Read the full stored bill text
Florida Senate
-
2026
SB 1540
By
Senator Pizzo
37-01448-26 20261540__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to missing endangered persons;
3 creating s. 937.032, F.S.; authorizing hospitals to
4 disclose specified information about admitted patients
5 to law enforcement agencies for a specified purpose
6 and under certain circumstances; authorizing hospitals
7 to search and use hospital records of admitted
8 patients to identify potential matches to persons
9 listed as missing on the Missing Endangered Persons
10 Information Clearinghouse; authorizing hospitals to
11 report to the appropriate law enforcement agency if
12 they suspect that an admitted patient of the hospital
13 matches the description of a missing endangered person
14 in the clearinghouse; authorizing the Agency for
15 Health Care Administration to adopt certain rules;
16 providing an effective date.
17
18 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
19
20 Section 1. Section 937.032, Florida Statutes, is created to
21 read:
22
937.032
Missing endangered persons; hospital records;
23
access and use
.—
24
(1)
In accordance with
45 C
.
F
.
R
.
s.
164.5
12(f)(2), a
25
hospital may disclose any of the following information about an
26
admitted patient to a law enforcement agency, either upon
27
request or pursuant to subsection (2), for the limited purpose
28
of identifying or locating a missing endangered person:
29
(a)
Name and address
.
30
(
b
)
Date and place of birth
.
31
(
c
)
Social security number
.
32
(
d
)
ABO blood type and rh factor
.
33
(
e
)
Type of injury
.
34
(
f
)
Date and time of treatment
.
35
(
g
)
Date and time of death, if applicable
.
36
(
h
)
A description of distinguishing physical
37
characteristics, including height, weight, gender, race, hair
38
and eye color,
scars, tattoos, and
presence or absence of facial
39
hair
, such as a beard or moustache
.
40
(2)
H
ospitals may search
and use hospital records of
41
admitted patients
for purposes of identifying potential matches
42
to persons listed as missing on
the Missing Endangered Persons
43
Information Clearinghouse
.
If it is suspected that an admitted
44
patient of the hospital matches the description of a missing
45
endangered person in the clearinghouse, the hospital may report
46
any of the information specified in subsection (1) to the
47
appropriate law enforcement agency.
48
(3)
The Agency for Health Care Administration may adopt
49
rules to implement uniform reporting procedures for hospitals
50
under this section.
51 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026.