Florida 2025 Regular Session Status: In Committee 1 D cosponsors

SB 614 — Public Education of Background Screening Requirements

Last action — Laid on Table, companion bill(s) passed, see CS/CS/HB 531 (Ch. 2025-118)

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  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. 2
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed Senate
  4. 4
    Passed House
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill died with 2025 Regular Session. It reached “In Committee” and never advanced before the session ended, so it can no longer move — a new version would have to be reintroduced in the current session.

This bill is no longer active — its legislative session has ended, so there is no live prognosis. It would have to be reintroduced in the current session to move again.

Summary

Public Education of Background Screening Requirements; Requiring the Agency for Health Care Administration and the Department of Law Enforcement, in consultation with certain agencies, to develop and maintain a care provider background screening education and awareness webpage; providing requirements for resources provided on the webpage; requiring that specified agencies provide a link to the webpage on their respective websites and promote the inclusion of the link in certain media, etc.

Bill Text

What changed in the latest version

63 added · 275 removed

63 line(s) added, 275 removed.

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Florida Senate - 2025 SB 614 By Senator Polsky 30-01367-25 2025614__ A bill to be entitled An act relating to child care facility and program background screening requirements;
Florida Senate - 2025 CS for SB 614 By the Committee on Children, Families, and Elder Affairs;
and Senator Polsky 586-03173A-25 2025614c1 A bill to be entitled An act relating to public education of background screening requirements;
409.175, F.S.;
435.12, F.S.;
revising the definition of the term “personnel” to include recreational enrichment program personnel for screening purposes;
requiring the Agency for Health Care Administration and the Department of Law Enforcement, in consultation with certain agencies, to develop and maintain a care provider background screening education and awareness webpage;
revising the definition of the term “residential child-caring agency” to exclude recreational enrichment programs;
providing requirements for resources provided on the webpage;
defining the term “recreational enrichment program”;
requiring that specified agencies provide a link to the webpage on their respective websites and promote the inclusion of the link in certain media;
exempting such programs from certain licensing requirements of the Department of Children and Families;
requiring that the webpage be active by a specified date and updated annually;
authorizing rulemaking;
authorizing the department to pursue certain remedies for the failure of a recreational enrichment program to comply with certain screening requirements;
prohibiting recreational enrichment programs from using or releasing information from certain criminal or juvenile records for purposes other than employment screening;
providing criminal penalties;
creating s.
409.1751, F.S.;
requiring the department, in conjunction with the Agency for Health Care Administration and the Department of Law Enforcement, to develop and maintain a statewide background screening public awareness campaign;
amending s.
409.1676, F.S.;
conforming a cross-reference;
making a technical change;
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Section 1.
Subsection (4) is added to section 435.12, Florida Statutes, to read:
435.12 Care Provider Background Screening Clearinghouse.— (4)(a) As part of the Care Provider Background Screening Clearinghouse, the Agency for Health Care Administration, in consultation with all specified agencies that are required by law to use the clearinghouse for employment screening, must develop and maintain a publicly available webpage which provides a central source for care provider background screening education and awareness.
This webpage may be part of the current web-based clearinghouse system.
The resources available on the webpage must be written in nontechnical and accessible language, Page 1 of 2 CODING:
Florida Senate - 2025 SB 614 30-01367-25 2025614__ Section 1.
Florida Senate - 2025 CS for SB 614 586-03173A-25 2025614c1 tailored to qualified entities as defined in s.
Present paragraphs (l) through (p) of subsection (2) of section 409.175, Florida Statutes, are redesignated as paragraphs (m) through (q), respectively, a new paragraph (l) is added to that subsection, and paragraph (j) and present paragraph (l) of subsection (2), paragraph (d) of subsection (4), paragraphs (e) and (l) of subsection (6), and subsections (10) and (12) of that section are amended, to read:
943.0542(1)(b) and include, but need not be limited to:
409.175 Licensure of family foster homes, residential child-caring agencies, and child-placing agencies;
public records exemption.— (2) As used in this section, the term:
(j) “Personnel” means all owners, operators, employees, and volunteers working in a child-placing agency or residential child-caring agency who may be employed by or do volunteer work for a person, corporation, or agency that holds a license as a child-placing agency or a residential child-caring agency, but the term does not include those who do not work on the premises at which where child care is furnished and have no direct contact with a child or have no contact with a child outside of the presence of the child’s parent or guardian.
For purposes of screening, the term includes any member, over the age of 12 years, of the family of the owner or operator or any person other than a client, over the age of 12 years, residing with the owner or operator if the agency is located in or adjacent to the home of the owner or operator or if the family member of, or person residing with, the owner or operator has any direct contact with the children.
Members of the family of the owner or operator, or persons residing with the owner or operator, who are between the ages of 12 years and 18 years are not required Page 2 of 9 CODING:
Words stricken are deletions;
words underlined are additions.
