Florida Senate - 2024 SB 880



By Senator Stewart





17-00483-24 2024880__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to safe collection of medical sharps;
3 defining the term “medical sharps”; requiring the
4 Department of Health, in partnership with the
5 Department of Environmental Protection, to conduct a
6 study of the safe collection and proper disposal of
7 at-home medical sharps; providing requirements for the
8 study; authorizing the departments to work or contract
9 with municipalities and private entities that apply to
10 participate in the study; requiring the departments to
11 submit a report of their findings and recommendations
12 to the Governor and the Legislature by a specified
13 date; providing requirements for the report; providing
14 an appropriation; providing an effective date.
15
16 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
17
18 Section 1. Medical sharps collection study.—
19 (1) As used in this section, the term “medical sharps”
20 means instruments used to cut or penetrate the skin for medical
21 purposes. The term includes, but is not limited to, needles,
22 syringes with needles, tissue punches, lancets, and razor
23 blades.
24 (2) The Department of Health, in partnership with the
25 Department of Environmental Protection, shall conduct a year
26 long study of the safe collection and proper disposal of at-home
27 medical sharps. In conducting the study, the departments shall
28 evaluate at least the following two methods of safe disposal in
29 both rural and urban environments:
30 (a) Mail-back programs.
31 (b) Door-to-door pickup programs.
32 (3) The departments may work or contract with
33 municipalities and private entities that apply to participate in
34 the study.
35 (4) The departments shall submit a report of their findings
36 and recommendations to the Governor, the President of the
37 Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives by July
38 1, 2025. The report must include, at a minimum, all of the
39 following:
40 (a) The cost and effectiveness of each of the medical
41 sharps collection programs studied.
42 (b) Recommendations for the most effective method for
43 safely collecting medical sharps, including the estimated costs
44 associated with statewide adoption of such method.
45 (c) Details regarding the current practices of
46 municipalities in this state, recommendations for improving
47 existing programs, and whether any municipalities have updated
48 or adopted programs based on the findings of the study.
49 Section 2. For the 2024-2025 fiscal year, the nonrecurring
50 sum of $200,000 from the Solid Waste Management Trust Fund is
51 appropriated to the Department of Health and the Department of
52 Environmental Protection to implement this act.
53 Section 3. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law.