Florida HB 83: Agency Rulemaking

Bill Text

CS/HB 83 2026

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb83-01-c1
Page 1 of 2
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S

A bill to be entitled 1
An act relating to booking officer duties related to 2
minor children of arrested persons; providing a short 3
title; creating s. 901.45, F.S.; defining the terms 4
"guardian" and "minor child"; requiring a booking 5
officer to ask certain questions of arrested persons 6
during the booking process and take certain actions 7
relating to the arrested person's minor children; 8
providing an effective date. 9
10
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 11
12
Section 1. This act may be cited as the "Child Protection 13
at Time of Parental Arrest Act." 14
Section 2. Section 901.45, Florida Statutes, is created to 15
read: 16
901.45 Booking officer duties relating to minor children 17
of arrested persons.— 18
(1) As used in this section, the term: 19
(a) "Guardian" means a parent, relative, caregiver, or 20
other person legally designated by a court to be responsible for 21
the safety and welfare of a minor child. 22
(b) "Minor child" means an unmarried person under the age 23
of 18 years who has not been emancipated by order of the court 24
and who is the legal or biological child of an arrested person. 25

CS/HB 83 2026

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb83-01-c1
Page 2 of 2
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S

(2) In addition to any other duty, when a booking officer 26
is committing an arrested person to custody, the booking officer 27
must ask the arrested person if he or she is the guardian of a 28
minor child. 29
(3) If the arrested person states that he or she is the 30
guardian of a minor child, the booking officer must ask the 31
person, in the same or similar wording, the following questions 32
and take the following actions: 33
(a) Is the minor child safe with a responsible guardian? 34
(b) Do I need to contact someone to confirm the care of 35
the minor child? 36
(c) Verify the minor child's safety and current placement 37
or location. 38
(d) Notify the central abuse hotline, if the booking 39
officer knows or suspects that the minor child is in need of 40
supervision and care and has no guardian or responsible adult 41
who is immediately known and available to provide such 42
supervision and care. 43
Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026. 44