Florida Senate - 2025 SB 614 30-01367-25 2025614__ to be fingerprinted, but must be screened for delinquency records.
For purposes of screening, the term also includes owners, operators, employees, and volunteers working in summer day camps, or summer 24-hour camps providing care for children or recreational enrichment programs providing services for children.
A volunteer who assists on an intermittent basis for less than 10 hours per month shall not be included in the term “personnel” for the purposes of screening if a person who meets the screening requirement of this section is always present and has the volunteer in his or her line of sight.
(l) “Recreational enrichment program” means an organization that provides enrichment activities to children, such as dance instruction, music instruction, gymnastics instruction, or martial arts instruction, offered on an ongoing basis, which takes place partially or fully indoors.
The term does not include an organization licensed or registered to provide child care under chapter 402, summer 24-hour camps, or summer day camps.
(m)(l) “Residential child-caring agency” means any person, corporation, or agency, public or private, other than the child’s parent or legal guardian, that provides staffed 24-hour care for children in facilities maintained for that purpose, regardless of whether operated for profit or whether a fee is charged.
Such residential child-caring agencies include, but are not limited to, maternity homes, runaway shelters, group homes that are administered by an agency, emergency shelters that are not in private residences, and wilderness camps.
Residential child-caring agencies do not include hospitals, boarding schools, summer or recreation camps, recreational enrichment Page 3 of 9 CODING:
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Words stricken are deletions;
words underlined are additions.
Florida Senate - 2025 SB 614 30-01367-25 2025614__ programs, nursing homes, or facilities operated by a governmental agency for the training, treatment, or secure care of delinquent youth, or facilities licensed under s.
393.067 or s.
394.875 or chapter 397.
(4) (d) This license requirement does not apply to boarding schools, recreation and summer camps, recreational enrichment programs, nursing homes, hospitals, or to persons who care for children of friends or neighbors in their homes for periods not to exceed 90 days or to persons who have received a child for adoption from a licensed child-placing agency.
(6) (e)1.
The department may pursue other remedies provided in this section in addition to denial or revocation of a license for failure to comply with the screening requirements.
The disciplinary actions determination to be made by the department and the procedure for hearing for applicants and licensees shall be in accordance with chapter 120.
2.
When the department has reasonable cause to believe that grounds for denial or termination of employment exist, it shall notify, in writing, the applicant, licensee, or summer or recreation camp, or recreational enrichment program, and the personnel affected, stating the specific record that indicates noncompliance with the screening requirements.
3.
Procedures established for hearing under chapter 120 shall be available to the applicant, licensee, summer day camp, or summer 24-hour camp, or recreational enrichment program, and affected personnel, in order to present evidence relating either to the accuracy of the basis for exclusion or to the denial of Page 4 of 9 CODING:
Words stricken are deletions;
words underlined are additions.
Florida Senate - 2025 SB 614 30-01367-25 2025614__ an exemption from disqualification.
Such procedures may also be used to challenge a decision by a community-based care lead agency’s refusal to issue a letter supporting an application for licensure.
If the challenge is to the actions of the community- based care lead agency, the respondent to the challenge shall be the lead agency and the department shall be notified of the proceedings.
4.
Refusal on the part of an applicant to dismiss personnel who have been found not to be in compliance with the requirements for good moral character of personnel shall result in automatic denial or revocation of license in addition to any other remedies provided in this section which may be pursued by the department.
(l) The department may not license summer day camps, or summer 24-hour camps, or recreational enrichment programs.
However, the department shall have access to the personnel records of such facilities to ensure compliance with the screening requirements.
The department may adopt rules relating to the screening requirements for summer day camps, and summer 24-hour camps, and recreational enrichment programs.
(10)(a) The department may institute injunctive proceedings in a court of competent jurisdiction to:
Enforce the provisions of this section or any license requirement, rule, or order issued or entered into pursuant thereto;
Information and education related to employment screening requirements of qualified entities, to include:
or 2.
Terminate the operation of an agency in which any of the following conditions exist:
The licensee has failed to take preventive or corrective measures in accordance with any order of the department to Page 5 of 9 CODING:
The Care Provider Background Screening Clearinghouse.
Words stricken are deletions;
words underlined are additions.
Florida Senate - 2025 SB 614 30-01367-25 2025614__ maintain conformity with licensing requirements.
There is a violation of any of the provisions of this section, or of any licensing requirement promulgated pursuant to this section, which violation threatens harm to any child or which constitutes an emergency requiring immediate action.
Level 2 screening standards under chapter 435.
3.
c.
Terminate the operation of a summer day camp or summer 24-hour camp providing care for children or a recreational enrichment program providing services for children when such camp or program has willfully and knowingly refused to comply with the screening requirements for personnel or has refused to terminate the employment of personnel found to be in noncompliance with the requirements for good moral character as determined in paragraph (5)(b).
Live-scan fingerprinting, or other third-party systems, including information on process, vendors, locations, and potential costs.
