Florida Senate - 2020 SB 1718 By Senator Brandes 24-01992-20 20201718__ 1 A bill to be entitled 2 An act relating to public meetings and records; 3 amending s. 945.0912, F.S.; exempting from public 4 meetings requirements the protected health information 5 of specified inmates being considered for the 6 conditional aging inmate release program; exempting 7 from public records requirements certain records used 8 by the reviewing panel to make a determination of the 9 appropriateness of conditional aging inmate release 10 and the recordings of closed panel review hearings; 11 providing for legislative review and repeal of the 12 exemption; providing a statement of public necessity; 13 providing an effective date. 14 15 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 16 17 Section 1. Present subsection (7) of section 945.0912, 18 Florida Statutes, as created by SB 574, 2020 Regular Session, is 19 redesignated as subsection (8), and a new subsection (7) is 20 added to that section, to read: 21 945.0912 Conditional aging inmate release.— 22 (7) PUBLIC MEETINGS AND RECORDS EXEMPTIONS.— 23 (a) That portion of a panel review hearing conducted in 24 accordance with this section during which the panel will discuss 25 protected information that is confidential and exempt under 26 state or federal law, such as protected health information 27 covered by the Health Insurance Portability and Protection Act, 28 is exempt from s. 286.011 and s. 24(b), Art. I of the State 29 Constitution. If the panel must discuss exempt information 30 during the course of its meeting, the following requirements 31 must be met: 32 1. The panel must announce at the public meeting that, in 33 connection with the performance of the panel’s duties, protected 34 information must be discussed; 35 2. The panel must declare the specific reasons that it is 36 necessary to close the meeting, or a portion thereof, in a 37 document that is a public record and filed with the official 38 records of the program; and 39 3. The entire closed hearing must be recorded. The 40 recording must include the times of commencement and termination 41 of the closed hearing or portion thereof, all discussion and 42 proceedings, and the names of the persons present. The 43 department shall maintain the recording. 44 (b)1. That portion of the records the panel uses to 45 determine the appropriateness of conditional aging inmate 46 release which includes any of the inmate’s protected information 47 is confidential and exempt from disclosure under s. 119.07(1) 48 and s. 24(a), Art. I of the State Constitution. 49 2. Any audio or video recording of, and any minutes and 50 notes generated during, a closed hearing of the panel or closed 51 portion of a hearing of the panel are exempt from disclosure 52 under s. 119.07(1) and s. 24(a), Art. I of the State 53 Constitution. Such audio or video recording and minutes and 54 notes must be retained pursuant to the requirements of s. 55 119.021. 56 (c) Only members of the panel, staff supporting the panel’s 57 functions, and other persons whose presence has been authorized 58 by the panel shall be allowed to attend the closed portions of 59 panel hearings. The panel shall ensure that any closure of its 60 meetings as authorized by this section is limited so that the 61 policy of the state in favor of public meetings is maintained. 62 (d) This subsection is subject to the Open Government 63 Sunset Review Act in accordance with s. 119.15 and shall stand 64 repealed on October 2, 2025, unless reviewed and saved from 65 repeal through reenactment by the Legislature. 66 Section 2. The Legislature finds that it is a public 67 necessity that the hearings or portions of hearings during which 68 an inmate’s personal information is discussed by the review 69 panel considering an inmate’s conditional aging inmate release 70 be made exempt from s. 286.011, Florida Statutes, and s. 24(b), 71 Article I of the State Constitution. The Legislature finds that 72 the rights of an inmate afforded under other state or federal 73 laws that deem certain personal information confidential, such 74 as protected health information covered by the Health Insurance 75 Portability and Protection Act, be upheld and that the inmate’s 76 personal information not be disclosed to the public during such 77 hearings. The Legislature also finds that the recordings of a 78 panel review hearing and the records used by the panel to make 79 its determination be made exempt from disclosure under s. 80 119.07(1) and s. 24(a), Article I of the State Constitution. The 81 inmate’s personal health information, if publicly available, 82 could be used to invade his or her personal privacy. Making 83 these reports and discussions of such information confidential 84 and exempt from disclosure will protect information of a 85 sensitive personal nature, the release of which could cause 86 unwarranted damage to the privacy rights of the inmate. The 87 Legislature therefore finds that it is a public necessity that 88 such protected information remain confidential and exempt. 89 Section 3. This act shall take effect on the same date that 90 SB 574 or similar legislation relating to conditional aging 91 inmate release takes effect, if such legislation is adopted in 92 the same legislative session or an extension thereof and becomes 93 a law.