Florida Senate - 2013                        COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
       Bill No. SB 56
       
       
       
       
       
       
                                Barcode 540308                          
       
                              LEGISLATIVE ACTION                        
                    Senate             .             House              
                  Comm: RCS            .                                
                  03/13/2013           .                                
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       The Committee on Children, Families, and Elder Affairs (Hays)
       recommended the following:
       
    1         Senate Amendment (with title amendment)
    2  
    3         Delete everything after the enacting clause
    4  and insert:
    5         Section 1. Paragraph (f) of subsection (2) of section
    6  383.311, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
    7         383.311 Education and orientation for birth center clients
    8  and their families.—
    9         (2) The clients shall be prepared for childbirth and
   10  childbearing by education in:
   11         (f) The care of the newborn to include safe sleep practices
   12  and the possible causes of Sudden Unexpected Infant Death.
   13         Section 2. Paragraph (e) of subsection (3) of section
   14  383.318, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
   15         383.318 Postpartum care for birth center clients and
   16  infants.—
   17         (3) Postpartum evaluation and followup care shall be
   18  provided, which shall include:
   19         (e) Instruction in child care, including immunization, and
   20  breastfeeding, safe sleep practices, and possible causes of
   21  Sudden Unexpected Infant Death.
   22         Section 3. Section 383.3362, Florida Statutes, is amended
   23  to read:
   24         383.3362 Sudden Unexpected Infant Death Syndrome.—
   25         (1) FINDINGS AND INTENT.—The Legislature recognizes that
   26  more than 4,500 infants in the United States die suddenly and
   27  unexpectedly of no immediate or obvious cause. According to
   28  statistics from the Department of Health, more than 200 infants
   29  in this state experienced Sudden Unexpected Infant Death in 2010
   30  sudden Infant death Syndrome, or SIDS, is a leading cause of
   31  death among children under the age of 1 year, both nationally
   32  and in this state. The Legislature further recognizes that first
   33  responders to emergency calls relating to such a death need
   34  access to special training to better enable them to recognize
   35  that such deaths may result from natural and accidental causes
   36  or may be caused distinguish SIDS from death caused by criminal
   37  acts and to appropriately interact with the deceased infant’s
   38  parents or caretakers. At the same time, the Legislature,
   39  recognizing that the primary focus of first responders is to
   40  carry out their assigned duties, intends to increase the
   41  awareness of the possible causes of Sudden Unexpected Infant
   42  Death SIDS by first responders, but in no way expand or take
   43  away from their duties. Further, the Legislature recognizes the
   44  importance of a multidisciplinary investigation and standardized
   45  investigative protocols in cases of Sudden Unexpected Infant
   46  Death standard protocol for review of SIDS deaths by medical
   47  examiners and the importance of appropriate followup in cases of
   48  certified or suspected SIDS deaths. Finally, the Legislature
   49  finds that it is desirable to analyze existing data, and to
   50  conduct further research on, the possible causes of Sudden
   51  Unexpected Infant Death SIDS and on how to reduce its incidence
   52  lower the number of sudden infant deaths.
   53         (2) DEFINITION.—As used in this section, the term “Sudden
   54  Unexpected Infant Death Syndrome,” or “SUID,” “SIDS,” means the
   55  sudden unexpected death of an infant under 1 year of age while
   56  in apparent good health whose death may have been a result of
   57  natural or unnatural causes which remains unexplained after a
   58  complete autopsy, death-scene investigation, and review of the
   59  case history. The term includes only those deaths for which,
   60  currently, there is no known cause or cure.
   61         (3) TRAINING.—
   62         (a) The Legislature finds that an emergency medical
   63  technician, a paramedic, a firefighter, or a law enforcement
   64  officer is likely to be the first responder to a request for
   65  assistance which is made immediately after the sudden unexpected
   66  death of an infant. The Legislature further finds that these
   67  first responders should be trained in appropriate responses to
   68  sudden infant death.
   69         (b) After January 1, 1995, The basic training programs
   70  required for certification as an emergency medical technician, a
   71  paramedic, a firefighter, or a law enforcement officer as
   72  defined in s. 943.10, other than a correctional officer or a
   73  correctional probation officer, must include curriculum that
   74  contains instruction on SUID Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.
   75         (c) The Department of Health, in consultation with the
   76  Emergency Medical Services Advisory Council, the Firefighters
   77  Employment, Standards, and Training Council, the child
   78  protection teams established in the Division of Children’s
   79  Medical Services, and the Criminal Justice Standards and
   80  Training Commission, shall develop and adopt, by rule,
   81  curriculum that is as part of the Centers for Disease Control
