Bill Text: FL S0774 | 2022 | Regular Session | Introduced


Bill Title: Communicable and Infectious Diseases

Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill

Status: (Failed) 2022-03-14 - Died in Governmental Oversight and Accountability [S0774 Detail]

Download: Florida-2022-S0774-Introduced.html
       Florida Senate - 2022                                     SB 774
       
       
        
       By Senator Gruters
       
       
       
       
       
       23-00421A-22                                           2022774__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to communicable and infectious
    3         diseases; providing a short title; amending s.
    4         112.181, F.S.; revising and defining terms; providing
    5         a presumption to specified workers that an impairment
    6         of health caused by COVID-19 or an infectious disease
    7         happened in the line of duty; requiring certain
    8         actions in order to be entitled to the presumption;
    9         requiring emergency rescue or public safety workers to
   10         file an incident or accident report under certain
   11         conditions; providing applicability; providing an
   12         effective date.
   13          
   14  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   15  
   16         Section 1. This act may be cited as the “Sergeant Justin
   17  White Act.”
   18         Section 2. Subsections (1), (2), and (5) and paragraph (a)
   19  of subsection (6) of section 112.181, Florida Statutes, are
   20  amended to read:
   21         112.181 Firefighters, paramedics, emergency medical
   22  technicians, law enforcement officers, correctional officers;
   23  special provisions relative to certain communicable and
   24  infectious diseases.—
   25         (1) DEFINITIONS.—As used in this section, the term:
   26         (a) “Body fluids” means blood and body fluids containing
   27  visible blood and other body fluids to which universal
   28  precautions for prevention of occupational transmission of
   29  blood-borne pathogens, as established by the Centers for Disease
   30  Control and Prevention, apply. For purposes of potential
   31  transmission of COVID-19, meningococcal meningitis, or
   32  tuberculosis, the term “body fluids” includes respiratory,
   33  salivary, and sinus fluids, including droplets, sputum, and
   34  saliva, mucous, and other fluids through which infectious
   35  airborne organisms can be transmitted between persons.
   36         (b)“COVID-19” has the same meaning as in s. 768.381(1).
   37         (c)(b) “Emergency rescue or public safety worker” means any
   38  person employed full time by the state or any political
   39  subdivision of the state as a firefighter, paramedic, emergency
   40  medical technician, law enforcement officer, or correctional
   41  officer who, in the course of employment, runs a high risk of
   42  occupational exposure to hepatitis, meningococcal meningitis, or
   43  tuberculosis, COVID-19, or an infectious disease and who is not
   44  employed elsewhere in a similar capacity. However, the term
   45  “emergency rescue or public safety worker” does not include any
   46  person employed by a public hospital licensed under chapter 395
   47  or any person employed by a subsidiary thereof.
   48         (d)(c) “Hepatitis” means hepatitis A, hepatitis B,
   49  hepatitis non-A, hepatitis non-B, hepatitis C, or any other
   50  strain of hepatitis generally recognized by the medical
   51  community.
   52         (e)(d) “High risk of occupational exposure” means that risk
   53  that is incurred because a person subject to the provisions of
   54  this section, in performing the basic duties associated with his
   55  or her employment:
   56         1. Provides emergency medical treatment in a non-health
   57  care setting where there is a potential for transfer of body
   58  fluids between persons;
   59         2. At the site of an accident, fire, or other rescue or
   60  public safety operation, or in an emergency rescue or public
   61  safety vehicle, handles body fluids in or out of containers or
   62  works with or otherwise handles needles or other sharp
   63  instruments exposed to body fluids;
   64         3. Engages in the pursuit, apprehension, and arrest of law
   65  violators or suspected law violators and, in performing such
   66  duties, may be exposed to body fluids; or
   67         4. Is responsible for the custody, and physical restraint
   68  when necessary, of prisoners or inmates within a prison, jail,
   69  or other criminal detention facility, while on work detail
   70  outside the facility, or while being transported and, in
   71  performing such duties, may be exposed to body fluids.
   72         (f)“Infectious disease” means any condition or impairment
