Florida Senate - 2012                        COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
       Bill No. SB 332
       
       
       
       
       
       
                                Barcode 849448                          
       
                              LEGISLATIVE ACTION                        
                    Senate             .             House              
                  Comm: RCS            .                                
                  12/07/2011           .                                
                                       .                                
                                       .                                
                                       .                                
       —————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————




       —————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
       The Committee on Health Regulation (Sobel) recommended the
       following:
       
    1         Senate Amendment (with title amendment)
    2  
    3         Delete everything after the enacting clause
    4  and insert:
    5         Section 1. Section 383.3362, Florida Statutes, is amended
    6  to read:
    7         383.3362 Sudden Infant death Syndrome.—
    8         (1) FINDINGS AND INTENT.—The Legislature recognizes that
    9  the sudden unexpected death of an infant who is in apparent good
   10  health Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, or SIDS, is a leading cause
   11  of death among infants children under the age of 1 year, both
   12  nationally and in this state. The Legislature further recognizes
   13  that first responders to emergency calls relating to such a
   14  death need access to special training to better enable them to
   15  recognize that such deaths may result from natural or accidental
   16  causes or may be distinguish SIDS from death caused by criminal
   17  acts and to appropriately interact with the deceased infant’s
   18  parents or caretakers. At the same time, the Legislature,
   19  recognizing that the primary focus of first responders is to
   20  carry out their assigned duties, intends to increase the
   21  awareness of possible causes of a sudden unexpected infant death
   22  SIDS by first responders, but in no way expand or take away from
   23  their duties. Further, the Legislature recognizes the importance
   24  of a multidisciplinary investigation and standardized
   25  investigative protocols in cases of sudden unexpected infant
   26  death standard protocol for review of SIDS deaths by medical
   27  examiners and the importance of appropriate followup in cases of
   28  certified or suspected SIDS deaths. Finally, the Legislature
   29  finds that it is desirable to analyze existing data, and to
   30  conduct further research on, the possible causes of infant death
   31  SIDS and how to reduce lower the number of sudden unexpected
   32  infant deaths.
   33         (2) DEFINITION.—As used in this section, the term:
   34         (a) “Sudden Infant Death Syndrome,” or “SIDS,” refers to
   35  means the sudden unexpected death of an infant under 1 year of
   36  age whose death appears to be a result of natural causes but
   37  which remains unexplained after a complete autopsy, death-scene
   38  investigation, and review of the case history. The term includes
   39  only those deaths for which, currently, there is no known cause
   40  or cure.
   41         (b) “Sudden Unexpected Infant Death” or “SUID” refers to
   42  the sudden unexpected death of an infant under 1 year of age in
   43  apparent good health and whose death may have been a result of
   44  natural or unnatural causes.
   45         (3) TRAINING.—
   46         (a) The Legislature finds that an emergency medical
   47  technician, a paramedic, a firefighter, or a law enforcement
   48  officer is likely to be the first responder to a request for
   49  assistance which is made immediately after the sudden unexpected
   50  death of an infant. The Legislature further finds that these
   51  first responders should be trained in appropriate responses to
   52  sudden infant death.
   53         (b) After January 1, 1995, The basic training programs
   54  required for certification as an emergency medical technician, a
   55  paramedic, a firefighter, or a law enforcement officer as
   56  defined in s. 943.10, other than a correctional officer or a
   57  correctional probation officer, must include curriculum that
   58  contains instruction on SUID Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.
   59         (c) The Department of Health, in consultation with the
   60  Emergency Medical Services Advisory Council, the Firefighters
   61  Employment, Standards, and Training Council, and the Criminal
   62  Justice Standards and Training Commission, shall develop and
   63  adopt, by rule, curriculum that, at a minimum, includes training
   64  in SUID the nature of SIDS, standard procedures to be followed
   65  by law enforcement agencies in investigating cases involving
   66  sudden deaths of infants, and training in responding
   67  appropriately to the parents or caretakers who have requested
   68  assistance.
   69         (4) AUTOPSIES.—
   70         (a) The sudden unexpected death of any infant under 1 year
   71  of age who was in apparent good health falls under the
   72  jurisdiction of the medical examiner pursuant to s. 406.11 must
   73  perform an autopsy upon any infant under the age of 1 year who
   74  is suspected to have died of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. The
   75  autopsy must be performed within 24 hours after the death, or as
   76  soon thereafter as is feasible. When the medical examiner’s
   77  findings are consistent with the definition of sudden infant
   78  death syndrome in subsection (2), the medical examiner must
   79  state on the death certificate that sudden infant death syndrome
   80  was the cause of death.
   81         (b) The Medical Examiners Commission shall provide for the
   82  development and implementation of develop and implement a
   83  protocol for medical and legal investigation of sudden
   84  unexpected infant death dealing with suspected sudden infant
   85  death syndrome. The protocol must be followed by all medical
   86  examiners when conducting the autopsies required under this
   87  subsection. The protocol may include requirements and standards
   88  for scene investigations, requirements for specific data,
   89  criteria for ascertaining cause of death based on the autopsy,
   90  criteria for any specific tissue sampling, and any other
   91  requirements that the commission considers necessary.
   92         (c) A medical examiner is not liable for damages in a civil
   93  action for any act or omission done in compliance with this
   94  subsection.
   95         (d) An autopsy must be performed under the authority of a
   96  medical examiner under s. 406.11.
   97         (5) DEPARTMENT DUTIES RELATING TO SUDDEN UNEXPECTED INFANT
   98  DEATH (SUID) DEATH SYNDROME (SIDS).—The Department of Health
   99  shall:
  100         (a) Collaborate with other agencies in the development and
  101  presentation of the Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (SUID) Death
  102  Syndrome (SIDS) training programs for first responders,
  103  including those for emergency medical technicians and
  104  paramedics, firefighters, and law enforcement officers.
  105         (b) Maintain a database of statistics on reported sudden
  106  unexpected infant deaths SIDS deaths, and analyze the data as
  107  funds allow.
  108         (c) Serve as liaison and closely coordinate activities with
  109  the Florida SIDS Alliance, including the services related to the
  110  SIDS hotline.
  111         (d) Maintain a library reference list and materials about
  112  SUID SIDS for public dissemination.
  113         (e) Provide professional support to field staff.
  114         (f) Coordinate the activities of and promote a link between
  115  the fetal and infant mortality review committees of the local
  116  healthy start coalitions, the local SIDS alliance, and other
  117  related support groups.
  118         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2012.
  119  
  120  ================= T I T L E  A M E N D M E N T ================
  121         And the title is amended as follows:
  122         Delete everything before the enacting clause
  123  and insert:
  124                        A bill to be entitled                      
  125         An act relating to infant death; amending s. 383.3362,
  126         F.S.; revising legislative findings and intent with
  127         respect to the sudden unexpected death of an infant
  128         under a specified age; defining the term “Sudden
  129         Unexpected Infant Death”; revising provisions relating
  130         to training requirements for first responders;
  131         revising requirements relating to autopsies performed
  132         by medical examiners; requiring the Medical Examiners
  133         Commission to provide for the development and
  134         implementation of a protocol for the medical and legal
  135         investigation of sudden unexpected infant deaths;
  136         deleting references to the SIDS hotline and local SIDS
  137         alliances; providing an effective date.