Florida Senate - 2026 CS for SB 606
By the Committee on Health Policy; and Senators Smith,
Yarborough, Davis, and Berman
588-02060-26 2026606c1
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to drowning prevention education;
3 creating s. 383.3363, F.S.; requiring the Department
4 of Health to develop educational materials on drowning
5 prevention safety measures and safe bathing practices
6 for specified purposes; providing requirements for
7 such materials; requiring hospitals, birth centers,
8 and home birth providers to provide the educational
9 materials to new parents and caregivers as part of
10 their postpartum education and care; requiring
11 hospitals and birth centers to maintain proof of
12 compliance with the required distribution of the
13 educational materials and make such records available
14 to the Agency for Health Care Administration upon
15 request; requiring childbirth educators to provide the
16 informational materials to parents or caregivers
17 receiving childbirth education from them; amending ss.
18 383.318 and 395.1053, F.S.; conforming provisions to
19 changes made by the act; providing an effective date.
20
21 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
22
23 Section 1. Section 383.3363, Florida Statutes, is created
24 to read:
25 383.3363 Education on drowning prevention safety measures
26 and safe bathing practices.—
27 (1) The Department of Health shall develop educational
28 materials on drowning prevention safety measures and safe
29 bathing practices to be distributed to parents or caregivers as
30 part of postpartum or childbirth education provided by
31 hospitals, birth centers, home birth providers, and childbirth
32 educators in this state. The materials must include, but need
33 not be limited to, instruction on all of the following:
34 (a) The increased risk of drowning for infants and toddlers
35 in bathtubs, pools, and other water sources, citing available
36 data on such drownings.
37 (b) Water safety measures parents can employ to prevent
38 drowning, emphasizing the importance of constant supervision of
39 infants and children while they are around water and the
40 benefits of early childhood swimming lessons and water
41 competency programs as an added layer of protection from
42 drownings.
43 (c) Additional safety hazards in the home setting and
44 evidence-based safe bathing practices.
45 (2) Each hospital, birth center, and home birth provider
46 providing maternity, prenatal, and newborn services shall
47 provide the educational materials developed under subsection (1)
48 to the parents or caregivers of a newborn as part of its
49 postpartum education and care. Hospitals and birth centers shall
50 maintain proof of compliance with this subsection and make such
51 records available to the Agency for Health Care Administration
52 upon request.
53 (3) Childbirth educators shall provide the educational
54 materials developed under subsection (1) to the parents or
55 caregivers receiving childbirth education.
56 Section 2. Paragraph (j) is added to subsection (4) of
57 section 383.318, Florida Statutes, to read:
58 383.318 Postpartum care for birth center clients and
59 infants.—
60 (4) The birth center shall provide a postpartum evaluation
61 and followup care that includes all of the following:
62 (j) Provision of the educational materials on drowning
63 prevention safety measures and safe bathing practices developed
64 by the Department of Health under s. 383.3363. Birth centers
65 shall maintain proof of compliance with the requirements of this
66 paragraph and make such records available to the Agency for
67 Health Care Administration upon request.
68 Section 3. Section 395.1053, Florida Statutes, is amended
69 to read:
70 395.1053 Postpartum education.—
71 (1) A hospital that provides birthing services shall
72 provide each parent with postpartum education on the care of
73 newborns, which must include all of the following:
74 (a) incorporate Information on safe sleep practices and the
75 possible causes of Sudden Unexpected Infant Death. into the
76 hospital’s postpartum instruction on the care of newborns and
77 provide to each parent
78 (b) Provision of the informational pamphlet on infant and
79 childhood eye and vision disorders created by the department
80 pursuant to s. 383.14(3)(h).
81 (c) Provision of the educational materials on drowning
82 prevention safety measures and safe bathing practices developed
83 by the department under s. 383.3363.
84 (2) Hospitals shall maintain proof of compliance with the
85 requirements of this section and make such records available to
86 the agency upon request.
87 Section 4. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026.