   82  SUID Initiative which must that, at a minimum, includes training
   83  in the nature of SIDS, standard procedures to be followed by law
   84  enforcement agencies in investigating cases involving sudden
   85  deaths of infants, and training in responding appropriately to
   86  the parents or caretakers who have requested assistance.
   87         (4) AUTOPSIES.—
   88         (a) The death of any infant younger than 1 year of age who
   89  dies suddenly and unexpectedly while in apparent good health
   90  falls under the jurisdiction of the medical examiner as provided
   91  in s. 406.11 The medical examiner must perform an autopsy upon
   92  any infant under the age of 1 year who is suspected to have died
   93  of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. The autopsy must be performed
   94  within 24 hours after the death, or as soon thereafter as is
   95  feasible. When the medical examiner’s findings are consistent
   96  with the definition of sudden infant death syndrome in
   97  subsection (2), the medical examiner must state on the death
   98  certificate that sudden infant death syndrome was the cause of
   99  death.
  100         (b) The Medical Examiners Commission shall provide for the
  101  development and implementation of develop and implement a
  102  protocol for the medicolegal investigation of SUID dealing with
  103  suspected sudden infant death syndrome. The protocol must be
  104  followed by all medical examiners when conducting the autopsies
  105  required under this subsection. The protocol may include
  106  requirements and standards for scene investigations,
  107  requirements for specific data, criteria for any specific tissue
  108  sampling, and any other requirements that are deemed
  109  ascertaining cause of death based on the autopsy, criteria for
  110  any specific tissue sampling, and any other requirements that
  111  the commission considers necessary.
  112         (c) A medical examiner is not liable for damages in a civil
  113  action for any act or omission done in compliance with this
  114  subsection.
  115         (d) An autopsy must be performed under the authority of a
  116  medical examiner under s. 406.11.
  117         (5) DEPARTMENT DUTIES RELATING TO SUDDEN UNEXPECTED INFANT
  118  DEATH (SUID) SYNDROME (SIDS).—The Department of Health, in
  119  consultation with the child protection teams established in the
  120  Division of Children’s Medical Services, shall:
  121         (a) Collaborate with other agencies in the development and
  122  presentation of the SUID Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)
  123  training programs for first responders, including those for
  124  emergency medical technicians and paramedics, firefighters, and
  125  law enforcement officers.
  126         (b) Maintain a database of statistics on reported SUID SIDS
  127  deaths, and analyze the data as funds allow.
  128         (c) Serve as liaison and closely coordinate activities with
  129  the Florida SIDS Alliance, including the services related to the
  130  SIDS hotline.
  131         (d) Maintain a library reference list and materials about
  132  SUID SIDS for public dissemination.
  133         (e) Provide professional support to field staff.
  134         (f) Coordinate the activities of and promote a link between
  135  the fetal and infant mortality review committees of the local
  136  healthy start coalitions, the Florida local SIDS Alliance, and
  137  other related support groups.
  138         Section 4. Section 395.1053, Florida Statutes, is created
  139  to read:
  140         395.1053Postpartum education.—A hospital that provides
  141  birthing services shall incorporate information on safe sleep
  142  practices and the possible causes of Sudden Unexpected Infant
  143  Death into the hospital’s postpartum instruction on the care of
  144  newborns.
  145         Section 5. This act shall take effect July 1, 2013.
  146  
  147  ================= T I T L E  A M E N D M E N T ================
  148         And the title is amended as follows:
  149         Delete everything before the enacting clause
  150  and insert:
  151                        A bill to be entitled                      
  152         An act relating to infant death; amending s. 383.311,
  153         F.S.; revising the education and orientation
  154         requirements for birth centers and their families to
  155         incorporate safe sleep practices and causes of Sudden
  156         Unexpected Infant Death; amending s. 383.318, F.S.;
  157         revising the postpartum care for birth center clients
  158         and infants to incorporate instruction on safe sleep
  159         practices and causes of Sudden Unexpected Infant
  160         Death; amending s. 383.3362, F.S.; revising
  161         legislative findings and intent with respect to the
  162         sudden unexpected death of an infant under a specified
  163         age; defining the term “Sudden Unexpected Infant
  164         Death”; revising provisions relating to training
  165         requirements for first responders; revising
  166         requirements relating to autopsies performed by
  167         medical examiners; requiring the Medical Examiners
  168         Commission to provide for the development and
  169         implementation of a protocol for the medicolegal
  170         investigation of Sudden Unexpected Infant Death;
  171         creating s. 395.1053, F.S.; requiring a hospital that
  172         provides birthing services to incorporate information
  173         on safe sleep practices and the possible causes of
  174         sudden unexpected infant death into the hospital’s
  175         postpartum instruction on the care of newborns;
  176         providing an effective date.