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THE BILL ITSELF

CS/SB 296

Victims of Domestic Violence and Dating Violence

VERSION S 296 er · BACK TO THE SUMMARY · OFFICIAL RECORD

underlined language is being added; struck language is being deleted. Line numbers are the Legislature's own — the same ones amendments cite.

ENROLLED
2026 Legislature CS for SB 296 2026296er
2 An act relating to victims of domestic violence and
3 dating violence; defining terms; requiring the
4 Division of Telecommunications within the Department
5 of Management Services to consult with certain
6 entities to conduct a feasibility study regarding a
7 specified alert system; providing requirements for
8 such alert system; requiring the division to report to
9 the Legislature the results of the feasibility study
10 by a specified date; amending s. 741.401, F.S.;
11 revising legislative findings to include victims of
12 dating violence; reordering and amending s. 741.402,
13 F.S.; defining the term “dating violence”; amending s.
14 741.403, F.S.; authorizing victims of dating violence
15 to apply to participate in the Attorney General’s
16 address confidentiality program; amending s. 741.408,
17 F.S.; requiring the Attorney General to designate
18 certain entities to assist victims of dating violence
19 applying to be address confidentiality program
20 participants; amending ss. 741.4651 and 960.001, F.S.;
21 conforming provisions to changes made by the act;
22 providing an effective date.
24 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
26 Section 1. Domestic and dating violence 911 alert system
27 feasibility study.—
28 (1) As used in this section, the term:
29 (a) “Division” means the Division of Telecommunications
30 within the Department of Management Services.
31 (b) “Enhanced 911” has the same meaning as in s.
32 365.172(3), Florida Statutes.
33 (c) “Next Generation 911” has the same meaning as in s.
34 365.172(3), Florida Statutes.
35 (d) “Public safety agency” has the same meaning as in s.
36 365.172(3), Florida Statutes.
37 (e) “Public safety answering point” or “PSAP” has the same
38 meaning as in s. 365.172(3), Florida Statutes.
39 (2) The division shall consult with enhanced 911 and Next
40 Generation 911 service providers; state, county, and municipal
41 PSAPs; and state and local public safety agencies to conduct a
42 feasibility study regarding the creation of a web-based 911
43 alert system for use by victims of domestic violence and dating
44 violence which is capable of:
45 (a) Ensuring real-time data-sharing between PSAPs and law
46 enforcement agencies.
47 (b) Creating a unique telephone number for each user which
48 will connect the user to a PSAP.
49 (c) Creating a user-generated numerical code or phrase that
50 can be utilized by the user after contacting a PSAP and that
51 indicates the user’s need for immediate law enforcement
52 assistance.
53 (d) Transmitting specified data to law enforcement agencies
54 when a user calls from his or her unique telephone number and
55 enters his or her numerical code or phrase.
56 (3) By January 31, 2027, the division shall report to the
57 President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of
58 Representatives the results of the feasibility study.
59 Section 2. Section 741.401, Florida Statutes, is amended to
60 read:
61 741.401 Legislative findings; purpose.—The Legislature
62 finds that persons attempting to escape from actual or
63 threatened domestic violence or dating violence frequently
64 establish new addresses in order to prevent their assailants or
65 probable assailants from finding them. The purpose of ss.
66 741.401-741.409 is to enable state and local agencies to respond
67 to requests for public records without disclosing the location
68 of a victim of domestic violence or dating violence , to enable
69 interagency cooperation with the Attorney General in providing
70 address confidentiality for victims of domestic violence and
71 dating violence , and to enable state and local agencies to
72 accept a program participant’s use of an address designated by
73 the Attorney General as a substitute mailing address.
74 Section 3. Section 741.402, Florida Statutes, is reordered
75 and amended to read:
76 741.402 Definitions; ss. 741.401-741.409.—Unless the
77 context clearly requires otherwise, as used in ss. 741.401
78 741.409, the term:
79 (1) “Address” means a residential street address, school
80 address, or work address of an individual, as specified on the
81 individual’s application to be a program participant under ss.
82 741.401-741.409.
83 (4) (2) “Program participant” means a person certified as a
84 program participant under s. 741.403.
85 (2) “Dating violence” means any assault, aggravated
86 assault, battery, aggravated battery, sexual assault, sexual
87 battery, stalking, aggravated stalking, kidnapping, false
88 imprisonment, or any criminal offense resulting in physical