   73  of health caused by a disease that has been declared a public
   74  health emergency in accordance with s. 381.00315.
   75         (g)(e) “Occupational exposure,” in the case of hepatitis,
   76  meningococcal meningitis, or tuberculosis, COVID-19, or an
   77  infectious disease, means an exposure that occurs during the
   78  performance of job duties that may place a worker at risk of
   79  infection.
   80         (2) PRESUMPTION; ELIGIBILITY CONDITIONS.—Any emergency
   81  rescue or public safety worker who suffers a condition or
   82  impairment of health that is caused by hepatitis, meningococcal
   83  meningitis, or tuberculosis, COVID-19, or an infectious disease,
   84  that requires medical treatment, and that results in total or
   85  partial disability or death is shall be presumed to have a
   86  disability suffered in the line of duty, unless the contrary is
   87  shown by competent evidence; however, in order to be entitled to
   88  the presumption, the emergency rescue or public safety worker
   89  must, by written affidavit as provided in s. 92.50, verify by
   90  written declaration that, to the best of his or her knowledge
   91  and belief:
   92         (a) In the case of a medical condition caused by or derived
   93  from hepatitis, he or she has not:
   94         1. Been exposed, through transfer of bodily fluids, to any
   95  person known to have sickness or medical conditions derived from
   96  hepatitis, outside the scope of his or her employment;
   97         2. Had a transfusion of blood or blood components, other
   98  than a transfusion arising out of an accident or injury
   99  happening in connection with his or her present employment, or
  100  received any blood products for the treatment of a coagulation
  101  disorder since last undergoing medical tests for hepatitis,
  102  which tests failed to indicate the presence of hepatitis;
  103         3. Engaged in unsafe sexual practices or other high-risk
  104  behavior, as identified by the Centers for Disease Control and
  105  Prevention or the Surgeon General of the United States, or had
  106  sexual relations with a person known to him or her to have
  107  engaged in such unsafe sexual practices or other high-risk
  108  behavior; or
  109         4. Used intravenous drugs not prescribed by a physician.
  110         (b) In the case of meningococcal meningitis, in the 10 days
  111  immediately preceding diagnosis, he or she was not exposed,
  112  outside the scope of his or her employment, to any person known
  113  to have meningococcal meningitis or known to be an asymptomatic
  114  carrier of the disease.
  115         (c) In the case of tuberculosis, in the period of time
  116  since the worker’s last negative tuberculosis skin test, he or
  117  she has not been exposed, outside the scope of his or her
  118  employment, to any person known by him or her to have
  119  tuberculosis.
  120         (d)In the case of COVID-19, in the 14 days immediately
  121  preceding diagnosis, he or she was not exposed, outside the
  122  scope of his or her employment, to any person known to have
  123  COVID-19.
  124         (e)In the case of an infectious disease, he or she
  125  contracted the infectious disease during a public health
  126  emergency declared in accordance with s. 381.00315 and was not
  127  exposed, outside of the scope of his or her employment, to any
  128  person known to have the infectious disease.
  129         (5) RECORD OF EXPOSURES.—The employing agency shall
  130  maintain a record of any known or reasonably suspected exposure
  131  of an emergency rescue or public safety worker in its employ to
  132  the diseases described in this section and shall immediately
  133  notify the employee of such exposure. An emergency rescue or
  134  public safety worker shall file an incident or accident report
  135  with his or her employer of each instance of known or suspected
  136  occupational exposure to hepatitis infection, meningococcal
  137  meningitis, or tuberculosis, COVID-19, or an infectious disease.
  138         (6) REQUIRED MEDICAL TESTS; PREEMPLOYMENT PHYSICAL.—In
  139  order to be entitled to the presumption provided by this
  140  section:
  141         (a) An emergency rescue or public safety worker must, prior
  142  to diagnosis, have undergone standard, medically acceptable
  143  tests for evidence of the communicable disease for which the
  144  presumption is sought, or evidence of medical conditions derived
  145  therefrom, which tests fail to indicate the presence of
  146  infection. This paragraph does not apply in the case of
  147  meningococcal meningitis, COVID-19, or an infectious disease.
  148         Section 3. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law.

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