Florida Senate - 2013                                     SB 110
       
       
       
       By Senator Flores
       
       
       
       
       37-00260-13                                            2013110__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to involuntary examinations under the
    3         Baker Act; amending s. 394.463, F.S.; authorizing
    4         physician assistants and advanced registered nurse
    5         practitioners to initiate involuntary examinations
    6         under the Baker Act of persons believed to have mental
    7         illness; providing an effective date.
    8  
    9  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   10  
   11         Section 1. Paragraph (a) of subsection (2) of section
   12  394.463, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
   13         394.463 Involuntary examination.—
   14         (2) INVOLUNTARY EXAMINATION.—
   15         (a) An involuntary examination may be initiated by any one
   16  of the following means:
   17         1. A court may enter an ex parte order stating that a
   18  person appears to meet the criteria for involuntary examination,
   19  giving the findings on which that conclusion is based. The ex
   20  parte order for involuntary examination must be based on sworn
   21  testimony, written or oral. If other less restrictive means are
   22  not available, such as voluntary appearance for outpatient
   23  evaluation, a law enforcement officer, or other designated agent
   24  of the court, shall take the person into custody and deliver him
   25  or her to the nearest receiving facility for involuntary
   26  examination. The order of the court shall be made a part of the
   27  patient’s clinical record. No fee shall be charged for the
   28  filing of an order under this subsection. Any receiving facility
   29  accepting the patient based on this order must send a copy of
   30  the order to the Agency for Health Care Administration on the
   31  next working day. The order shall be valid only until executed
   32  or, if not executed, for the period specified in the order
   33  itself. If no time limit is specified in the order, the order
   34  shall be valid for 7 days after the date that the order was
   35  signed.
   36         2. A law enforcement officer shall take a person who
   37  appears to meet the criteria for involuntary examination into
   38  custody and deliver the person or have him or her delivered to
   39  the nearest receiving facility for examination. The officer
   40  shall execute a written report detailing the circumstances under
   41  which the person was taken into custody, and the report shall be
   42  made a part of the patient’s clinical record. Any receiving
   43  facility accepting the patient based on this report must send a
   44  copy of the report to the Agency for Health Care Administration
   45  on the next working day.
   46         3. A physician, physician assistant, clinical psychologist,
   47  psychiatric nurse, mental health counselor, marriage and family
   48  therapist, or clinical social worker, or advanced registered
   49  nurse practitioner may execute a certificate stating that he or
   50  she has examined a person within the preceding 48 hours and
   51  finds that the person appears to meet the criteria for
   52  involuntary examination and stating the observations upon which
   53  that conclusion is based. If other less restrictive means are
   54  not available, such as voluntary appearance for outpatient
   55  evaluation, a law enforcement officer shall take the person
   56  named in the certificate into custody and deliver him or her to
   57  the nearest receiving facility for involuntary examination. The
   58  law enforcement officer shall execute a written report detailing
   59  the circumstances under which the person was taken into custody.
   60  The report and certificate shall be made a part of the patient’s
   61  clinical record. Any receiving facility accepting the patient
   62  based on this certificate must send a copy of the certificate to
   63  the Agency for Health Care Administration on the next working
   64  day.
   65         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2013.