Florida SB 996: Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation in Public Schools

Bill Text

996 
Dependent Children 
2025-12-22T09:24:06Z 
Requiring the Department of Children and Families and each community-based care lead agency to coordinate with certain organizations and meet at least quarterly for a specified purpose; requiring the department and each community-based care lead agency to make certain information available on their respective websites; requiring a caregiver to provide a weekly cash allowance to each child in his or her care beginning when the child attains a certain age; prohibiting a caregiver from withholding a child’s allowance as punishment, etc. 
Original Filed Version 
2026 
S 
2026-07-01T00:00:00Z 
GB 
General Bill 
__ 

 Florida Senate - 2026 SB 996 

 By Senator Rodriguez 

 40-00983-26 2026996__ 
 1 A bill to be entitled 
 2 An act relating to dependent children; amending s. 
 3 39.4085, F.S.; requiring the Department of Children 
 4 and Families and each community-based care lead agency 
 5 to coordinate with certain organizations and meet at 
 6 least quarterly for a specified purpose; authorizing 
 7 such meetings to be in person or via teleconference or 
 8 other electronic means; requiring such meetings to 
 9 have a formal agenda; requiring the department and 
 10 each community-based care lead agency to make certain 
 11 information available on their respective websites; 
 12 requiring, beginning in a specified year, the 
 13 department and each community-based care lead agency 
 14 to publish on their respective websites a biannual 
 15 report containing specified information; amending s. 
 16 409.145, F.S.; providing legislative findings; 
 17 requiring a caregiver to provide a weekly cash 
 18 allowance to each child in his or her care beginning 
 19 when the child attains a certain age; prohibiting a 
 20 caregiver from withholding a child’s allowance as 
 21 punishment; providing that a child may not be required 
 22 to use his or her allowance for certain items; 
 23 providing the amount of such weekly allowance; 
 24 encouraging caregivers to offer certain opportunities 
 25 and help to children in their care; authorizing the 
 26 department to adopt rules; providing an effective 
 27 date. 
 28 
 29 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 
 30 
 31 Section 1. Subsection (6) is added to section 39.4085, 
 32 Florida Statutes, to read: 
 33 39.4085 Goals for dependent children; responsibilities; 
 34 education; Office of the Children’s Ombudsman.— 
 35 (6)(a) The department shall coordinate with organizations 
 36 that are focused on empowering children with lived experience 
 37 for the purpose of addressing challenges and opportunities for 
 38 children in the child welfare system. The department and such 
 39 organizations must meet at least quarterly in person or via 
 40 teleconference or other electronic means to solicit input on 
 41 ways to address such challenges and opportunities. Each meeting 
 42 must have a formal agenda, and such agenda and the minutes from 
 43 each meeting must be made available on the department’s website. 
 44 (b) Each community-based care lead agency shall coordinate 
 45 with organizations that are focused on empowering children with 
 46 lived experience for the purpose of addressing challenges and 
 47 opportunities for children in the child welfare system. The 
 48 community-based care lead agency and such organizations must 
 49 meet at least quarterly in person or via teleconference or other 
 50 electronic means to solicit input on ways to address such 
 51 challenges and opportunities. Each meeting must have a formal 
 52 agenda, and such agenda and the minutes from each meeting must 
 53 be made available on the community-based care lead agency’s 
 54 website. 
 55 (c) By February 1 and August 1 of each year, beginning in 
 56 2027, the department and each community-based care lead agency 
 57 must make publicly accessible on their respective websites a 
 58 report that outlines how the department and the community-based 
 59 care lead agencies have implemented the suggestions received 
 60 from organizations in the meetings required under paragraphs (a) 
 61 and (b). 
 62 Section 2. Present subsection (5) of section 409.145, 
 63 Florida Statutes, is redesignated as subsection (6), a new 
 64 subsection (5) is added to that section, and paragraph (b) of 
 65 subsection (2) is amended, to read: 
 66 409.145 Care of children; “reasonable and prudent parent” 
 67 standard.—The child welfare system of the department shall 
 68 operate as a coordinated community-based system of care which 
 69 empowers all caregivers for children in foster care to provide 
 70 quality parenting, including approving or disapproving a child’s 
 71 participation in activities based on the caregiver’s assessment 
 72 using the “reasonable and prudent parent” standard. 
 73 (2) REASONABLE AND PRUDENT PARENT STANDARD.— 
 74 (b) Application of standard of care.— 
 75 1. Every child who comes into out-of-home care pursua