CS for SB 260 First Engrossed (ntc)
2014260e1
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to unaccompanied homeless youths;
3 amending s. 743.067, F.S.; defining the term
4 “unaccompanied homeless youth”; providing for a
5 certification; authorizing certain unaccompanied
6 homeless youths to consent to medical, dental,
7 psychological, substance abuse, and surgical diagnosis
8 and treatment, and forensic medical examinations for
9 themselves and for their children in certain
10 circumstances; providing that such consent does not
11 affect the requirements of the Parental Notice of
12 Abortion Act; providing an effective date.
13
14 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
15
16 Section 1. Section 743.067, Florida Statutes, is amended to
17 read:
18 743.067 Unaccompanied homeless youths.—
19 (1) For purposes of this section, an “unaccompanied
20 homeless youth” is an individual, as defined in 42 U.S.C. s.
21 11434a, who is also a certified homeless youth, as defined in s.
22 382.002, and who is 16 years of age or older and is:
23 (a) Found by a school district’s liaison for homeless
24 children and youths to be an unaccompanied homeless youth
25 eligible for services pursuant to the McKinney-Vento Homeless
26 Assistance Act, 42 U.S.C. ss. 11431-11435; or
27 (b) Believed to qualify as an unaccompanied homeless youth,
28 as that term is defined in the McKinney-Vento Homeless
29 Assistance Act, by:
30 1. The director of an emergency shelter program funded by
31 the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development,
32 or the director’s designee;
33 2. The director of a runaway or homeless youth basic center
34 or transitional living program funded by the United States
35 Department of Health and Human Services, or the director’s
36 designee;
37 3. A clinical social worker licensed under chapter 491; or
38 4. A circuit court.
39 (2) A minor who qualifies as an unaccompanied homeless
40 youth shall be issued a written certificate documenting his or
41 her status by the appropriate individual as provided in
42 subsection (1). The certificate shall be issued on the official
43 letterhead stationery of the person making the determination and
44 shall include the date of the finding, a citation to this
45 section, and the signature of the individual making the finding.
46 A health care provider may accept the written certificate as
47 proof of the minor’s status as an unaccompanied homeless youth
48 and may keep a copy of the certificate in the youth’s medical
49 file.
50 (3) An unaccompanied homeless youth may:
51 (a) Petition the circuit court to have the disabilities of
52 nonage removed under s. 743.015. The youth shall qualify as a
53 person not required to prepay costs and fees as provided in s.
54 57.081. The court shall advance the cause on the calendar.
55 (b) Notwithstanding s. 394.4625(1), consent to medical,
56 dental, psychological, substance abuse, and surgical diagnosis
57 and treatment, including preventative care and care by a
58 facility licensed under chapter 394, chapter 395, or chapter 397
59 and any forensic medical examination for the purpose of
60 investigating any felony offense under chapter 784, chapter 787,
61 chapter 794, chapter 800, or chapter 827, for:
62 1. Himself or herself; or
63 2. His or her child, if the unaccompanied homeless youth is
64 unmarried, is the parent of the child, and has actual custody of
65 the child.
66 (4) This section does not affect the requirements of s.
67 390.01114.
68 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2014.