(b) If the department finds, within 30 days after written notification by registered mail of the requirement for licensure, that a person or agency continues to care for or to place children without a license or, within 30 days after written notification by registered mail of the requirement for screening of personnel and compliance with paragraph (5)(b) for the hiring and continued employment of personnel, that a summer day camp, or summer 24-hour camp, or recreational enrichment program continues to provide care for or services to children without complying, the department shall notify the appropriate state attorney of the violation of law and, if necessary, shall institute a civil suit to enjoin the person or agency from continuing the placement or care of children, or to enjoin the summer day camp, or summer 24-hour camp, or recreational enrichment program from continuing the care of, or providing services to, children.
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Words stricken are deletions;
words underlined are additions.
Florida Senate - 2025 SB 614 30-01367-25 2025614__ (c) Such injunctive relief may be temporary or permanent.
(12)(a) It is unlawful for any person or agency to:
1.
Provide continuing full-time care for or to receive or place a child apart from her or his parents in a residential group care facility, family foster home, or adoptive home without a valid license issued by the department if such license is required by subsection (5);
or 2.
Make a willful or intentional misstatement on any license application or other document required to be filed in connection with an application for a license.
(b) It is unlawful for any person, agency, family foster home, summer day camp, or summer 24-hour camp providing care for children to:
1.
willfully or intentionally fail to comply with the requirements for the screening of personnel and family foster homes or the dismissal of personnel or removal of household members found not to be in compliance with the requirements for good moral character as specified in paragraph (5)(b).
(c)2.
It is unlawful for any person, agency, family foster home, summer day camp, or summer 24-hour camp providing care for children, or any recreational enrichment program providing services to children, to use information from the criminal records obtained under this section for any purpose other than screening a person for employment as specified in this section or to release such information to any other person for any purpose other than screening for employment as specified in this section.
(d)(c) It is unlawful for any person, agency, family foster home, summer day camp, or summer 24-hour camp providing care for Page 7 of 9 CODING:
Words stricken are deletions;
words underlined are additions.
Florida Senate - 2025 SB 614 30-01367-25 2025614__ children, or any recreational enrichment program providing services to children, to use information from the juvenile records of any person obtained under this section for any purpose other than screening for employment as specified in this section or to release information from such records to any other person for any purpose other than screening for employment as specified in this section.
(e)(d)1.
A first violation of paragraph (a), or paragraph (b), or paragraph (c) is a misdemeanor of the first degree, punishable as provided in s.
775.082 or s.
775.083.
A second or subsequent violation of paragraph (a), or paragraph (b), or paragraph (c) is a felony of the third degree, punishable as provided in s.
A searchable catalog, by specified agency, of qualified entity employment classes and positions required by law to undergo employment screening through the clearinghouse, to include:
775.082 or s.
a.
775.083.
Disqualifying offenses.
b.
Exemption requirements and process.
A violation of paragraph (d) paragraph (c) is a felony of the third degree, punishable as provided in s.
A downloadable checklist detailing the process, timelines, and contact information for employment screening process support, tailored to qualified entities.
775.082, s.
(b) Specified agencies must include a clear and conspicuous link to the webpage on their respective websites and promote the inclusion of the link in all job vacancy advertisements and posts by qualified entities.
775.083, or s.
(c) The webpage must be active by January 1, 2026, and reviewed and updated by October 1, 2026, and each subsequent year to incorporate any changes to law, the clearinghouse, or the employment screening process.
775.084.
Section 409.1751, Florida Statutes, is created to read:
409.1751 Statewide background screening public awareness campaign.—The department, in conjunction with the Agency for Health Care Administration and the Department of Law Enforcement, shall develop and maintain a statewide public awareness campaign of the state’s background screening requirements in s.
409.175 for summer day camps, summer 24-hour camps, and recreational enrichment programs.
The campaign must include, but is not limited to, Internet, television, radio, and outdoor advertising and public service announcements.
Section 3.
Paragraph (b) of subsection (2) of section 409.1676, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
Page 8 of 9 CODING:
Words stricken are deletions;
words underlined are additions.
Florida Senate - 2025 SB 614 30-01367-25 2025614__ 409.1676 Comprehensive residential group care services to children who have extraordinary needs.— (2) As used in this section, the term:
(b) “Residential group care” means a living environment for children who have been adjudicated dependent and are expected to be in foster care for at least 6 months with 24-hour-awake staff or live-in group home parents or staff.
Each facility must be appropriately licensed in this state as a residential child- caring child caring agency as defined in s.
409.175(2)(m) s.
409.175(2)(l) and must be accredited by July 1, 2005.
A residential group care facility serving children having a serious behavioral problem as defined in this section must have available staff or contract personnel with the clinical expertise, credentials, and training to provide services identified in subsection (4).
Section 4.
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Action History

