to the personal information

16  specified in this act, they could use that information to

17  threaten, intimidate, harass, or cause physical harm or other

18  injury to the employees who provide direct patient care or

19  security services or to their families. This concern is not

20  mere speculation. Incidents have occurred in which patients

21  have inflicted injuries upon health care providers which have

22  resulted in the death of the provider. Therefore, the

23  Legislature finds that it is a public necessity that the

24  personal information of employees who provide direct patient

25  care or security services be confidential and exempt from

26  disclosure pursuant to the open records laws of this state in

27  order to protect the health, safety, and welfare of these

28  employees and their families.

29         (2)  The Legislature further finds that incidents have

30  occurred in which the personnel records of other employees of

31  hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers have been requested

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                                                  SENATE AMENDMENT

    Bill No. HB 1081

    Amendment No.    





 1  under circumstances that could have threatened the safety or

 2  welfare of these employees or their families, whether or not

 3  actual harm resulted. While these employees may not provide

 4  direct patient care or security services, they may yet face

 5  circumstances under which release of this information could be

 6  used to threaten, intimidate, harass, inflict violence upon,

 7  or defraud them or their families. Because release of this

 8  personal information under these circumstances would not

 9  benefit the public or aid it in monitoring the effective and

10  efficient operation of government, but could result in harm to

11  these employees or their families, the Legislature finds that

12  it is public necessity that the personal information specified

13  in this act be confidential and exempt from disclosure

14  pursuant to the public records laws of this state when such

15  protection is requested by a hospital or ambulatory surgical

16  center employee in accordance with the provisions of this act.

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18  These exemptions are consistent with the long-standing policy

19  of the state under section 119.07(3)(i), Florida Statutes.

20         Section 3.  This act shall take effect July 1, 1999.

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23  ================ T I T L E   A M E N D M E N T ===============

24  And the title is amended as follows:

25         Delete everything before the enacting clause

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27  and insert:

28                      A bill to be entitled

29         An act relating to public records; amending s.

30         395.3025, F.S.; providing exemptions from

31         public records requirements for specified

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                                                  SENATE AMENDMENT

    Bill No. HB 1081

    Amendment No.    





 1         personal information relating to employees of

 2         licensed hospitals or ambulatory surgical

 3         centers who provide direct patient care or

 4         security services and their spouses and

 5         children, and for specified personal

 6         information relating to other employees of such

 7         facilities and their spouses and children upon

 8         their request; providing for future review and

 9         repeal; providing a finding of public

10         necessity; providing an effective date.

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