Florida Senate - 2024                                     SB 880
       
       
        
       By Senator Stewart
       
       
       
       
       
       17-00483-24                                            2024880__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to safe collection of medical sharps;
    3         defining the term “medical sharps”; requiring the
    4         Department of Health, in partnership with the
    5         Department of Environmental Protection, to conduct a
    6         study of the safe collection and proper disposal of
    7         at-home medical sharps; providing requirements for the
    8         study; authorizing the departments to work or contract
    9         with municipalities and private entities that apply to
   10         participate in the study; requiring the departments to
   11         submit a report of their findings and recommendations
   12         to the Governor and the Legislature by a specified
   13         date; providing requirements for the report; providing
   14         an appropriation; providing an effective date.
   15          
   16  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   17  
   18         Section 1. Medical sharps collection study.—
   19         (1) As used in this section, the term “medical sharps”
   20  means instruments used to cut or penetrate the skin for medical
   21  purposes. The term includes, but is not limited to, needles,
   22  syringes with needles, tissue punches, lancets, and razor
   23  blades.
   24         (2) The Department of Health, in partnership with the
   25  Department of Environmental Protection, shall conduct a year
   26  long study of the safe collection and proper disposal of at-home
   27  medical sharps. In conducting the study, the departments shall
   28  evaluate at least the following two methods of safe disposal in
   29  both rural and urban environments:
   30         (a) Mail-back programs.
   31         (b) Door-to-door pickup programs.
   32         (3) The departments may work or contract with
   33  municipalities and private entities that apply to participate in
   34  the study.
   35         (4) The departments shall submit a report of their findings
   36  and recommendations to the Governor, the President of the
   37  Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives by July
   38  1, 2025. The report must include, at a minimum, all of the
   39  following:
   40         (a) The cost and effectiveness of each of the medical
   41  sharps collection programs studied.
   42         (b) Recommendations for the most effective method for
   43  safely collecting medical sharps, including the estimated costs
   44  associated with statewide adoption of such method.
   45         (c) Details regarding the current practices of
   46  municipalities in this state, recommendations for improving
   47  existing programs, and whether any municipalities have updated
   48  or adopted programs based on the findings of the study.
   49         Section 2. For the 2024-2025 fiscal year, the nonrecurring
   50  sum of $200,000 from the Solid Waste Management Trust Fund is
   51  appropriated to the Department of Health and the Department of
   52  Environmental Protection to implement this act.
   53         Section 3. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law.