Florida Senate - 2026 CS for CS for SB 606
By the Committees on Fiscal Policy; and Health Policy; and
Senators Smith, Yarborough, Davis, Berman, Sharief, and Jones
594-02803-26 2026606c2
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 childbirth educators to provide the informational
12 materials to parents or caregivers receiving
13 childbirth education; amending ss. 383.318 and
14 395.1053, F.S.; conforming provisions to changes made
15 by the act; providing an effective date.
16
17 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
18
19 Section 1. Section 383.3363, Florida Statutes, is created
20 to read:
21 383.3363 Education on drowning prevention safety measures
22 and safe bathing practices.—
23 (1) The Department of Health shall develop educational
24 materials on drowning prevention safety measures and safe
25 bathing practices to be distributed to parents or caregivers as
26 part of postpartum or childbirth education provided by
27 hospitals, birth centers, home birth providers, and childbirth
28 educators in this state. The materials must include, but need
29 not be limited to, instruction on all of the following:
30 (a) The increased risk of drowning for infants and toddlers
31 in bathtubs, pools, and other water sources, citing available
32 data on such drownings.
33 (b) Water safety measures parents can employ to prevent
34 drowning, emphasizing the importance of constant supervision of
35 infants and children while they are around water and the
36 benefits of early childhood swimming lessons and water
37 competency programs as an added layer of protection from
38 drowning.
39 (c) Additional safety hazards in the home setting and
40 evidence-based safe bathing practices.
41 (2) Hospitals, birth centers, and home birth providers
42 providing maternity, prenatal, and newborn services shall
43 provide the educational materials developed under subsection (1)
44 to the parents or caregivers of a newborn as part of their
45 postpartum education and care.
46 (3) Childbirth educators shall provide the educational
47 materials developed under subsection (1) to the parents or
48 caregivers receiving childbirth education.
49 Section 2. Paragraph (j) is added to subsection (4) of
50 section 383.318, Florida Statutes, to read:
51 383.318 Postpartum care for birth center clients and
52 infants.—
53 (4) The birth center shall provide a postpartum evaluation
54 and followup care that includes all of the following:
55 (j) Provision of the educational materials on drowning
56 prevention safety measures and safe bathing practices developed
57 by the Department of Health under s. 383.3363.
58 Section 3. Section 395.1053, Florida Statutes, is amended
59 to read:
60 395.1053 Postpartum education.—A hospital that provides
61 birthing services shall provide each parent with postpartum
62 education on the care of newborns, which must include all of the
63 following:
64 (1) incorporate Information on safe sleep practices and the
65 possible causes of Sudden Unexpected Infant Death. into the
66 hospital’s postpartum instruction on the care of newborns and
67 provide to each parent
68 (2) Provision of the informational pamphlet on infant and
69 childhood eye and vision disorders created by the department
70 pursuant to s. 383.14(3)(h).
71 (3) Provision of the educational materials on drowning
72 prevention safety measures and safe bathing practices developed
73 by the department under s. 383.3363.
74 Section 4. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026.