Florida Senate - 2026 COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
Bill No. SB 298
Ì3421761Î342176
LEGISLATIVE ACTION
Senate . House
Comm: RCS .
12/09/2025 .
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The Committee on Criminal Justice (Berman) recommended the
following:
1 Senate Amendment (with title amendment)
2
3 Delete everything after the enacting clause
4 and insert:
5 Section 1. Section 741.465, Florida Statutes, is amended to
6 read:
7 741.465 Public records exemption for the Address
8 Confidentiality Program for Victims of Domestic and Dating
9 Violence.—
10 (1) For purposes of this section, the term “address” means
11 a residential street address, school address, or work address,
12 as specified on the individual’s application to be a program
13 participant in the Address Confidentiality Program for Victims
14 of Domestic and Dating Violence.
15 (2)(1) The addresses, corresponding telephone numbers, and
16 social security numbers of program participants in the Address
17 Confidentiality Program for Victims of Domestic and Dating
18 Violence held by the Office of the Attorney General are exempt
19 from s. 119.07(1) and s. 24(a), Art. I of the State
20 Constitution, except the information may be disclosed under the
21 following circumstances: to a law enforcement agency for
22 purposes of assisting in the execution of a valid arrest
23 warrant; if directed by a court order, to a person identified in
24 the order; or if the certification has been canceled. For
25 purposes of this section, the term “address” means a residential
26 street address, school address, or work address, as specified on
27 the individual’s application to be a program participant in the
28 Address Confidentiality Program for Victims of Domestic
29 Violence.
30 (3)(2) The names, addresses, and telephone numbers of
31 participants in the Address Confidentiality Program for Victims
32 of Domestic and Dating Violence contained in voter registration
33 and voting records held by the supervisor of elections and the
34 Department of State are exempt from s. 119.07(1) and s. 24(a),
35 Art. I of the State Constitution, except the information may be
36 disclosed under the following circumstances: to a law
37 enforcement agency for purposes of assisting in the execution of
38 an arrest warrant or, if directed by a court order, to a person
39 identified in the order. This exemption applies to information
40 made exempt by this subsection before, on, or after the
41 effective date of the exemption.
42 (4)(a) Subsections (2) and (3) apply to records held by the
43 Office of the Attorney General, the Department of State, and
44 each supervisor of elections before, on, or after the effective
45 date of the exemptions.
46 (b) This section is subject to the Open Government Sunset
47 Review Act in accordance with s. 119.15 and shall stand repealed
48 on October 2, 2031, unless reviewed and saved from repeal
49 through reenactment by the Legislature.
50 Section 2. (1) The Legislature finds that it is a public
51 necessity that the addresses, corresponding telephone numbers,
52 and social security numbers of victims of dating violence who
53 participate in the Address Confidentiality Program for Victims
54 of Domestic and Dating Violence held by the Office of the
55 Attorney General be made exempt from s. 119.07(1), Florida
56 Statutes, and s. 24(a), Article I of the State Constitution. The
57 Legislature recognizes that greater protection is needed for
58 victims of dating violence, similar to that currently afforded
59 to victims of domestic violence, to prevent harm from assailants
60 or probable assailants who are attempting to find them. The
61 Legislature finds that release of such information could
62 significantly threaten the physical safety and security of
63 victims of dating violence who participate in the program and
64 that the harm that may result from the release of the
65 information outweighs any public benefit that might result from
66 public disclosure of the information.
67 (2) The Legislature finds that it is a public necessity
68 that the names, addresses, and telephone numbers contained in
69 voter registration and voting records of victims of dating
70 violence who participate in the Address Confidentiality Program
71 for Victims of Domestic and Dating Violence held by the
72 supervisor of elections and the Department of State be made
73 exempt from s. 119.07(1), Florida Statutes, and s. 24(a),
74 Article I of the State Constitution. Victims of dating violence
75 who are participants in the program will have demonstrated to
76 the Office of the Attorney General that there exists a risk to
77 their physical safety and security. Nonetheless, these program
78 participants must be afforded the ability to participate in
79 society and cast a vote in elections. However, the supervisor of
80 elections must have a verifiable address for a program
81 participant in order to place the participant in the proper
82 voting district and to maintain accurate records for compliance
83 with state and federal requirements. The public record exemption
84 for the name of a victim of dating violence who is a participant
85 in the program is a public necessity because access to such name
86 narrows the location of that participant to his or her voting
87 area. In addition, access to such participant’s address and
88 telephone number provides specific location and contact
89 information for the participant. Therefore, access to the
90 participant’s name, address, and telephone number defeats the
91 sole purpose of the Address Confidentiality Program for Victims
92 of Domestic and Dating Violence, which is to provide safety and
93 security to every participant.
94 Section 3. This act shall take effect on the same date that
95 SB 296 or similar legislation takes effect, if such legislation
96 is adopted in the same legislative session or an extension
97 thereof and becomes a law.
98
99 ================= T I T L E A M E N D M E N T ================
100 And the title is amended as follows:
101 Delete everything before the enacting clause
102 and insert:
103 A bill to be entitled
104 An act relating to public records; amending s.
105 741.465, F.S.; providing that certain identifying
106 information of victims of dating violence who
107 participate in the Address Confidentiality Program for
108 Victims of Domestic and Dating Violence which are held
109 by the Office of the Attorney General or contained in
110 voter registration or voting records held by the
111 supervisor of elections or the Department of State are
112 exempt from public records requirements; providing for
113 retroactive application; providing for future
114 legislative review and repeal; providing statements of
115 public necessity; providing a contingent effective
116 date.