Florida 2023 Regular Session

Florida House Bill H1339 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

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3	3	HB 1339 2023
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7	7	CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
8	8	hb1339-00
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10	10	F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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14	14	A bill to be entitled 1
15	15	An act relating to placement of surrendered newborn 2
16	16	infants; amending s. 63.039, F.S.; requiring licensed 3
17	17	child-placing agencies to maintain a specified 4
18	18	registry; requiring that certain information be 5
19	19	removed from the registry under certain circumstances; 6
20	20	prohibiting the child -placing agency from transferring 7
21	21	certain costs to prospective adoptive parents; 8
22	22	amending s. 63.0423, F.S.; requiring licensed child -9
23	23	placing agencies to immediately place a surrendered 10
24	24	newborn infant in the physical custody of an 11
25	25	identified prospective adoptive parent; providing that 12
26	26	the prospective adoptive parent becomes the guardian 13
27	27	of such infant under certain conditions for a cert ain 14
28	28	period of time; providing requirements that apply if a 15
29	29	certain prospective adoptive home is not available; 16
30	30	requiring the court to require the child -placing 17
31	31	agency to make certain reasonable efforts to identify 18
32	32	an appropriate prospective adoptive parent ; conforming 19
33	33	provisions to changes made by the act; amending s. 20
34	34	383.50, F.S.; providing requirements for licensed 21
35	35	child-placing agencies once they take physical custody 22
36	36	of a surrendered newborn infant; conforming provisions 23
37	37	to changes made by the act; prov iding an effective 24
38	38	date. 25
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40	40	HB 1339 2023
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44	44	CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
45	45	hb1339-00
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47	47	F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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52	52	Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 27
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54	54	Section 1. Present subsections (3), (4), and (5) of 29
55	55	section 63.039, Florida Statutes, are redesignated as 30
56	56	subsections (4), (5), and (6), respectively, and a new 31
57	57	subsection (3) is added to that section, to read: 32
58	58	63.039 Duties Duty of adoption entity; to Prospective 33
59	59	Adoptive Parents of Infants registry; sanctions.— 34
60	60	(3)(a) A licensed child -placing agency shall establish and 35
61	61	maintain a registry of prospective adop tive parents of infants 36
62	62	with the names and addresses of prospective adoptive parents who 37
63	63	have received a favorable preliminary home study under s. 63.092 38
64	64	and have indicated the desire to be a prospective adoptive 39
65	65	parent only for a newborn infant surrendere d under s. 383.50. 40
66	66	The licensed child-placing agency must remove the name and 41
67	67	address of a prospective adoptive parent from the registry when 42
68	68	the favorable preliminary home study for such prospective 43
69	69	adoptive parent is no longer valid as provided in s. 63. 092(3). 44
70	70	(b) The child-placing agency may not transfer the cost of 45
71	71	establishing and maintaining the registry created pursuant to 46
72	72	this subsection to a prospective adoptive parent through either 47
73	73	the cost of the home study or through the cost of adoption of a 48
74	74	newborn infant under this section. 49
75	75	Section 2. Subsection (2) of section 63.0423, Florida 50
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77	77	HB 1339 2023
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81	81	CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
82	82	hb1339-00
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84	84	F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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88	88	Statutes, is amended to read: 51
89	89	63.0423 Procedures with respect to surrendered infants. — 52
90	90	(2) Upon taking physical custody of a newborn infant 53
91	91	surrendered pursuant to s. 383.50, the licensed child-placing 54
92	92	agency shall immediately place the surrendered infant with an 55
93	93	identified prospective adoptive parent, at which time the 56
94	94	prospective adoptive parent becomes the guardian of the 57
95	95	surrendered infant pending terminat ion of parental rights and 58
96	96	finalization of adoption or until the court orders otherwise. If 59
97	97	a prospective adoptive parent from the registry is not 60
98	98	available, the licensed child -placing agency must seek an order 61
99	99	from the circuit court for emergency custody of the surrendered 62
100	100	infant. As a part of the emergency order, the court shall 63
101	101	require the licensed child -placing agency that has been unable 64
102	102	to identify a prospective adoptive parent for the surrendered 65
103	103	infant to make all reasonable efforts to identify an a ppropriate 66
104	104	prospective adoptive parent as soon as practicable, including 67
105	105	but not limited to, contacting all other licensed child -placing 68
106	106	agencies in this state to facilitate the identification of a 69
107	107	prospective adoptive parent from the registry described in s. 70
108	108	63.039. The emergency custody order remains shall remain in 71
109	109	effect until the court orders preliminary approval of placement 72
110	110	of the surrendered infant in a the prospective home, at which 73
111	111	time the prospective adoptive parent becomes parents become 74
112	112	guardian guardians pending termination of parental rights and 75
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114	114	HB 1339 2023
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118	118	CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
119	119	hb1339-00
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121	121	F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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125	125	finalization of adoption or until the court orders otherwise. 76
126	126	The guardianship of the prospective adoptive parent is parents 77
127	127	shall remain subject to the right of the licensed child -placing 78
128	128	agency to remove the surrendered infant from the placement 79
129	129	during the pendency of the proceedings if such removal is deemed 80
130	130	by the licensed child -placing agency to be in the best interests 81
131	131	of the child. The licensed child-placing agency may immediately 82
132	132	seek to place the surrendered infant in a prospective adoptive 83
133	133	home. 84
134	134	Section 3. Subsection (7) of section 383.50, Florida 85
135	135	Statutes, is amended to read: 86
136	136	383.50 Treatment of surrendered newborn infant. — 87
137	137	(7) Upon admitting a newborn infant under this section, 88
138	138	the hospital shall immediately contact a local licensed child -89
139	139	placing agency or alternatively contact the statewide central 90
140	140	abuse hotline for the name of a licensed child -placing agency 91
141	141	for purposes of transferring physical custody of the newborn 92
142	142	infant. The hospital shall notify the licensed child -placing 93
143	143	agency that a newborn infant has been left with the hospital and 94
144	144	approximately when the licensed child -placing agency can take 95
145	145	physical custody of the child. Once the licensed child -placing 96
146	146	agency takes physical custody of the newborn infant, the agency 97
147	147	shall immediately seek to place the surrendered newborn infant 98
148	148	with a prospective adoptive parent who is on the Prospective 99
149	149	Adoptive Parents of Infants registry established and maintained 100
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151	151	HB 1339 2023
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155	155	CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
156	156	hb1339-00
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158	158	F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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162	162	under s. 63.039. If a p rospective adoptive parent from the 101
163	163	registry is not available, the licensed child -placing agency 102
164	164	must follow the procedures in s. 63.0423. In cases where there 103
165	165	is actual or suspected child abuse or neglect, the hospital or 104
166	166	any of its licensed health care p rofessionals shall report the 105
167	167	actual or suspected child abuse or neglect in accordance with 106
168	168	ss. 39.201 and 395.1023 in lieu of contacting a licensed child -107
169	169	placing agency. 108
170	170	Section 4. This act shall take effect July 1, 2023. 109