Florida Senate - 2013 COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
Bill No. SB 56
Barcode 540308
LEGISLATIVE ACTION
Senate . House
Comm: RCS .
03/13/2013 .
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The Committee on Children, Families, and Elder Affairs (Hays)
recommended the following:
1 Senate Amendment (with title amendment)
2
3 Delete everything after the enacting clause
4 and insert:
5 Section 1. Paragraph (f) of subsection (2) of section
6 383.311, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
7 383.311 Education and orientation for birth center clients
8 and their families.—
9 (2) The clients shall be prepared for childbirth and
10 childbearing by education in:
11 (f) The care of the newborn to include safe sleep practices
12 and the possible causes of Sudden Unexpected Infant Death.
13 Section 2. Paragraph (e) of subsection (3) of section
14 383.318, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
15 383.318 Postpartum care for birth center clients and
16 infants.—
17 (3) Postpartum evaluation and followup care shall be
18 provided, which shall include:
19 (e) Instruction in child care, including immunization, and
20 breastfeeding, safe sleep practices, and possible causes of
21 Sudden Unexpected Infant Death.
22 Section 3. Section 383.3362, Florida Statutes, is amended
23 to read:
24 383.3362 Sudden Unexpected Infant Death Syndrome.—
25 (1) FINDINGS AND INTENT.—The Legislature recognizes that
26 more than 4,500 infants in the United States die suddenly and
27 unexpectedly of no immediate or obvious cause. According to
28 statistics from the Department of Health, more than 200 infants
29 in this state experienced Sudden Unexpected Infant Death in 2010
30 sudden Infant death Syndrome, or SIDS, is a leading cause of
31 death among children under the age of 1 year, both nationally
32 and in this state. The Legislature further recognizes that first
33 responders to emergency calls relating to such a death need
34 access to special training to better enable them to recognize
35 that such deaths may result from natural and accidental causes
36 or may be caused distinguish SIDS from death caused by criminal
37 acts and to appropriately interact with the deceased infant’s
38 parents or caretakers. At the same time, the Legislature,
39 recognizing that the primary focus of first responders is to
40 carry out their assigned duties, intends to increase the
41 awareness of the possible causes of Sudden Unexpected Infant
42 Death SIDS by first responders, but in no way expand or take
43 away from their duties. Further, the Legislature recognizes the
44 importance of a multidisciplinary investigation and standardized
45 investigative protocols in cases of Sudden Unexpected Infant
46 Death standard protocol for review of SIDS deaths by medical
47 examiners and the importance of appropriate followup in cases of
48 certified or suspected SIDS deaths. Finally, the Legislature
49 finds that it is desirable to analyze existing data, and to
50 conduct further research on, the possible causes of Sudden
51 Unexpected Infant Death SIDS and on how to reduce its incidence
52 lower the number of sudden infant deaths.
53 (2) DEFINITION.—As used in this section, the term “Sudden
54 Unexpected Infant Death Syndrome,” or “SUID,” “SIDS,” means the
55 sudden unexpected death of an infant under 1 year of age while
56 in apparent good health whose death may have been a result of
57 natural or unnatural causes which remains unexplained after a
58 complete autopsy, death-scene investigation, and review of the
59 case history. The term includes only those deaths for which,
60 currently, there is no known cause or cure.
61 (3) TRAINING.—
62 (a) The Legislature finds that an emergency medical
63 technician, a paramedic, a firefighter, or a law enforcement
64 officer is likely to be the first responder to a request for
65 assistance which is made immediately after the sudden unexpected
66 death of an infant. The Legislature further finds that these
67 first responders should be trained in appropriate responses to
68 sudden infant death.
69 (b) After January 1, 1995, The basic training programs
70 required for certification as an emergency medical technician, a
71 paramedic, a firefighter, or a law enforcement officer as
72 defined in s. 943.10, other than a correctional officer or a
73 correctional probation officer, must include curriculum that
74 contains instruction on SUID Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.
75 (c) The Department of Health, in consultation with the
76 Emergency Medical Services Advisory Council, the Firefighters
77 Employment, Standards, and Training Council, the child
78 protection teams established in the Division of Children’s
79 Medical Services, and the Criminal Justice Standards and
80 Training Commission, shall develop and adopt, by rule,
81 curriculum that is as part of the Centers for Disease Control
82 SUID Initiative which must that, at a minimum, includes training
83 in the nature of SIDS, standard procedures to be followed by law
84 enforcement agencies in investigating cases involving sudden
85 deaths of infants, and training in responding appropriately to
86 the parents or caretakers who have requested assistance.
