Florida SB 54: Motor Vehicle Insurance

Bill Text

54 
Use of Substances Affecting Cognitive Function 
2026-01-16T10:31:08Z 
Requiring medical examiners to take specified actions when performing an autopsy on a decedent who is a violent offender; requiring that autopsy reports for such individuals include certain findings and information; authorizing the release of certain patient records to law enforcement agencies without patient authorization under certain circumstances; requiring school safety specialists to provide school district staff with certain training on the adverse effects of specified substances, etc. 
Committee Substitute 2 
2026 
S 
2026-07-01T00:00:00Z 
GB 
General Bill 
c2 

 Florida Senate - 2026 CS for CS for SB 54 

 By the Appropriations Committee on Criminal and Civil Justice; 
 the Committee on Criminal Justice; and Senators Sharief, Osgood, 
 Rouson, and Bernard 

 604-01946-26 202654c2 
 1 A bill to be entitled 
 2 An act relating to the use of substances affecting 
 3 cognitive function; creating s. 406.139, F.S.; 
 4 defining terms; requiring medical examiners to take 
 5 specified actions when performing an autopsy on a 
 6 decedent who is a violent offender; requiring that 
 7 autopsy reports for such individuals include certain 
 8 findings and information; requiring notification of 
 9 certain findings and information to the Department of 
 10 Law Enforcement, the Department of Health, and the 
 11 Agency for Health Care Administration; amending s. 
 12 456.057, F.S.; authorizing the release of certain 
 13 patient records to law enforcement agencies without 
 14 patient authorization under certain circumstances; 
 15 amending s. 1006.07, F.S.; requiring school safety 
 16 specialists to provide school district staff with 
 17 certain training on the adverse effects of specified 
 18 substances; specifying requirements for training; 
 19 amending s. 1006.12, F.S.; requiring safe-school 
 20 officers to complete certain training on the adverse 
 21 effects of specified substances; specifying 
 22 requirements for training; amending s. 381.028, F.S.; 
 23 conforming a cross-reference; providing an effective 
 24 date. 
 25 
 26 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 
 27 
 28 Section 1. Section 406.139, Florida Statutes, is created to 
 29 read: 
 30 406.139 Autopsy of a suspected violent offender.— 
 31 (1) DEFINITIONS.—As used in this section, the term: 
 32 (a) “Intoxicating substance” means any alcoholic beverage, 
 33 controlled substance controlled under chapter 893, or chemical 
 34 substance set forth in s. 877.111. 
 35 (b) “Psychotropic drug” means any drug prescribed to affect 
 36 an individual’s mental state, including, but not limited to, 
 37 antidepressants, antipsychotics, mood stabilizers, and 
 38 antianxiety medications. 
 39 (c) “Violent offender” means any person who is suspected by 
 40 law enforcement of engaging in unprovoked violence that results 
 41 in, or is likely to result in, the death or serious bodily 
 42 injury of another. 
 43 (2) CONSULTATION; TOXICOLOGY SCREENING.—If a medical 
 44 examiner’s office performs an autopsy on a decedent who is a 
 45 violent offender, the medical examiner must do all of the 
 46 following: 
 47 (a)1. Make reasonable efforts to determine the identity of 
 48 any treating mental health professional or primary care 
 49 physician of the decedent; and 
 50 2. Consult such individuals, if known and available, to 
 51 obtain information and records regarding the decedent’s history 
 52 of psychotropic drug use, including any prescribed or 
 53 discontinued medications. 
 54 (b) Order and perform a toxicology screening on the 
 55 decedent to determine whether psychotropic drugs or intoxicating 
 56 substances are present in the decedent’s body. 
 57 (3) AUTOPSY REPORT; NOTIFICATION.— 
 58 (a) All findings under subsection (2) must be documented 
 59 and included in the final autopsy report, along with any 
 60 available corroborating information. 
 61 (b)1. Any findings relating to the use of intoxicating 
 62 substances or psychotropic drugs must be reported to the 
 63 Department of Law Enforcement. 
 64 2. Any findings relating to the use of psychotropic drugs 
 65 and, if known, the prescribing facility, must be reported to the 
 66 Department of Health and the Agency for Health Care 
 67 Administration. 
 68 Section 2. Present subsections (8) through (20) of section 
 69 456.057, Florida Statutes, are redesignated as subsections (9) 
 70 through (21), respectively, and a new subsection (8) is added to 
 71 that section, to read: 
 72 456.057 Ownership and control of patient records; report or 
 73 copies of records to be furnished; disclosure of information.— 
 74 (8) Notwithstanding any other law, records must be 
 75 furnished to a law enforcement agency as defined in s. 914.28 
 76 upon request for the purpose of investigating a violent offender 
 77 as defined in s. 406.139. The release of such medical records 
 78 must include: 
 79 (a)