Florida Senate - 2026                                    SB 1540
       
       
        
       By Senator Pizzo
       
       
       
       
       
       37-01448-26                                           20261540__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to missing endangered persons;
    3         creating s. 937.032, F.S.; authorizing hospitals to
    4         disclose specified information about admitted patients
    5         to law enforcement agencies for a specified purpose
    6         and under certain circumstances; authorizing hospitals
    7         to search and use hospital records of admitted
    8         patients to identify potential matches to persons
    9         listed as missing on the Missing Endangered Persons
   10         Information Clearinghouse; authorizing hospitals to
   11         report to the appropriate law enforcement agency if
   12         they suspect that an admitted patient of the hospital
   13         matches the description of a missing endangered person
   14         in the clearinghouse; authorizing the Agency for
   15         Health Care Administration to adopt certain rules;
   16         providing an effective date.
   17          
   18  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   19  
   20         Section 1. Section 937.032, Florida Statutes, is created to
   21  read:
   22         937.032 Missing endangered persons; hospital records;
   23  access and use.—
   24         (1) In accordance with 45 C.F.R. s. 164.512(f)(2), a
   25  hospital may disclose any of the following information about an
   26  admitted patient to a law enforcement agency, either upon
   27  request or pursuant to subsection (2), for the limited purpose
   28  of identifying or locating a missing endangered person:
   29         (a) Name and address.
   30         (b) Date and place of birth.
   31         (c) Social security number.
   32         (d) ABO blood type and rh factor.
   33         (e) Type of injury.
   34         (f) Date and time of treatment.
   35         (g) Date and time of death, if applicable.
   36         (h) A description of distinguishing physical
   37  characteristics, including height, weight, gender, race, hair
   38  and eye color, scars, tattoos, and presence or absence of facial
   39  hair, such as a beard or moustache.
   40         (2) Hospitals may search and use hospital records of
   41  admitted patients for purposes of identifying potential matches
   42  to persons listed as missing on the Missing Endangered Persons
   43  Information Clearinghouse. If it is suspected that an admitted
   44  patient of the hospital matches the description of a missing
   45  endangered person in the clearinghouse, the hospital may report
   46  any of the information specified in subsection (1) to the
   47  appropriate law enforcement agency.
   48         (3) The Agency for Health Care Administration may adopt
   49  rules to implement uniform reporting procedures for hospitals
   50  under this section.
   51         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026.