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ENROLLED
2026
Legislature
SB 428, 1st Engrossed
2026428er
1
2 An act relating to drowning prevention; amending s.
3 514.073, F.S.; revising the purpose of the Swimming
4 Lesson Voucher Program; revising the age requirements
5 for children receiving a voucher through the program;
6 creating s. 383.3363, F.S.; requiring the Department
7 of Health to develop educational materials on drowning
8 prevention safety measures and safe bathing practices
9 for specified purposes; specifying requirements for
10 such materials; requiring hospitals, birth centers,
11 and home birth providers to provide the educational
12 materials to new parents and caregivers as part of
13 their postpartum education and care; requiring
14 childbirth educators to provide the informational
15 materials to parents or caregivers receiving
16 childbirth education; amending ss. 383.318 and
17 395.1053, F.S.; conforming provisions to changes made
18 by the act; providing an effective date.
19
20 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
21
22 Section 1. Subsection (1) and paragraph (b) of subsection
23 (2) of section 514.073, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
24 514.073 Swimming Lesson Voucher Program.—
25 (1) There is created within the department the Swimming
26 Lesson Voucher Program. The purpose of the program is to
27 increase water safety
and prevent drownings
in this state by
28 offering vouchers for swimming lessons at no cost to families
29 with an income of no more than 200 percent of the federal
30 poverty level who have one or more children
between 1 and 7
4
31 years of age
or younger
.
32 (2) The department shall do all of the following to
33 implement the program:
34 (b) Establish a method for members of the public to apply
35 for swimming lesson vouchers and for determining an applicant’s
36 eligibility. The department shall establish eligibility criteria
37 necessary for a family to receive one or more vouchers from the
38 program, including, but not limited to, the following:
39 1. The age of each child for whom a voucher is being
40 sought, who
must be between 1 and 7
may be no more than 4
years
41 of age.
42 2. The family income level, which may be up to 200 percent
43 of the federal poverty level.
44 3. The family’s address of residency in this state.
45 Section 2. Section 383.3363, Florida Statutes, is created
46 to read:
47
383.3363
E
ducation on drowning prevention
safety measures
48
and safe bathing practices.—
49
(1)
The Department of Health shall develop educational
50
materials
on drowning prevention safety measures and safe
51
bathing practices
to be distributed to parents
or caregivers
as
52
part of postpartum
or childbirth
education provided by
53
hospitals, birth centers, home birth providers,
and childbirth
54
educators
in this state. The materials must include, but need
55
not be limited to, instruction on all of the following:
56
(
a
)
The increased risk of drowning for infants and toddlers
57
in bathtubs, pools, and other water sources, citing available
58
data on such drownings.
59
(
b
)
Water safety measures parents can employ to prevent
60
drowning, emphasizing the importance of constant supervision of
61
infants and children while they are around water and the
62
benefits of
early childhood
swimming lessons and water
63
competency programs as an added layer of protection from
64
drowning.
65
(
c
)
Additional safety hazards in the home setting and
66
evidence-based safe bathing practices.
67
(2)
H
ospital
s
, birth center
s
, and home birth provider
s
68
providing maternity, prenatal, and newborn services shall
69
provide the educational materials developed under subsection (1)
70
to the parents or caregivers of a newborn
as part of their
71
postpartum education and care.
72
(3)
Childbirth educators shall provide the educational
73
materials
developed under subsection (1)
to the parents or
74
caregivers receiving
childbirth
education
.
75 Section 3. Paragraph (j) is added to subsection (4) of
76 section 383.318, Florida Statutes, to read:
77 383.318 Postpartum care for birth center clients and
78 infants.—
79 (4) The birth center shall provide a postpartum evaluation
80 and
follow-up
followup
care that includes all of the following:
81
(j)
Provision of the educational materials on d
rowning
82
prevention safety measures and safe bathing practices developed
83
by the Department of Health under s. 383.3363
.
84 Section 4. Section 395.1053, Florida Statutes, is amended
85 to read:
86 395.1053 Postpartum education.—A hospital that provides
87 birthing services shall
provide each parent with postpartum
88
education on the care of newborns, which must include all of the
89
following:
90
(1)
incorporate
Information on safe sleep practices and the
91 possible causes of Sudden Unexpected Infant Death
.
into the
92
hospital’s postpartum instruction on the care of newborns and
93
provide to each parent
94
(
2
)
The informational pamphlet on infant and childhood eye
95 and vision disorders created by the department pursuant to s.
96 383.14(3)(h).
97
(
3
)
The educational materials on drowning prevention safety
98
measures and safe bathing practices developed by the department
99
under s. 383.3363.
100 Section 5. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026.