| 1 | The Future of Florida's Families Committee recommends the |
| 2 | following: |
| 3 |
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| 4 | Council/Committee Substitute |
| 5 | Remove the entire bill and insert: |
| 6 | A bill to be entitled |
| 7 | An act relating to child abuse; amending ss. 39.001 and |
| 8 | 39.201, F.S.; requiring Department of Children and Family |
| 9 | Services employees and persons in specified occupation |
| 10 | categories assigned to report, manage, or supervise cases |
| 11 | of child abuse, abandonment, and neglect to annually |
| 12 | complete a continuing education course; providing |
| 13 | exceptions; providing an effective date. |
| 14 |
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| 15 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 16 |
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| 17 | Section 1. Paragraph (e) of subsection (2) of section |
| 18 | 39.001, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: |
| 19 | 39.001 Purposes and intent; personnel standards and |
| 20 | screening.-- |
| 21 | (2) DEPARTMENT CONTRACTS.--The department may contract |
| 22 | with the Federal Government, other state departments and |
| 23 | agencies, county and municipal governments and agencies, public |
| 24 | and private agencies, and private individuals and corporations |
| 25 | in carrying out the purposes of, and the responsibilities |
| 26 | established in, this chapter. |
| 27 | (e) The department shall develop and implement a written |
| 28 | and performance-based testing and evaluation program to ensure |
| 29 | measurable competencies of all employees assigned to report, |
| 30 | manage, or supervise cases of child abuse, abandonment, and |
| 31 | neglect. All employees assigned to report, manage, or supervise |
| 32 | cases of child abuse, abandonment, and neglect shall complete a |
| 33 | 1-hour continuing education course on child abuse each year. |
| 34 | Section 2. Paragraph (b) of subsection (1) of section |
| 35 | 39.201, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: |
| 36 | 39.201 Mandatory reports of child abuse, abandonment, or |
| 37 | neglect; mandatory reports of death; central abuse hotline.-- |
| 38 | (1) |
| 39 | (b) Reporters licensed or regulated by the state and their |
| 40 | employees who are mandatory reporters are required to complete a |
| 41 | 1-hour continuing education course on child abuse each year, |
| 42 | except for reporters in subparagraphs 1. and 2. Reporters in the |
| 43 | following occupation categories are required to provide their |
| 44 | names to the hotline staff: |
| 45 | 1. Physician, osteopathic physician, medical examiner, |
| 46 | chiropractic physician, nurse, or hospital personnel engaged in |
| 47 | the admission, examination, care, or treatment of persons; |
| 48 | 2. Health or mental health professional other than one |
| 49 | listed in subparagraph 1.; |
| 50 | 3. Practitioner who relies solely on spiritual means for |
| 51 | healing; |
| 52 | 4. School teacher or other school official or personnel; |
| 53 | 5. Social worker, day care center worker, or other |
| 54 | professional child care, foster care, residential, or |
| 55 | institutional worker; |
| 56 | 6. Law enforcement officer; or |
| 57 | 7. Judge. |
| 58 |
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| 59 | The names of reporters shall be entered into the record of the |
| 60 | report, but shall be held confidential and exempt as provided in |
| 61 | s. 39.202. |
| 62 | Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2006. |