HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES STAFF ANALYSIS
BILL #: CS/HB 415 Pregnancy and Parenting Resources Website
SPONSOR(S): Health Care Appropriations Subcommittee, Jacques and others
TIED BILLS: IDEN./SIM. BILLS: SB 436
REFERENCE ACTION ANALYST STAFF DIRECTOR or
BUDGET/POLICY CHIEF
1) Healthcare Regulation Subcommittee 17 Y, 0 N Clenord McElroy
2) Health Care Appropriations Subcommittee 15 Y, 0 N, As CS Aderibigbe Clark
3) Health & Human Services Committee 14 Y, 3 N Clenord Calamas
SUMMARY ANALYSIS
The transition to parenthood can be an overwhelming life event, with more than half of parents reporting feeling
inadequately prepared. Florida provides numerous programs and resources to expectant and new families to
assist with this transition. The Department of Health (DOH), Department of Children and Families (DCF), and
the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) provide information related to a variety of pregnancy and
parenting resources on their respective websites. However, unlike other states such as South Dakota, Texas,
and North Dakota, Florida does not currently have a comprehensive state website containing information
related to available public and private pregnancy and parenting resources.
CS/HB 415 requires DOH, in partnership with DCF and AHCA, to contract with a third-party to create a website
that provides information and links to public and private pregnancy and parenting resources. The website must
include, at a minimum, information on resources related to:
Educational materials on pregnancy and parenting;
Maternal health services;
Prenatal and postnatal services;
Educational and mentorship programs for fathers;
Social services;
Financial assistance;
Adoption services.
The bill also requires DOH, DCF, and AHCA to include a clear and conspicuous link to the website on their
respective websites. The pregnancy and parenting resources website must be functional by January 1, 2025.
The bill appropriates $466,200 in nonrecurring funds from the Administrative Trust Fund to DOH to implem ent
its provisions, and has no fiscal impact on local governments.
The bill provides an effective date of July 1, 2024.
This docum ent does not reflect the intent or official position of the bill sponsor or House of Representatives .
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FULL ANALYSIS
I. SUBSTANTIVE ANALYSIS
A. EFFECT OF PROPOSED CHANGES:
Background
In 2022, there were 224,403 recorded births in Florida.1 The transition to parenthood can be an
overwhelming life event, with more than half of parents’ report feeling inadequately prepared. 2 Florida
provides a variety of resources, private and public, that can help expectant families and new parents to
assist with this transition. The Department of Health (DOH), Department of Children and Families
(DCF) and Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) provide information related to pregnancy and
parenting resources on their respective websites. Florida does not currently have a comprehensive
state website containing information related to available public and private pregnancy and parenting
resources.
Department of Health
DOH is the designated agency for administering maternal and child health services. 3 DOH provides the
following links related to pregnancy and parenting resources on its website: 4
After Pregnancy
Community Involvement
Count the Kicks
Emergency Preparedness for Pregnant Women
Family Health Line
Florida Birth Defects Registry
Florida Pregnancy Support Services Program
Flu and Pregnancy
Healthy Start
High Blood Pressure and Preeclampsia
Perinatal Hepatitis B
Preconception Health
Pregnancy and Diabetes
Prenatal Care
Safe Haven for Newborns
Text4baby
Tobacco Use in Pregnancy
Umbilical Cord Blood Banking
Zika Virus
DOH does not provide an explanation for the content of each of these topics. Instead, a user must
explore each one of these items and determine if it contains the information they are seeking. This
reduces ease of use and may potentially create confusion for individuals who are not familiar with
pregnancy and parenting resources and programs. Additionally, the public and private resources
identified in the website are generally limited to the types of services offered by DOH.
Department of Children and Families
1 FL Health Charts, Birth Counts Query System , https://www.flhealthcharts.gov/FLQUERY_New/Birth/Count (last visited January 9,
2024).
2
National Library of Medicine, Preparing Parents for Parenthood: Protocol for a randomized controlled Trial of a Preventative Parenting
Intervention for Expectant Parents, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6064107/ (last visited Jan. 9, 2024).
3 S. 383.011 (1), F.S.
4 Florida Department of Health, Pregnancy, https://www.floridahealth.gov/programs-and-services/womens-
health/pregnancy/index.html (last visited Jan. 9, 2024).
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DCF’s mission is to promote strong and economically self-sufficient families and advance personal and
family recovery and resiliency.5 DCF’s website provides information on resources available to pregnant
women and families related to food and cash assistance, Medicaid eligibility determination and
resources for people experiencing homelessness, among other programs. The public and private
resources identified in the website are generally limited to the types of services offered by DCF.
