| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to assisted living facilities; amending s. |
| 3 | 429.19, F.S.; removing a requirement that the Agency for |
| 4 | Health Care Administration disseminate annually a printed |
| 5 | list of assisted living facilities sanctioned or fined to |
| 6 | specified agencies and departments; amending s. 429.23, |
| 7 | F.S.; removing reporting requirements for assisted living |
| 8 | facilities relating to liability claims; amending s. |
| 9 | 429.35, F.S.; removing an obsolete reporting requirement; |
| 10 | amending s. 429.41, F.S.; removing a provision requiring |
| 11 | the Department of Elderly Affairs to submit to the |
| 12 | Legislature for review and comment a copy of proposed |
| 13 | department rules establishing standards for resident care; |
| 14 | repealing s. 429.54, F.S.; repealing a provision |
| 15 | authorizing the Department of Elderly Affairs to collect |
| 16 | information regarding the cost of providing certain |
| 17 | services in facilities and to conduct field visits and |
| 18 | audits; repealing a provision authorizing a local subsidy; |
| 19 | providing an effective date. |
| 20 |
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| 21 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 22 |
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| 23 | Section 1. Subsection (9) of section 429.19, Florida |
| 24 | Statutes, is amended to read: |
| 25 | 429.19 Violations; imposition of administrative fines; |
| 26 | grounds.- |
| 27 | (9) The agency shall develop and disseminate an annual |
| 28 | list of all facilities sanctioned or fined for violations of |
| 29 | state standards, the number and class of violations involved, |
| 30 | the penalties imposed, and the current status of cases. The list |
| 31 | shall be disseminated, at no charge, to the Department of |
| 32 | Elderly Affairs, the Department of Health, the Department of |
| 33 | Children and Family Services, the Agency for Persons with |
| 34 | Disabilities, the area agencies on aging, the Florida Statewide |
| 35 | Advocacy Council, and the state and local ombudsman councils. |
| 36 | The Department of Children and Family Services shall disseminate |
| 37 | the list to service providers under contract to the department |
| 38 | who are responsible for referring persons to a facility for |
| 39 | residency. The agency may charge a fee commensurate with the |
| 40 | cost of printing and postage to other interested parties |
| 41 | requesting a copy of this list. This information may be provided |
| 42 | electronically or through the agency's Internet site. |
| 43 | Section 2. Subsections (6) through (10) of section 429.23, |
| 44 | Florida Statutes, are renumbered as subsections (5) through (9), |
| 45 | respectively, and present subsection (5) of that section is |
| 46 | amended to read: |
| 47 | 429.23 Internal risk management and quality assurance |
| 48 | program; adverse incidents and reporting requirements.- |
| 49 | (5) Each facility shall report monthly to the agency any |
| 50 | liability claim filed against it. The report must include the |
| 51 | name of the resident, the dates of the incident leading to the |
| 52 | claim, if applicable, and the type of injury or violation of |
| 53 | rights alleged to have occurred. This report is not discoverable |
| 54 | in any civil or administrative action, except in such actions |
| 55 | brought by the agency to enforce the provisions of this part. |
| 56 | Section 3. Subsection (3) of section 429.35, Florida |
| 57 | Statutes, is renumbered as subsection (2), and present |
| 58 | subsection (2) of that section is amended to read: |
| 59 | 429.35 Maintenance of records; reports.- |
| 60 | (2) Within 60 days after the date of the biennial |
| 61 | inspection visit required under s. 408.811 or within 30 days |
| 62 | after the date of any interim visit, the agency shall forward |
| 63 | the results of the inspection to the local ombudsman council in |
| 64 | whose planning and service area, as defined in part II of |
| 65 | chapter 400, the facility is located; to at least one public |
| 66 | library or, in the absence of a public library, the county seat |
| 67 | in the county in which the inspected assisted living facility is |
| 68 | located; and, when appropriate, to the district Adult Services |
| 69 | and Mental Health Program Offices. |
| 70 | Section 4. Subsections (4) and (5) of section 429.41, |
| 71 | Florida Statutes, are renumbered as subsections (3) and (4), |
| 72 | respectively, and present subsection (3) of that section is |
| 73 | amended to read: |
| 74 | 429.41 Rules establishing standards.- |
| 75 | (3) The department shall submit a copy of proposed rules |
| 76 | to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the President of |
| 77 | the Senate, and appropriate committees of substance for review |
| 78 | and comment prior to the promulgation thereof. Rules promulgated |
| 79 | by the department shall encourage the development of homelike |
| 80 | facilities which promote the dignity, individuality, personal |
| 81 | strengths, and decisionmaking ability of residents. |
| 82 | Section 5. Section 429.54, Florida Statutes, is repealed. |
| 83 | Section 6. This act shall take effect July 1, 2011. |