CS for SB 262 First Engrossed
2014262e1
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 decals, folders, and participant
14 information forms; providing procedures for use of the
15 decal, folder, and form; providing for limited use of
16 information on the forms by emergency medical
17 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 request to
45 participate in the program in the manner prescribed by the
46 governing body of the county. A participant shall receive a
47 yellow dot decal, a yellow dot folder, and a form on which the
48 participant shall provide his or her personal and medical
49 information.
50 (a) The form must include a statement that the information
51 provided will be disclosed only to authorized personnel of law
52 enforcement and public safety agencies, emergency medical
53 services agencies, and hospitals for the purposes authorized in
54 subsection (5).
55 (b) The form must describe the confidential nature of the
56 medical information voluntarily provided by the participant and
57 must include a notice to the participant stating that, by
58 providing the medical information and signing the form, he or
59 she agrees to the disclosure of the medical information to
60 authorized personnel and their use of such information solely
61 for the purposes listed in subsection (5).
62 (c) The county may not charge a fee to participate in the
63 yellow dot program.
64 (4)(a) The participant shall affix the decal onto the rear
65 window in the left lower corner of a motor vehicle or in a
66 clearly visible location on a motorcycle.
67 (b) A person who rides in a motor vehicle as a passenger
68 may also participate in the program but may not be issued a
69 decal if a decal has been issued to the owner or lessee of the
70 motor vehicle in which the person rides.
71 (c) The yellow dot folder, which shall be stored in the
72 glove compartment of the motor vehicle or in a compartment
73 attached to a motorcycle, shall contain a form with the
74 following information about the participant:
75 1. The participant’s name.
76 2. The participant’s photograph.
77 3. Emergency contact information for no more than two
78 persons.
79 4. The participant’s medical information, including medical
80 conditions, recent surgeries, allergies, and current
81 medications.
82 5. The participant’s hospital preference.
83 6. Contact information for no more than two physicians.
84 (5)(a) If the driver or a passenger of a motor vehicle is
85 involved in a motor vehicle accident or emergency situation and
86 a yellow dot decal is affixed to the vehicle, an emergency
87 medical responder at the scene may search the glove compartment
88 of the vehicle for the corresponding yellow dot folder.
89 (b) The use of the information contained in the yellow dot
90 folder by an emergency medical responder at the scene is limited
91 to the following purposes:
92 1. To positively identify the participant.
93 2. To ascertain whether the participant has a medical
94 condition that might impede communications between the
95 participant and the responder.
96 3. To access the medical information form.
97 4. To ensure that the participant’s current medications and
98 preexisting medical conditions are considered when emergency
99 medical treatment is administered for any injury to or condition
100 of the participant.
101 (6) The governing body of a participating county shall
102 adopt guidelines and procedures to prevent the public disclosure
103 of confidential information through the program.
104 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2014.