HB 561

1	A bill to be entitled
2	An act relating to sudden unexpected infant death;
3	creating the "Stillbirth and SUID Education and Awareness
4	Act"; providing legislative findings; defining terms;
5	requiring the State Surgeon General to implement a public
6	health awareness and education campaign in order to
7	provide information that is focused on decreasing the risk
8	factors for sudden unexpected infant death and sudden
9	unexplained death in childhood; requiring the State
10	Surgeon General to conduct a needs assessment of the
11	availability of personnel, training, technical assistance,
12	and resources for investigating and determining the causes
13	of sudden unexpected infant death and sudden unexplained
14	death in childhood; requiring the State Surgeon General to
15	develop guidelines for increasing collaboration in the
16	investigation of stillbirth, sudden unexpected infant
17	death, and sudden unexplained death in childhood;
18	specifying the duties of the State Surgeon General related
19	to maternal and child health programs; requiring the State
20	Surgeon General to establish a task force to develop a
21	research plan to determine the causes of stillbirth,
22	sudden unexpected infant death, and sudden unexplained
23	death in childhood and how to prevent them; providing for
24	the membership of the task force; providing for
25	reimbursement of per diem and travel expenses; requiring
26	that the State Surgeon General submit a report to the
27	Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of
28	the House of Representatives by a specified date;
29	providing an effective date.
30
31	Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
32
33	Section 1.  (1)  SHORT TITLE.-This section may be cited as
34	the "Stillbirth and SUID Education and Awareness Act."
35	(2)  LEGISLATIVE FINDINGS.-
36	(a)  The Legislature finds that every year there are more
37	than 25,000 stillbirths in the United States. The common
38	diagnosable causes of stillbirth include genetic abnormalities,
39	umbilical cord accidents, infections, and placental problems.
40	Risk factors for stillbirth include maternal age, obesity,
41	smoking, diabetes, and hypertension. Because of advances in
42	medical care over the last 30 years, much more is known about
43	the causes of stillbirth. Still, the cause of death is never
44	identified in up to 50 percent of stillbirths.
45	(b)  The rate of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) has
46	declined significantly since the early 1990s; however, research
47	has found that the decline in SIDS since 1999 has been offset by
48	an increase in sudden unexpected infant death (SUID). Many
49	sudden unexpected infant deaths are not investigated and, in
50	those that are investigated, cause-of-death data are not
51	consistently collected and reported. Inaccurate or inconsistent
52	classification of the cause and manner of death impedes
53	prevention efforts and complicates the ability to understand
54	related risk factors. The National Child Death Review Case
55	Reporting System collects comprehensive information on the risk
56	factors associated with SUID. As of March 2009, 29 of the 49
57	states conducting child death reviews were voluntarily
58	submitting data to this reporting system.
59	(3)  DEFINITIONS.-As used in this section, the term:
60	(a)  "Stillbirth" means an unintended, intrauterine fetal
61	death after a gestational age of not less than 20 completed
62	weeks.
63	(b)  "Sudden infant death syndrome" or "SIDS" means the
64	sudden unexpected death of an infant younger than 1 year of age
65	which remains unexplained after a complete autopsy, death-scene
66	investigation, and review of the case history. The term includes
67	only those deaths for which, currently, there is no known cause
68	or cure.
69	(c)  "Sudden unexpected infant death" or "SUID" means the
70	sudden death of an infant younger than 1 year of age which, when
71	first discovered, does not have an obvious cause. The term
72	includes those deaths that are later determined to be from
73	explained as well as unexplained causes.
74	(d)  "Sudden unexplained death in childhood or "SUDC" means
75	the sudden death of a child older than 1 year of age which
76	remains unexplained after a thorough investigation, including a
77	review of the clinical history and circumstances of death and
78	performance of a complete autopsy, along with appropriate
79	ancillary testing.
80	(4)  PUBLIC AWARENESS AND EDUCATION CAMPAIGN.-
81	(a)  The State Surgeon General shall establish and
82	implement a culturally appropriate public health awareness and
83	education campaign to provide information that is focused on
84	decreasing the risk factors for sudden unexpected infant death
85	and sudden unexplained death in childhood, including educating
86	individuals on safe sleep environments, sleep positions, and
87	reducing exposure to tobacco smoke during pregnancy and after
88	the child's birth.
