CS/HB 29 2025
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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
A bill to be entitled 1
An act relating to public records and meetings; 2
creating s. 491.023, F.S.; providing an exemption from 3
public records requirements for certain information 4
held by the Department of Health or the Board of 5
Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy, and 6
Mental Health Counseling pursuant to the Social Work 7
Licensure Interstate Compact; authorizing the 8
disclosure of such information under certain 9
circumstances; providing an exemption from public 10
meetings requirements for certain meetings or portions 11
of certain meetings of the Social Work Licensure 12
Compact Commission or its executive committee or other 13
committees; providing an exemption from public records 14
requirements for recordings, minutes, and records 15
generated during the exempt meetings or portions of 16
such meetings; providing for future legislative review 17
and repeal of the exemptions; providing statements of 18
public necessity; providing a contingent effective 19
date. 20
21
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 22
23
Section 1. Section 491.023, Florida Statutes, is created 24
to read: 25
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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
491.023 Social Work Licensure Interstate Compact; public 26
records and meetings exemptions. — 27
(1) A social worker' s personal identifying information, 28
other than the social worker's name, licensure status, or 29
licensure number, obtained from the data system, as described in 30
Art. XI of s. 491.022, and held by the department or the board 31
is exempt from s. 119.07(1) and s. 24(a), Art. I of the State 32
Constitution unless the state that originally reported the 33
information to the data system authorizes the disclosure of such 34
information by law. If disclosure is so authorized, such 35
information may be disclosed only to the extent authorized by 36
the law of the reporting state. 37
(2)(a) A meeting or a portion of a meeting of the Social 38
Work Licensure Compact Commission or the executive committee or 39
other committee of the commission, established in Article X of 40
s. 491.022, at which ma tters specifically exempted from 41
disclosure by federal or state law is exempt from s. 286.011 and 42
s. 24(b), Art. I of the State Constitution . 43
(b) Recordings, minutes, and records generated during an 44
exempt meeting or portion of such a meeting are exempt from s. 45
119.07(1) and s. 24(a), Art. I of the State Constitution. 46
(3) This section is subject to the Open Government Sunset 47
Review Act in accordance with s. 119.15 and shall stand repealed 48
on October 2, 2030, unless reviewed and saved from repeal 49
through reenactment by the Legislature. 50
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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
Section 2. (1) The Legislature finds that it is a public 51
necessity that a social worker's personal identifying 52
information, other than the social worker's name, licensure 53
status, or licensure number, obtained from the data system, as 54
described in Article XI of s. 491.022, Florida Statutes, and 55
held by the Department of Health or the Board of Clinical Social 56
Work, Marriage and Family Therapy, and Mental Health Counseling 57
be made exempt from s. 119.07(1), Florida Statutes , and s. 58
24(a), Article I of the State Constitution. Protection of such 59
information is required under the Social Work Licensure 60
Interstate Compact, which a state must adopt in order to become 61
a member state of the compact. Without the public records 62
exemption, this state will be unable to effectively implement 63
and administer the compact. 64
(2)(a) The Legislature finds that it is a public necessity 65
that any meeting of the Social Work Licensure Compact Commission 66
or the executive committee or other committee of the commission 67
held as provided in s. 491.022, Florida Statutes, in which 68
matters specifically exempted from disclosure by federal or 69
state law are discussed be made exempt from s. 286.011, Florida 70
Statutes, and s. 24(b), Article I of the State Constitu tion. 71
(b) The Social Work Licensure Interstate Compact requires 72
the closure of any meeting, or any portion of a meeting, of the 73
Social Work Licensure Compact Commission or the executive 74
committee or other committee of the commission if the presiding 75
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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
officer announces in a public meeting that, in connection with 76
the performance of the commission's duties, the commission must 77
discuss certain sensitive and confidential subject matters. In 78
the absence of a public meetings exemption, this state would be 79
prohibited from becoming a member state of the compact. 80
(3) The Legislature also finds that it is a public 81
necessity that the recordings, minutes, and records generated 82
during a meeting held as provided in s. 491.022, Florida 83
Statutes, that is exempt from publ ic meetings requirements be 84
made exempt from s. 119.07(1), Florida Statutes, and s. 24(a), 85
Article I of the State Constitution. Release of such information 86
would negate the public meetings exemption. As such, the 87
Legislature finds that the public records e xemption is a public 88
necessity. 89
Section 3. This act shall take effect on the same date 90
that HB 27 or similar legislation takes effect , if such 91
legislation is adopted in the same legislative session or an 92
extension thereof and becomes a law. 93