87 (4) AUTOPSIES.—
88 (a) The death of any infant younger than 1 year of age who
89 dies suddenly and unexpectedly while in apparent good health
90 falls under the jurisdiction of the medical examiner as provided
91 in s. 406.11 The medical examiner must perform an autopsy upon
92 any infant under the age of 1 year who is suspected to have died
93 of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. The autopsy must be performed
94 within 24 hours after the death, or as soon thereafter as is
95 feasible. When the medical examiner’s findings are consistent
96 with the definition of sudden infant death syndrome in
97 subsection (2), the medical examiner must state on the death
98 certificate that sudden infant death syndrome was the cause of
99 death.
100 (b) The Medical Examiners Commission shall provide for the
101 development and implementation of develop and implement a
102 protocol for the medicolegal investigation of SUID dealing with
103 suspected sudden infant death syndrome. The protocol must be
104 followed by all medical examiners when conducting the autopsies
105 required under this subsection. The protocol may include
106 requirements and standards for scene investigations,
107 requirements for specific data, criteria for any specific tissue
108 sampling, and any other requirements that are deemed
109 ascertaining cause of death based on the autopsy, criteria for
110 any specific tissue sampling, and any other requirements that
111 the commission considers necessary.
112 (c) A medical examiner is not liable for damages in a civil
113 action for any act or omission done in compliance with this
114 subsection.
115 (d) An autopsy must be performed under the authority of a
116 medical examiner under s. 406.11.
117 (5) DEPARTMENT DUTIES RELATING TO SUDDEN UNEXPECTED INFANT
118 DEATH (SUID) SYNDROME (SIDS).—The Department of Health, in
119 consultation with the child protection teams established in the
120 Division of Children’s Medical Services, shall:
121 (a) Collaborate with other agencies in the development and
122 presentation of the SUID Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)
123 training programs for first responders, including those for
124 emergency medical technicians and paramedics, firefighters, and
125 law enforcement officers.
126 (b) Maintain a database of statistics on reported SUID SIDS
127 deaths, and analyze the data as funds allow.
128 (c) Serve as liaison and closely coordinate activities with
129 the Florida SIDS Alliance, including the services related to the
130 SIDS hotline.
131 (d) Maintain a library reference list and materials about
132 SUID SIDS for public dissemination.
133 (e) Provide professional support to field staff.
134 (f) Coordinate the activities of and promote a link between
135 the fetal and infant mortality review committees of the local
136 healthy start coalitions, the Florida local SIDS Alliance, and
137 other related support groups.
138 Section 4. Section 395.1053, Florida Statutes, is created
139 to read:
140 395.1053 Postpartum education.—A hospital that provides
141 birthing services shall incorporate information on safe sleep
142 practices and the possible causes of Sudden Unexpected Infant
143 Death into the hospital’s postpartum instruction on the care of
144 newborns.
145 Section 5. This act shall take effect July 1, 2013.
146
147 ================= T I T L E A M E N D M E N T ================
148 And the title is amended as follows:
149 Delete everything before the enacting clause
150 and insert:
151 A bill to be entitled
152 An act relating to infant death; amending s. 383.311,
153 F.S.; revising the education and orientation
154 requirements for birth centers and their families to
155 incorporate safe sleep practices and causes of Sudden
156 Unexpected Infant Death; amending s. 383.318, F.S.;
157 revising the postpartum care for birth center clients
158 and infants to incorporate instruction on safe sleep
159 practices and causes of Sudden Unexpected Infant
160 Death; amending s. 383.3362, F.S.; revising
161 legislative findings and intent with respect to the
162 sudden unexpected death of an infant under a specified
163 age; defining the term “Sudden Unexpected Infant
164 Death”; revising provisions relating to training
165 requirements for first responders; revising
166 requirements relating to autopsies performed by
167 medical examiners; requiring the Medical Examiners
168 Commission to provide for the development and
169 implementation of a protocol for the medicolegal
170 investigation of Sudden Unexpected Infant Death;
171 creating s. 395.1053, F.S.; requiring a hospital that
172 provides birthing services to incorporate information
173 on safe sleep practices and the possible causes of
174 sudden unexpected infant death into the hospital’s
175 postpartum instruction on the care of newborns;
176 providing an effective date.