89	(b)  The campaign shall be designed to reduce health
90	disparities among racial and ethnic groups through focusing on
91	populations that have high rates of sudden unexpected infant
92	death and sudden unexplained death in childhood.
93	(c)  When establishing and implementing the campaign, the
94	State Surgeon General shall consult with state and national
95	organizations that represent health care providers, including
96	nurses and physicians; parents; child care providers; children's
97	advocacy and safety organizations; maternal and child health
98	programs; nutrition professionals who specialize in women,
99	infants, and children; and other individuals and groups
100	determined necessary by the State Surgeon General.
101	(5)  EVALUATION OF STATE NEEDS.-
102	(a)  The State Surgeon General shall conduct a needs
103	assessment of the availability in this state of personnel,
104	training, technical assistance, and resources for investigating
105	and determining the causes of sudden unexpected infant death and
106	sudden unexplained death in childhood and make recommendations
107	to increase collaboration in conducting investigations and
108	making determinations.
109	(b)  The State Surgeon General, in consultation with
110	physicians, nurses, pathologists, geneticists, parents, and
111	others, shall develop guidelines for increasing the performance
112	of, and the collection of data from, postmortem stillbirth
113	evaluations, postmortem SUID evaluations, and postmorten SUDC
114	evaluations, including conducting and providing reimbursement
115	for autopsies, placental histopathology, and cytogenetic
116	testing. The guidelines shall take into account culturally
117	appropriate issues related to postmortem stillbirth evaluations,
118	postmortem SUID evaluations, and postmorten SUDC evaluations.
119	(c)  The State Surgeon General, acting in consultation with
120	health care providers, public health organizations, maternal and
121	child health programs, parents, and others, shall:
122	1.a.  Develop behavioral surveys for women who experience
123	stillbirth, sudden unexpected infant death, or sudden
124	unexplained death in childhood using existing state-based
125	infrastructure for gathering pregnancy-related information; and
126	b.  Increase the technical assistance provided to local
127	communities to enhance the capacity for improved investigation
128	of medical and social factors surrounding stillbirth, sudden
129	unexpected infant death, and sudden unexplained death in
130	childhood.
131	2.  Directly or through cooperative agreements, develop and
132	conduct evidence-based public education and prevention programs
133	directed at reducing the overall occurrence of stillbirth,
134	sudden unexpected infant death, and sudden unexplained death in
135	childhood and addressing the disparities in such occurrences
136	among racial and ethnic groups. These efforts shall include:
137	a.  Public education programs, services, and demonstrations
138	that are designed to increase general awareness of stillbirth,
139	sudden unexpected infant death, and sudden unexplained death in
140	childhood; and
141	b.  The development of tools for educating health
142	professionals and women concerning the known risks factors for
143	stillbirth, sudden unexpected infant death, and sudden
144	unexplained death in childhood; the promotion of fetal-movement
145	awareness and taking proactive steps to monitor a baby's
146	movement beginning at approximately 28 weeks into the pregnancy;
147	and the importance of early and regular prenatal care to monitor
148	the health and development of the fetus up to and during
149	delivery.
150	(d)  By September 1, 2011, the State Surgeon General shall
151	establish a task force to develop a research plan to determine
152	the causes of stillbirth, sudden unexpected infant death, and
153	sudden unexplained death in childhood and how to prevent them.
154	The State Surgeon General shall appoint the task force, which
155	shall consist of 12 members, as follows:
156	1.  Three persons who are pediatric health care providers.
157	2.  Three persons who are scientists or clinicians and
158	selected from public universities or research organizations.
159	3.  Three persons who are employed in maternal and child
160	health programs.
161	4.  Three parents.
162
163	Members shall serve without compensation, but are entitled to
164	reimbursement pursuant to s. 112.061, Florida Statutes, for per
165	diem and travel expenses incurred in the performance of their
166	official duties.
167	(6)  REPORT.-By October 1, 2013, the State Surgeon General
168	shall submit to the Governor, the President of the Senate, and
169	the Speaker of the House of Representatives a report describing
170	the progress made in implementing this section.
171	Section 2.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2011.

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.