| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to the influenza vaccine; amending ss. |
| 3 | 402.305, 402.313, and 402.3131, F.S.; requiring children |
| 4 | receiving care at child care facilities, family day care |
| 5 | homes, and large family child care homes to be vaccinated |
| 6 | for the influenza virus; requiring the Department of |
| 7 | Health to adopt rules to add the vaccine to its list of |
| 8 | required vaccines; requiring child care facilities, family |
| 9 | day care homes, and large family child care homes to |
| 10 | furnish proof of compliance to the department by a |
| 11 | specified date; providing an effective date. |
| 12 |
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| 13 | WHEREAS, the state of Florida recognizes the importance of |
| 14 | the influenza vaccine for children enrolled or enrolling in |
| 15 | child care programs, and |
| 16 | WHEREAS, the Bureau of Immunization within the Department |
| 17 | of Health acknowledges that vaccines, including the influenza |
| 18 | vaccine, focus on disease prevention and are the most cost- |
| 19 | effective medical intervention, and |
| 20 | WHEREAS, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, |
| 21 | through the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, |
| 22 | recommends that annual vaccination of all children aged 6 months |
| 23 | through 4 years continue to be a primary focus of vaccination |
| 24 | efforts because these children are at higher risk for influenza |
| 25 | complications compared with older children, and |
| 26 | WHEREAS, vaccination against influenza each fall remains |
| 27 | the primary mechanism to prevent disease, NOW, THEREFORE, |
| 28 |
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| 29 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 30 |
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| 31 | Section 1. Present paragraphs (b) and (c) of subsection |
| 32 | (9) of section 402.305, Florida Statutes, are redesignated as |
| 33 | paragraphs (c) and (d), respectively, and a new paragraph (b) is |
| 34 | added to that subsection, to read: |
| 35 | 402.305 Licensing standards; child care facilities.-- |
| 36 | (9) ADMISSIONS AND RECORDKEEPING.-- |
| 37 | (b) Beginning September 1, 2010, and subject to the |
| 38 | availability of an adequate supply of the influenza vaccine, as |
| 39 | recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices |
| 40 | of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the influenza |
| 41 | vaccine shall be administered each influenza season between |
| 42 | September 1 and February 28 to each child who is enrolled or |
| 43 | enrolling in a child care facility. The department shall adopt |
| 44 | rules to add the influenza vaccine to its current list of |
| 45 | required vaccines. A child care facility must furnish proof to |
| 46 | the department of compliance with this paragraph for each child |
| 47 | receiving care at the facility by March 31, 2010. |
| 48 | Section 2. Subsection (14) is added to section 402.313, |
| 49 | Florida Statutes, to read: |
| 50 | 402.313 Family day care homes.-- |
| 51 | (14) Beginning September 1, 2010, and subject to the |
| 52 | availability of an adequate supply of the influenza vaccine, as |
| 53 | recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices |
| 54 | of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the influenza |
| 55 | vaccine shall be administered each influenza season between |
| 56 | September 1 and February 28 to each child who is enrolled or |
| 57 | enrolling in a family day care home. The department shall adopt |
| 58 | rules to add the influenza vaccine to its current list of |
| 59 | required vaccines. A family day care home must furnish proof to |
| 60 | the department of compliance with this subsection for each child |
| 61 | receiving care at the home by March 31, 2010. |
| 62 | Section 3. Subsection (9) is added to section 402.3131, |
| 63 | Florida Statutes, to read: |
| 64 | 402.3131 Large family child care homes.-- |
| 65 | (9) Beginning September 1, 2010, and subject to the |
| 66 | availability of an adequate supply of the influenza vaccine, as |
| 67 | recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices |
| 68 | of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the influenza |
| 69 | vaccine shall be administered each influenza season between |
| 70 | September 1 and February 28 to each child who is enrolled or |
| 71 | enrolling in a large family child care home. The department |
| 72 | shall adopt rules to add influenza vaccine to its current list |
| 73 | of required vaccines. A large family child care home must |
| 74 | furnish proof to the department of compliance with this |
| 75 | subsection for each child receiving care at the home by March |
| 76 | 31, 2010. |
| 77 | Section 4. This act shall take effect July 1, 2009. |