89 injury or death, or the threat of any such act, committed by an
90 individual who has or has had a continuing and significant
91 relationship of a romantic or intimate nature as determined by
92 the factors listed in s. 784.046(1)(d) with the victim,
93 regardless of whether these acts or threats have been reported
94 to law enforcement officers.
95 (3) “Domestic violence” means an act as defined in s.
96 741.28 and includes a threat of such acts committed against an
97 individual in a domestic situation, regardless of whether these
98 acts or threats have been reported to law enforcement officers.
99 Section 4. Paragraphs (a) and (d) of subsection (1) of
100 section 741.403, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
101 741.403 Address confidentiality program; application;
102 certification.—
103 (1) An adult person, a parent or guardian acting on behalf
104 of a minor, or a guardian acting on behalf of a person
105 adjudicated incapacitated under chapter 744 may apply to the
106 Attorney General to have an address designated by the Attorney
107 General serve as the person’s address or the address of the
108 minor or incapacitated person. To the extent possible within
109 funds appropriated for this purpose, the Attorney General shall
110 approve an application if it is filed in the manner and on the
111 form prescribed by the Attorney General and if it contains all
112 of the following:
113 (a) A sworn statement by the applicant that the applicant
114 has good reason to believe that the applicant, or the minor or
115 incapacitated person on whose behalf the application is made, is
116 a victim of domestic violence or dating violence , and that the
117 applicant fears for his or her safety or his or her children’s
118 safety or the safety of the minor or incapacitated person on
119 whose behalf the application is made.
120 (d) A statement that the new address or addresses that the
121 applicant requests must not be disclosed for the reason that
122 disclosure will increase the risk of domestic violence or dating
123 violence .
124 Section 5. Section 741.408, Florida Statutes, is amended to
125 read:
126 741.408 Assistance for program applicants.—The Attorney
127 General shall designate state and local agencies and nonprofit
128 agencies that provide counseling and shelter services to victims
129 of domestic violence and dating violence to assist persons
130 applying to be program participants. Assistance and counseling
131 rendered by the Office of the Attorney General or its designees
132 to applicants does not constitute legal advice.
133 Section 6. Section 741.4651, Florida Statutes, is amended
134 to read:
135 741.4651 Public records exemption; victims of stalking or
136 aggravated stalking.—The names, addresses, and telephone numbers
137 of persons who are victims of stalking or aggravated stalking
138 are exempt from s. 119.07(1) and s. 24(a), Art. I of the State
139 Constitution in the same manner that the names, addresses, and
140 telephone numbers of participants in the Address Confidentiality
141 Program for Victims of Domestic and Dating Violence which are
142 held by the Attorney General under s. 741.465 are exempt from
143 disclosure, provided that the victim files a sworn statement of
144 stalking with the Office of the Attorney General and otherwise
145 complies with the procedures in ss. 741.401-741.409.
146 Section 7. Paragraph (c) of subsection (1) of section
147 960.001, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
148 960.001 Guidelines for fair treatment of victims and
149 witnesses in the criminal justice and juvenile justice systems.—
150 (1) The Department of Legal Affairs, the state attorneys,
151 the Department of Corrections, the Department of Juvenile
152 Justice, the Florida Commission on Offender Review, the State
153 Courts Administrator and circuit court administrators, the
154 Department of Law Enforcement, and every sheriff’s department,
155 police department, or other law enforcement agency as defined in
156 s. 943.10(4) shall develop and implement guidelines for the use
157 of their respective agencies, which guidelines are consistent
158 with the purposes of this act and s. 16(b), Art. I of the State
159 Constitution and are designed to implement s. 16(b), Art. I of
160 the State Constitution and to achieve the following objectives:
161 (c) Information concerning protection available to victim
162 or witness.—A victim or witness shall be furnished, as a matter
163 of course, with information on steps that are available to law
164 enforcement officers and state attorneys to protect victims and
165 witnesses from intimidation. Victims of domestic violence and
166 dating violence shall also be given information about the
167 address confidentiality program provided under s. 741.403.
168 Section 8. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026.