Florida Senate - 2014 CS for SB 262
By the Committee on Community Affairs; and Senator Abruzzo
578-01644-14 2014262c1
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to motorist safety; authorizing the
3 governing body of a county to create a yellow dot
4 critical motorist medical information program for
5 certain purposes; authorizing a county to solicit
6 sponsorships and enter into an interlocal agreement
7 with another county to solicit such sponsorships for
8 the medical information program; authorizing the
9 Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles and
10 the Department of Transportation to provide education
11 and training and publicize the program; requiring the
12 program to be free to participants; providing for
13 yellow dot program applications, decals, folders, and
14 participant information forms; providing procedures
15 for use of the decal, folder, and form; providing for
16 limited use of information on the forms by emergency
17 medical responders; requiring the governing body of a
18 participating county to adopt guidelines and
19 procedures to ensure that confidential information is
20 not made public; providing an effective date.
21
22 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
23
24 Section 1. Yellow dot critical motorist medical information
25 program; yellow dot decal, folder, and information form.—
26 (1) The governing body of a county may create a yellow dot
27 critical motorist medical information program to facilitate the
28 provision of emergency medical care to program participants by
29 emergency medical responders by making critical medical
30 information readily available to responders in the event of a
31 motor vehicle accident or a medical emergency involving a
32 participant’s vehicle.
33 (2)(a) The governing body of a county may solicit
34 sponsorships from business entities and not-for-profit
35 organizations to cover the costs of the program, including the
36 cost of decals and folders that must be provided free of charge
37 to participants. Two or more counties may enter into an
38 interlocal agreement to solicit such sponsorships.
39 (b) The Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles or
40 the Department of Transportation may provide education and
41 training to encourage emergency medical responders to
42 participate in the program and may take reasonable measures to
43 publicize the program.
44 (3) Any owner or lessee of a motor vehicle may participate
45 in the program upon submission of an application and
46 documentation in the form and manner prescribed by the governing
47 body of the county.
48 (a) The application form must include a statement that the
49 information submitted will be disclosed only to authorized
50 personnel of law enforcement and public safety agencies,
51 emergency medical services agencies, and hospitals for the
52 purposes authorized in subsection (5).
53 (b) The application form must describe the confidential
54 nature of the medical information voluntarily provided by the
55 participant and must include a notice to the participant stating
56 that, by providing the medical information and signing the form,
57 he or she agrees to the disclosure of the medical information to
58 authorized personnel and their use of such information solely
59 for the purposes listed in subsection (5).
60 (c) The county may not charge a fee to participate in the
61 yellow dot program.
62 (4) A participant shall receive a yellow dot decal, a
63 yellow dot folder, and a form containing the personal and
64 medical information provided by the participant.
65 (a) The participant shall affix the decal onto the rear
66 window in the left lower corner of a motor vehicle or in a
67 clearly visible location on a motorcycle.
68 (b) A person who rides in a motor vehicle as a passenger
69 may also participate in the program but may not be issued a
70 decal if a decal has been issued to the owner or lessee of the
71 motor vehicle in which the person rides.
72 (c) The yellow dot folder, which shall be stored in the
73 glove compartment of the motor vehicle or in a compartment
74 attached to a motorcycle, shall contain a form with the
75 following information about the participant:
76 1. The participant’s name.
77 2. The participant’s photograph.
78 3. Emergency contact information for no more than two
79 persons.
80 4. The participant’s medical information, including medical
81 conditions, recent surgeries, allergies, and current
82 medications.
83 5. The participant’s hospital preference.
84 6. Contact information for no more than two physicians.
85 (5)(a) If the driver or a passenger of a motor vehicle is
86 involved in a motor vehicle accident or emergency situation and
87 a yellow dot decal is affixed to the vehicle, an emergency
88 medical responder at the scene may search the glove compartment
89 of the vehicle for the corresponding yellow dot folder.
90 (b) The use of the information contained in the yellow dot
91 folder by an emergency medical responder at the scene is limited
92 to the following purposes:
93 1. To positively identify the participant.
94 2. To ascertain whether the participant has a medical
95 condition that might impede communications between the
96 participant and the responder.
97 3. To access the medical information form.
98 4. To ensure that the participant’s current medications and
99 preexisting medical conditions are considered when emergency
100 medical treatment is administered for any injury to or condition
101 of the participant.
102 (6) The governing body of a participating county shall
103 adopt guidelines and procedures to prevent the public disclosure
104 of confidential information through the program.
105 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2014.