Treatment of Inmates; Specifies rights of inmates in state correctional system; requires written copy of rights to be provided to each inmate; authorizes relief for deprivation of rights; revises definition of "permanently incapacitated inmate" for purposes of conditional medical release.
Parole; Requiring the Florida Commission on Offender Review to provide a specified statistical analysis to the Legislature; requiring the Department of Corrections to provide specified information to the commission; requiring the commission to review specified information in certain circumstances, etc.
Pregnant Women in Custody; Requires every female who is arrested & not released within 72 hours after arrest be administered pregnancy test upon request; requires that each municipal or county detention facility notify each arrested female of right to request pregnancy test; authorizes sentencing court to stay beginning of period of incarceration; authorizes court to order pregnant woman to comply with specified terms & conditions during stay; requires that woman be offered specified assessment & services; requires detention facilities & DOC to collect & report specified information.
Postsurgical Recovery Homes; Creating the "Postsurgical Recovery Home Safety Act"; providing licensure requirements to operate a postsurgical recovery home; requiring inspections before issuing a license and annually thereafter; prohibiting operating or advertising a postsurgical recovery home without a license; prohibiting a postsurgical recovery home from providing patient care without meeting certain staffing requirements, etc.
Pregnant Women In Custody; Citing this act as "Ava's law"; requiring that, upon her request, every female arrested and not released on bond within 72 hours after arrest be administered a pregnancy test within a specified timeframe; requiring each municipal detention facility or county detention facility to notify each arrested female upon booking at the facility of her right to request a pregnancy test; defining the term “pregnant woman”; requiring the court to consider specified factors in determining whether to grant a pregnant woman’s request to stay the beginning of the period of incarceration, etc.
Transportation Concurrency; Revising which facilities are required to be identified in the capital improvements element of a comprehensive plan that imposes transportation concurrency for small counties, etc.
Law Enforcement and Immigration Officer Identifying Information and Face Coverings; Creating the "VISIBLE Act"; requiring covered immigration officers to wear specified visible identification during public immigration enforcement functions; providing requirements for such visible identification; prohibiting covered immigration officers from wearing face coverings that impair the visibility of identifying information or obscure a covered immigration officer’s face; prohibiting law enforcement officers from wearing face coverings in the performance of their official duties, etc.
HB 407, titled the "Connecting to Care Act," authorizes pharmacists in Florida to administer specific medications under certain conditions. It expands pharmacists' roles by allowing them to deliver long-acting antipsychotics or opiate addiction treatments via injection, following physician-established protocols, after completing an 8-hour training course. Pharmacists must work within licensed facilities with privacy for injections, maintain separate prescriptions per dose, and adhere to safety protocols. This directly affects pharmacists, healthcare facilities, and patients receiving medication-assisted treatment for behavioral health conditions.
Transportation Concurrency; Revises facilities required to be identified in capital improvements element of comprehensive plan that imposes transportation concurrency for small counties.
SCR 82 is a Florida Senate Concurrent Resolution formally ratifying the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) to the U.S. Constitution. It directs Florida to endorse the 1972 proposed constitutional amendment, which would guarantee that "equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any State on account of sex." The resolution includes the full text of the ERA and references recent congressional efforts to remove the original 1982 ratification deadline. As a procedural measure, it does not create new policy but seeks to advance constitutional equality by adding Florida’s ratification to the amendment’s history.
Suicide Prevention for Active and Former Members of the United States Armed Forces, the National Guard, and their Reserve Components; Requiring a facility conducting an involuntary examination to include in its report to the Baker Act Reporting Center whether the individual examined is an active or former member of the United States Armed Forces, the National Guard, or their reserve components, etc.
HB 411 revises Florida's legal definition of "autism" and "autism spectrum disorder" to align with the most recent edition of the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). The bill updates the current description - which previously used outdated terms like "pervasive developmental disability" - to reflect current medical understanding of autism as a neurologically based condition affecting social interaction, communication, and behavior. This change directly affects state agencies, schools, and healthcare providers that rely on the statutory definition for eligibility, service planning, and data collection related to autism. The revised definition will take effect on July 1, 2026.