Agency for Health Care Administration
AHCA is the chief health policy and planning entity for the state and is responsible for implementation
of the Medicaid program.6 AHCA’s website provides resources on the Medicaid program, including
reproductive services available to Medicaid recipients. This includes a list of the procedures Medicaid
reimburses such as prenatal visits, testing for sexually transmitted diseases, counseling, surgical
excision during pregnancy and cesarean section, among others. 7 Similar to the DOH and DCF
websites, the information provided on the AHCA website is limited to the types of services and
programs that AHCA offers.
States with Comprehensive Pregnancy and Parenting Resource Websites
Several states have comprehensive pregnancy and parenting resource websites. For example, South
Dakota, Texas, and North Dakota have comprehensive pregnancy and parenting resources websites
which vary slightly and include:
South Dakota - pregnancy, parenting, financial assistance, and adoption.8
Texas - pregnancy support, parenting and caregiving, health care and financial assistance,
adoption, and services available through Texas state agencies.9
North Dakota - parenting, pregnancy, finance, behavioral health, programs, and locations. 10
Below is an example of the South Dakota website.
Comprehensive websites may make it easier for expectant and new families to access available
resources.
Effect of the Bill
5 S. 20.19 (1), F.S.
6 S. 20.42 (3), F.S.
7 Florida Agency for Health Care Administration, Reproductive Services, Reproductive Services (myflorida.com) (last visited Jan. 8,
2024).
8 SD Life, Helping Mothers and their Bab ies Before Birth and After, SD Life - SD Life (last visited Jan. 8, 2024).
9 Family Resources, Resources for Families in all Stages of Life, https://www.familyresources.texas.gov/ (last visited Jan. 8, 2024)
10 Life ND, Welcome to North Dakota’s Pregnancy and Parenting Web site, https://www.life.nd.gov/ (last visited Jan. 8, 2024).
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CS/HB 415 requires DOH, in partnership with DCF and AHCA, to contract with a third-party to create a
comprehensive website that provides information and links to public and private pregnancy and
parenting resources. The website must include, at a minimum, information on resources related to:
Educational materials on pregnancy and parenting;
Maternal health services;
Prenatal and postnatal services;
Educational and mentorship programs for fathers;
Social services;
Financial assistance;
Adoption services.
DOH, DCF, and AHCA must include a clear and conspicuous link to the website on their respective
websites. The pregnancy and parenting resources website must be functional by January 1, 2025.
The bill provides an effective date of July 1, 2024.
B. SECTION DIRECTORY:
Section 1: Creates s. 383.0131, F.S., relating to pregnancy and parenting resources website.
Section 2: Provides an appropriation.
Section 3: Provides an effective date of July 1, 2024.
II. FISCAL ANALYSIS & ECONOMIC IMPACT STATEMENT
A. FISCAL IMPACT ON STATE GOVERNMENT:
1. Revenues:
None.
2. Expenditures:
DOH estimates the total cost to comply with the bill is $466,200.11
Service Cost
URL Domain Name $300
Advance Web Designer $261,900
Project Management $194,000
IT Support $10,000
The bill appropriates $466,200 in nonrecurring funds from the Administrative Trust Fund to DOH to
implement this bill.
B. FISCAL IMPACT ON LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:
1. Revenues:
None.
2. Expenditures:
None.
11Correspondence from DOH to Health Care Regulation Subcommittee staff on file with the Health Care Regulation
Subcommittee.
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C. DIRECT ECONOMIC IMPACT ON PRIVATE SECTOR:
None.
D. FISCAL COMMENTS:
None.
III. COMMENTS
A. CONSTITUTIONAL ISSUES:
1. Applicability of Municipality/County Mandates Provision:
Not applicable. The bill does not appear to affect county or municipal governments.
2. Other:
None.
B. RULE-MAKING AUTHORITY:
The bill does not appear to create a need for rulemaking or rulemaking authority.
C. DRAFTING ISSUES OR OTHER COMMENTS:
None.
IV. AMENDMENTS/COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE CHANGES
On January 29, 2024, the Health Care Appropriations Subcommittee adopted an amendment and reported
the bill favorably as a committee substitute. The amendment:
Appropriated $466,200 in nonrecurring funds from the Administrative Trust Fund to DOH for
implementation.
The analysis is drafted to the committee substitute as passed by the Health Care Appropriations
Subcommittee.
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