Florida Senate - 2014                              CS for SB 262
       
       
        
       By the Committee on Community Affairs; and Senator Abruzzo
       
       
       
       
       
       578-01644-14                                           2014262c1
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to motorist safety; authorizing the
    3         governing body of a county to create a yellow dot
    4         critical motorist medical information program for
    5         certain purposes; authorizing a county to solicit
    6         sponsorships and enter into an interlocal agreement
    7         with another county to solicit such sponsorships for
    8         the medical information program; authorizing the
    9         Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles and
   10         the Department of Transportation to provide education
   11         and training and publicize the program; requiring the
   12         program to be free to participants; providing for
   13         yellow dot program applications, decals, folders, and
   14         participant information forms; providing procedures
   15         for use of the decal, folder, and form; providing for
   16         limited use of information on the forms by emergency
   17         medical responders; requiring the governing body of a
   18         participating county to adopt guidelines and
   19         procedures to ensure that confidential information is
   20         not made public; providing an effective date.
   21          
   22  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   23  
   24         Section 1. Yellow dot critical motorist medical information
   25  program; yellow dot decal, folder, and information form.—
   26         (1) The governing body of a county may create a yellow dot
   27  critical motorist medical information program to facilitate the
   28  provision of emergency medical care to program participants by
   29  emergency medical responders by making critical medical
   30  information readily available to responders in the event of a
   31  motor vehicle accident or a medical emergency involving a
   32  participant’s vehicle.
   33         (2)(a) The governing body of a county may solicit
   34  sponsorships from business entities and not-for-profit
   35  organizations to cover the costs of the program, including the
   36  cost of decals and folders that must be provided free of charge
   37  to participants. Two or more counties may enter into an
   38  interlocal agreement to solicit such sponsorships.
   39         (b) The Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles or
   40  the Department of Transportation may provide education and
   41  training to encourage emergency medical responders to
   42  participate in the program and may take reasonable measures to
   43  publicize the program.
   44         (3) Any owner or lessee of a motor vehicle may participate
   45  in the program upon submission of an application and
   46  documentation in the form and manner prescribed by the governing
   47  body of the county.
   48         (a) The application form must include a statement that the
   49  information submitted will be disclosed only to authorized
   50  personnel of law enforcement and public safety agencies,
   51  emergency medical services agencies, and hospitals for the
   52  purposes authorized in subsection (5).
   53         (b) The application form must describe the confidential
   54  nature of the medical information voluntarily provided by the
   55  participant and must include a notice to the participant stating
   56  that, by providing the medical information and signing the form,
   57  he or she agrees to the disclosure of the medical information to
   58  authorized personnel and their use of such information solely
   59  for the purposes listed in subsection (5).
   60         (c) The county may not charge a fee to participate in the
   61  yellow dot program.
   62         (4) A participant shall receive a yellow dot decal, a
   63  yellow dot folder, and a form containing the personal and
   64  medical information provided by the participant.
   65         (a) The participant shall affix the decal onto the rear
   66  window in the left lower corner of a motor vehicle or in a
   67  clearly visible location on a motorcycle.
   68         (b) A person who rides in a motor vehicle as a passenger
   69  may also participate in the program but may not be issued a
   70  decal if a decal has been issued to the owner or lessee of the
   71  motor vehicle in which the person rides.
   72         (c) The yellow dot folder, which shall be stored in the
   73  glove compartment of the motor vehicle or in a compartment
   74  attached to a motorcycle, shall contain a form with the
   75  following information about the participant:
   76         1. The participant’s name.
   77         2. The participant’s photograph.
   78         3. Emergency contact information for no more than two
   79  persons.
   80         4. The participant’s medical information, including medical
   81  conditions, recent surgeries, allergies, and current
   82  medications.
   83         5. The participant’s hospital preference.
   84         6. Contact information for no more than two physicians.
   85         (5)(a) If the driver or a passenger of a motor vehicle is
   86  involved in a motor vehicle accident or emergency situation and
   87  a yellow dot decal is affixed to the vehicle, an emergency
   88  medical responder at the scene may search the glove compartment
   89  of the vehicle for the corresponding yellow dot folder.
   90         (b) The use of the information contained in the yellow dot
   91  folder by an emergency medical responder at the scene is limited
   92  to the following purposes:
   93         1. To positively identify the participant.
   94         2. To ascertain whether the participant has a medical
   95  condition that might impede communications between the
   96  participant and the responder.
   97         3. To access the medical information form.
   98         4. To ensure that the participant’s current medications and
   99  preexisting medical conditions are considered when emergency
  100  medical treatment is administered for any injury to or condition
  101  of the participant.
  102         (6) The governing body of a participating county shall
  103  adopt guidelines and procedures to prevent the public disclosure
  104  of confidential information through the program.
  105         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2014.