Florida Senate - 2026 SB 972 By Senator Wright 8-01302-26 2026972__ Page 1 of 4 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. A bill to be entitled 1

An act relating to public records and meetings; 2 creating s. 468.3711, F.S.; providing an exemption 3 from public records requirements for certain 4 information held by the Department of Health or the 5 Board of Respiratory Care pursuant to the Respiratory 6 Care Interstate Compact; authorizing the disclosure of 7 such information under certain circumstances; 8 providing an exemption from public meetings 9 requirements for certain meetings or portions of 10 meetings of the Respiratory Care Interstate Compact 11 Commission or the executive committee of the 12 commission; providing an exemption from public records 13 requirements for recordings, minutes, and records 14 generated during exempt portions of such meetings; 15 providing for future legislative review and repeal of 16 the exemptions; providing statements of public 17 necessity; providing a contingent effective date. 18 19 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 20 21

Section

Section 468.3711, Florida Statutes, is created 22 to read: 23 468.3711 Respiratory Care Interstate Compact Commission; 24 public meetings and public records exemptions.— 25

(1) A respiratory therapist’s personal identifying 26 information, other than his or her name, licensure status, or 27 licensure number, obtained from the data system described in 28 Art. VIII of s. 468.371 and held by the department or the board 29 Florida Senate - 2026 SB 972 8-01302-26 2026972__ Page 2 of 4 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. is exempt from s. 119.07(1) and s. 24(a), Art. I of the State 30 Constitution unless the state that originally reported the 31 information to the data system authorizes the disclosure of such 32 information by law.

If disclosure is so authorized, such 33 information may be disclosed only to the extent authorized by 34 the law of the reporting state. 35 (2)(

a) Any meeting or a portion of a meeting of the 36 Respiratory Care Interstate Compact Commission or the executive 37 committee of the commission established in Art. VII of s. 38 468.371 at which certain sensitive and confidential matters, as 39 specified in subsection (6) of Art. VII of s. 468.371, are 40 discussed is exempt from s. 286.011 and s. 24(b), Art. I of the 41 State Constitution. 42 (

b) Recordings, minutes, and records generated during an 43 exempt meeting or exempt portion of a meeting are exempt from s. 44 119.07(1) and s. 24(a), Art. I of the State Constitution. 45

(3) This

section is subject to the Open Government Sunset 46 Review Act in accordance with s. 119.15 and shall stand repealed 47 on October 2, 2031, unless reviewed and saved from repeal 48 through reenactment by the Legislature. 49

Section 2.

(1) The Legislature finds that it is a public 50 necessity that a respiratory therapist’s personal identifying 51 information, other than his or her name, licensure status, or 52 licensure number, obtained from the data system described in 53

Article VIII of s. 468.371, Florida Statutes, and held by the 54 Department of Health or the Board of Respiratory Care be made 55 confidential and exempt from s. 119.07(1), Florida Statutes, and 56 s. 24(a),

Article I of the State Constitution. The personal 57 identifying information of a respiratory therapist should be 58 Florida Senate - 2026 SB 972 8-01302-26 2026972__ Page 3 of 4 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. protected from public disclosure. Protection of such information 59 is required under the Respiratory Care Interstate Compact. 60 Without the public records exemption, this state will be unable 61 to effectively implement and administer the compact. 62 (2)(

a) The Legislature further finds that it is a public 63 necessity that any meeting of the Respiratory Care Interstate 64 Compact Commission or the executive committee of the commission, 65 as provided in s. 468.371, Florida Statutes, at which matters 66 specifically exempted from disclosure by federal or state law 67 are discussed be made exempt from s. 286.011, Florida Statutes, 68 and s. 24(b),

Article I of the State Constitution. 69 (

b) The Respiratory Care Interstate Compact requires the 70 closure of any meeting, or portion of a meeting, of the 71 Respiratory Care Interstate Compact Commission or the executive 72 committee of the commission, if the presiding officer states in 73 a public meeting that the commission or the executive committee 74 of the commission must discuss certain sensitive and 75 confidential matters as specified in subsection (6) of

Article 76 VII of s. 468.371, Florida Statutes. In the absence of a public 77 meetings exemption, this state would be prohibited from becoming 78 a member state of the compact. 79

(3) The Legislature further finds that it is a public 80 necessity that the recordings, minutes, and records generated 81 during a meeting held as provided in s. 468.371, Florida 82 Statutes, which are exempt from public meetings requirements be 83 made exempt from s. 119.07(1), Florida Statutes, and s. 24(a), 84

Article I of the State Constitution. Release of such information 85 would negate the public meetings exemption. As such, the 86 Legislature finds that the public records exemption is a public 87 Florida Senate - 2026 SB 972 8-01302-26 2026972__ Page 4 of 4 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. necessity. 88

Section 3. This act shall take effect on the same date that 89 SB 970 or similar legislation takes effect, if such legislation 90 is adopted in the same legislative session or an extension 91 thereof and becomes a law. 92