  1. Laid on Table, companion bill(s) passed, see CS/CS/HB 531 (Ch. 2025-118)

  2. Substituted CS/CS/HB 531

  3. Read 2nd time

  4. Placed on Special Order Calendar, 04/28/25

  5. Placed on Calendar, on 2nd reading

  6. Favorable by- Fiscal Policy; YEAS 19 NAYS 0

  7. On Committee agenda-- Fiscal Policy, 04/22/25, 11:00 am, 412 Knott Building

  8. Now in Fiscal Policy

  9. Favorable by Appropriations Committee on Health and Human Services; YEAS 10 NAYS 0

  10. On Committee agenda-- Appropriations Committee on Health and Human Services, 04/15/25, 8:30 am, 412 Knott Building

  11. CS by Children, Families, and Elder Affairs read 1st time

  12. Now in Appropriations Committee on Health and Human Services

  13. Pending reference review under Rule 4.7(2) - (Committee Substitute)

  14. CS by Children, Families, and Elder Affairs; YEAS 6 NAYS 0

  15. On Committee agenda-- Children, Families, and Elder Affairs, 04/01/25, 4:00 pm, 301 Senate Building

  16. Introduced

  17. Referred to Children, Families, and Elder Affairs; Appropriations Committee on Health and Human Services; Fiscal Policy

  18. Filed

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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2 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 162 not signed on

Sponsors (2)

Co-sponsors (0)

None.

Not signed on (162)

162 members have not signed on to this bill.

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"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Votes

Favorable

Passed 19 Yea · 0 Nay
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Democrat 5000
Republican 13000
Unaffiliated 1000
Total 19000
% of votes cast 100%0%0%0%
How each member voted (19)
Member Party Vote
Ingoglia — Yea
Arrington, Kristen Aston Democrat Yea
Bernard, Mack Democrat Yea
Davis, Tracie Democrat Yea
Jones, Shevrin D. "Shev" Democrat Yea
Osgood, Rosalind Democrat Yea
Boyd, Jim Republican Yea
Bradley, Jennifer Republican Yea
Burton, Colleen Republican Yea
Calatayud, Alexis Republican Yea
Gaetz, Don Republican Yea
Gruters, Joe Republican Yea
Leek, Thomas J. "Tom" Republican Yea
Passidomo, Kathleen Republican Yea
Rodriguez, Ana Maria Republican Yea
Simon, Corey Republican Yea
Truenow, Keith L. Republican Yea
Vacant Republican Yea
Yarborough, Clay Republican Yea

Official roll call →

Favorable

Passed 10 Yea · 0 Nay
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Democrat 3000
Republican 7000
Total 10000
% of votes cast 100%0%0%0%
How each member voted (10)
Member Party Vote
Berman, Lori Democrat Yea
Davis, Tracie Democrat Yea
Rouson, Darryl Ervin Democrat Yea
Brodeur, Jason Republican Yea
Burton, Colleen Republican Yea
Garcia, Ileana Republican Yea
Gruters, Joe Republican Yea
Harrell, Gayle Republican Yea
Rodriguez, Ana Maria Republican Yea
Trumbull, Jay Republican Yea

Official roll call →

Subjects

labor education
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

What does SB 614 do?
Public Education of Background Screening Requirements; Requiring the Agency for Health Care Administration and the Department of Law Enforcement, in consultation with certain agencies, to develop and maintain a care provider background screening education and awareness webpage; providing requirements for resources provided on the webpage; requiring that specified agencies provide a link to the webpage on their respective websites and promote the inclusion of the link in certain media, etc.
Who sponsors SB 614?
SB 614 is sponsored by Polsky, Tina Scott (Democrat) and Children, Families, and Elder Affairs.
What is the current status of SB 614?
This bill died with 2025 Regular Session. It reached “In Committee” and never advanced before the session ended, so it can no longer move — a new version would have to be reintroduced in the current session.
Where can I track SB 614?
Track SB 614 free on One Click Politics — get push/email alerts when it moves.

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