Florida SB 306: Luggage for Children Placed in Out-of-home Care

Bill Text

306 
Luggage for Children Placed in Out-of-home Care 
2025-10-28T12:11:24Z 
Citing this act as the “Fostering with Dignity Act”; requiring the Department of Children and Families to provide certain children with luggage for certain purposes; requiring the department to collaborate with certain entities and pursue strategic partnerships for specified purposes; authorizing the department to solicit and accept gifts, grants, and donations from any source for certain purposes, etc. 
Original Filed Version 
2026 
S 
2026-07-01T00:00:00Z 
GB 
General Bill 
__ 

 Florida Senate - 2026 SB 306 

 By Senator Berman 

 26-00471B-26 2026306__ 
 1 A bill to be entitled 
 2 An act relating to luggage for children placed in out 
 3 of-home care; providing a short title; creating s. 
 4 39.4011, F.S.; providing legislative findings and 
 5 intent; providing construction; defining terms; 
 6 requiring the Department of Children and Families to 
 7 provide certain children with luggage for certain 
 8 purposes; providing that such luggage belongs to the 
 9 child and may not be reclaimed by the department or 
 10 retained by an adult with whom the child is placed; 
 11 requiring the department to collaborate with certain 
 12 entities and pursue strategic partnerships for 
 13 specified purposes; requiring the department to 
 14 maintain certain records; starting on a specified date 
 15 and annually thereafter, requiring the department to 
 16 submit a report containing specified information to 
 17 the Legislature; authorizing the department to solicit 
 18 and accept gifts, grants, and donations from any 
 19 source for certain purposes; authorizing certain 
 20 funding sources; amending ss. 39.401 and 39.4085, 
 21 F.S.; conforming provisions to changes made by the 
 22 act; providing an effective date. 
 23 
 24 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 
 25 
 26 Section 1. This act may be cited as the “Fostering with 
 27 Dignity Act.” 
 28 Section 2. Section 39.4011, Florida Statutes, is created to 
 29 read: 
 30 39.4011 Luggage for children placed in out-of-home care.— 
 31 (1)(a) The Legislature finds that children placed in out 
 32 of-home care often transport their personal belongings in trash 
 33 bags, which intensifies emotional distress for such children and 
 34 reinforces feelings of disposability. Accordingly, the 
 35 Legislature intends that every child in this state who is placed 
 36 in out-of-home care be provided with suitable luggage in order 
 37 to promote dignity, emotional well-being, and stability during 
 38 the child’s transition. 
 39 (b) This section shall be construed to advance the dignity, 
 40 emotional well-being, and stability of children placed in out 
 41 of-home care. This section may not be construed to limit or 
 42 impede existing rights, services, or protections afforded to 
 43 children in out-of-home care under federal or state law. 
 44 (2) As used in this section, the term: 
 45 (a) “Community-based care lead agency” has the same meaning 
 46 as in s. 409.986(3). 
 47 (b) “Luggage” means a suitcase, duffle bag, backpack, or 
 48 similar bag or container with handles made of durable material 
 49 which is designed to hold an individual’s personal belongings 
 50 for multiple uses. 
 51 (c) “Public-private partnership” means a partnership 
 52 between the department and a private entity, the purpose of 
 53 which is to finance, build, and operate projects that serve a 
 54 public purpose. 
 55 (3) The department shall provide each child taken into its 
 56 custody pursuant to s. 39.401 who is entering out-of-home care 
 57 and each child who is changing placements with a suitable piece 
 58 of luggage for the storage and transport of his or her personal 
 59 belongings. Luggage provided to a child under this subsection 
 60 belongs to the child and may not be reclaimed by the department 
 61 or retained by any adult with whom the child is placed. The 
 62 department is not required to provide new luggage to a child who 
 63 is changing placements if the child has previously been provided 
 64 with luggage under this subsection. 
 65 (4) The department shall do all of the following: 
 66 (a) Collaborate with community-based care lead agencies, 
 67 advocacy groups, business partners, and entities in a public 
 68 private partnership with the department to coordinate logistics 
 69 and the distribution of the luggage. The department shall 
 70 establish and maintain a decentralized luggage supply and 
 71 develop procedures for storage and distribution of luggage. 
 72 (b) Pursue strategic partnerships to ensure that each child 
 73 entering out-of-home care or changing placements receives a 
 74 piece of luggage to store and transport the child’s personal 
 75 belongings. 
 76 (c) Maintain a record of each time a trash bag is used to 
 77 transport the personal belongings of a child who is in out-of 
 78 home care. The record must include a statement providing