Read the full stored bill text
Florida Senate
-
2026
CS for CS for SB 606
By
the Committees on Fiscal Policy; and Health Policy; and
Senators Smith, Yarborough, Davis, Berman, Sharief, and Jones
594-02803-26 2026606c2
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to drowning prevention education;
3 creating s. 383.3363, F.S.; requiring the Department
4 of Health to develop educational materials on drowning
5 prevention safety measures and safe bathing practices
6 for specified purposes; providing requirements for
7 such materials; requiring hospitals, birth centers,
8 and home birth providers to provide the educational
9 materials to new parents and caregivers as part of
10 their postpartum education and care; requiring
11 childbirth educators to provide the informational
12 materials to parents or caregivers receiving
13 childbirth education; amending ss. 383.318 and
14 395.1053, F.S.; conforming provisions to changes made
15 by the act; providing an effective date.
16
17 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
18
19 Section 1. Section 383.3363, Florida Statutes, is created
20 to read:
21
383.3363
E
ducation on drowning prevention
safety measures
22
and safe bathing practices.—
23
(1)
The Department of Health shall develop educational
24
materials
on drowning prevention safety measures and safe
25
bathing practices
to be distributed to parents
or caregivers
as
26
part of postpartum
or childbirth
education provided by
27
hospitals, birth centers, home birth providers,
and childbirth
28
educators
in this state. The materials must include, but need
29
not be limited to, instruction on all of the following:
30
(
a
)
The increased risk of drowning for infants and toddlers
31
in bathtubs, pools, and other water sources, citing available
32
data on such drownings.
33
(
b
)
Water safety measures parents can employ to prevent
34
drowning, emphasizing the importance of constant supervision of
35
infants and children while they are around water and the
36
benefits of
early childhood
swimming lessons and water
37
competency programs as an added layer of protection from
38
drowning.
39
(
c
)
Additional safety hazards in the home setting and
40
evidence-based safe bathing practices.
41
(2)
H
ospital
s
, birth center
s
, and home birth provider
s
42
providing maternity, prenatal, and newborn services shall
43
provide the educational materials developed under subsection (1)
44
to the parents or caregivers of a newborn
as part of their
45
postpartum education and care.
46
(3)
Childbirth educators shall provide the educational
47
materials
developed under subsection (1)
to the parents or
48
caregivers receiving
childbirth
education
.
49 Section 2. Paragraph (j) is added to subsection (4) of
50 section 383.318, Florida Statutes, to read:
51 383.318 Postpartum care for birth center clients and
52 infants.—
53 (4) The birth center shall provide a postpartum evaluation
54 and followup care that includes all of the following:
55
(j)
Provision of the educational materials on d
rowning
56
prevention safety measures and safe bathing practices developed
57
by the Department of Health under s. 383.3363
.
58 Section 3. Section 395.1053, Florida Statutes, is amended
59 to read:
60 395.1053 Postpartum education.—A hospital that provides
61 birthing services shall
provide each parent with postpartum
62
education on the care of newborns, which must include all of the
63
following:
64
(1)
incorporate
Information on safe sleep practices and the
65 possible causes of Sudden Unexpected Infant Death
.
into the
66
hospital’s postpartum instruction on the care of newborns and
67
provide to each parent
68
(
2
)
P
rovision of
the informational pamphlet on infant and
69 childhood eye and vision disorders created by the department
70 pursuant to s. 383.14(3)(h).
71
(
3
)
Provision of the educational materials on drowning
72
prevention safety measures and safe bathing practices developed
73
by the department under s. 383.3363.
74 Section 4. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026.