Florida Senate - 2025 SB 1372 By Senator Yarborough 4-01167-25 20251372__ 1 A bill to be entitled 2 An act relating to declarations of a public health 3 emergency; amending s. 381.00315, F.S.; providing that 4 the administration of vaccines is not included within 5 the meaning of the terms treat, treated, or 6 treatment as they relate to public health 7 emergencies; revising provisions related to the 8 expiration and renewal of declarations of a public 9 health emergency; authorizing an individual to refuse 10 examination, testing, or treatment under a State 11 Health Officers order during a public health 12 emergency by submitting a written refusal to the State 13 Health Officer; providing that such individuals may 14 not be required to undergo such examination, testing, 15 or treatment; deleting the State Health Officers 16 authority to use any means necessary to treat an 17 individual under certain circumstances; providing an 18 effective date. 19 20 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 21 22 Section 1.Paragraphs (b) and (d) of subsection (2) of 23 section 381.00315, Florida Statutes, are amended, and paragraph 24 (e) is added to subsection (1) of that section, to read: 25 381.00315Public health advisories; public health 26 emergencies; isolation and quarantines.The State Health Officer 27 is responsible for declaring public health emergencies, issuing 28 public health advisories, and ordering isolation or quarantines. 29 (1)As used in this section, the term: 30 (e)Treat, treated, or treatment does not include the 31 administration of vaccinations. 32 (2) 33 (b)Before declaring a public health emergency, the State 34 Health Officer shall, to the extent possible, consult with the 35 Governor and shall notify the Chief of Domestic Security. The 36 declaration of a public health emergency shall continue until 37 the State Health Officer finds that the threat or danger has 38 been dealt with to the extent that the emergency conditions no 39 longer exist and he or she terminates the declaration. However, 40 A declaration of a public health emergency expires may not 41 continue for longer than 60 days after the declaration unless 42 the Governor concurs in the renewal of the declaration, which 43 extends the expiration of the declaration for 30 days. Any 44 subsequent renewal must be approved by a two-thirds majority 45 vote of each chamber of the Legislature before the declaration 46 expires, with each renewal extending the expiration of the 47 declaration for 30 days. A declaration of a public health 48 emergency automatically terminates if it is not timely renewed 49 before its expiration in accordance with this paragraph. 50 (d)The State Health Officer, upon declaration of a public 51 health emergency, may take actions that are necessary to protect 52 the public health. Such actions include, but are not limited to: 53 1.Directing manufacturers of prescription drugs or over 54 the-counter drugs who are permitted under chapter 499 and 55 wholesalers of prescription drugs located in this state who are 56 permitted under chapter 499 to give priority to the shipping of 57 specified drugs to pharmacies and health care providers within 58 geographic areas identified by the State Health Officer. The 59 State Health Officer must identify the drugs to be shipped. 60 Manufacturers and wholesalers located in this the state must 61 respond to the State Health Officers priority shipping 62 directive before shipping the specified drugs. 63 2.Notwithstanding chapters 465 and 499 and rules adopted 64 thereunder, directing pharmacists employed by the department to 65 compound bulk prescription drugs and provide these bulk 66 prescription drugs to physicians and nurses of county health 67 departments or any qualified person authorized by the State 68 Health Officer for administration to persons as part of a 69 prophylactic or treatment regimen. 70 3.Notwithstanding s. 456.036, temporarily reactivating the 71 inactive license of the following health care practitioners, 72 when such practitioners are needed to respond to the public 73 health emergency: physicians licensed under chapter 458 or 74 chapter 459; physician assistants licensed under chapter 458 or 75 chapter 459; licensed practical nurses, registered nurses, and 76 advanced practice registered nurses licensed under part I of 77 chapter 464; respiratory therapists licensed under part V of 78 chapter 468; and emergency medical technicians and paramedics 79 certified under part III of chapter 401. Only those health care 80 practitioners specified in this paragraph who possess an 81 unencumbered inactive license and who request that such license 82 be reactivated are eligible for reactivation. An inactive 83 license that is reactivated under this paragraph returns shall 84 return to inactive status when the public health emergency ends, 85 or before the end of the public health emergency if the State 86 Health Officer determines that the health care practitioner is 87 no longer needed to provide services during the public health 88 emergency. Such licenses may only be reactivated for a period 89 not to exceed 90 days without meeting the requirements of s. 90 456.036 or chapter 401, as applicable. 91 4.Ordering an individual to be examined, tested, treated, 92 isolated, or quarantined for communicable diseases that have 93 significant morbidity or mortality and present a severe danger 94 to public health. However, an individual may refuse examination, 95 testing, or treatment for reasons of health, religion, or 96 conscience by submitting a refusal in writing to the State 97 Health Officer. Such individuals may not be required to undergo 98 examination, testing, or treatment but who are unable or 99 unwilling to be examined, tested, or treated for reasons of 100 health, religion, or conscience may be subjected to isolation or 101 quarantine. 102 a.Examination, testing, or treatment may be performed by 103 any qualified person authorized by the State Health Officer. 104 b.If the individual poses a danger to the public health, 105 the State Health Officer may subject the individual to isolation 106 or quarantine. If there is no practical method to isolate or 107 quarantine the individual, the State Health Officer may use any 108 means necessary to treat the individual. 109 c.Any order of the State Health Officer given to 110 effectuate this paragraph is immediately enforceable by a law 111 enforcement officer under s. 381.0012. 112 Section 2.This act shall take effect July 1, 2025.