1.1 A bill for an act
1.2 relating to health; modifying Safe Place for Newborns provisions; amending
1.3 Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 145.902, subdivisions 1, 3.
1.4BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:
1.5 Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 145.902, subdivision 1, is amended to read:
1.6 Subdivision 1.General.(a) For purposes of this section, a "safe place" means:
1.7 (1) a hospital licensed under sections 144.50 to 144.56,;
1.8 (2) a fire station that is staffed continuously, 24 hours per day, except when all staff are
1.9called on in an emergency and when the dual alarm system dispatches the nearest first
1.10responder to receive the infant as in any similar emergency;
1.11 (3) a health care provider who provides urgent care medical services, or;
1.12 (4) a newborn safety device installed by a safe place; or
1.13 (5) an ambulance service licensed under chapter 144E dispatched in response to a 911
1.14call from a mother or a person with the mother's permission to relinquish a newborn infant.
1.15 (b) A safe place shall receive a newborn left with an employee on the premises of the
1.16safe place during its hours of operation or in a newborn safety device, provided that:
1.17 (1) the newborn infant was born within seven days of being left at the safe place, as
1.18determined within a reasonable degree of medical certainty; and
1.19 (2) the newborn infant is left in an unharmed condition.; and
1.20 (3) the newborn safety device:
1Section 1.
REVISOR SGS/VJ 25-0409702/19/25
State of Minnesota
This Document can be made available
in alternative formats upon request
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
H. F. No. 1903
NINETY-FOURTH SESSION
Authored by Novotny, Knudsen, Wiener and Gillman03/05/2025
The bill was read for the first time and referred to the Committee on Health Finance and Policy 2.1 (i) is designed to permit a parent to anonymously place a newborn infant in the device
2.2with the intent to leave the newborn;
2.3 (ii) allows an emergency medical services provider to remove the newborn infant from
2.4the device and take custody of the newborn infant;
2.5 (iii) is installed with an adequate dual alarm system connected to the physical location
2.6where the device is physically installed, and the dual alarm system is tested at least one time
2.7per month and visually checked at least two times per day to ensure the alarm system is in
2.8working order; and
2.9 (iv) is approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration and is physically located
2.10inside a participating fire station that is staffed 24 hours per day or a hospital that is licensed
2.11and legally operating in the state and is staffed continuously on a 24-hour basis every day.
2.12The safety device must be located in an area that is conspicuous and visible to the fire station
2.13or hospital staff.
2.14 (c) The safe place must not inquire as to the identity of the mother or the person leaving
2.15the newborn or call the police, provided the newborn is unharmed when presented to the
2.16hospital. The safe place may ask the mother or the person leaving the newborn about the
2.17medical history of the mother or newborn but the mother or the person leaving the newborn
2.18is not required to provide any information. The safe place may provide the mother or the
2.19person leaving the newborn with information about how to contact relevant social service
2.20agencies. This information must be available for the relinquishing parent in the newborn
2.21safety device.
2.22 (d) A safe place that is a health care provider who provides urgent care medical services
2.23shall dial 911, advise the dispatcher that the call is being made from a safe place for
2.24newborns, and ask the dispatcher to send an ambulance or take other appropriate action to
2.25transport the newborn to a hospital. An ambulance with whom a newborn is left shall
2.26transport the newborn to a hospital for care. Hospitals must receive a newborn left with a
2.27safe place and make the report as required in subdivision 2.
2.28 Sec. 2. Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 145.902, subdivision 3, is amended to read:
2.29 Subd. 3.Immunity.(a) A safe place with responsibility for performing duties under
2.30this section, and any employee, doctor, ambulance personnel, or other medical professional
2.31working at the safe place, are immune from any criminal liability that otherwise might result
2.32from their actions, if they are acting in good faith in receiving a newborn, and are immune
2.33from any civil liability that otherwise might result from merely receiving a newborn.
2Sec. 2.
REVISOR SGS/VJ 25-0409702/19/25 3.1 (b) A safe place performing duties under this section, or an employee, doctor, ambulance
3.2personnel, or other medical professional working at the safe place who is a mandated reporter
3.3under chapter 260E, is immune from any criminal or civil liability that otherwise might
3.4result from the failure to make a report under that section if the person is acting in good
3.5faith in complying with this section.
3.6 (c) No person shall be prosecuted for any crime based solely on the act of leaving a
3.7newborn in compliance with this section.
3Sec. 2.
REVISOR SGS/VJ 25-0409702/19/25