# Florida SB 7012: Child Welfare

Florida SB 7012, Child Welfare, is a 2025 Senate bill sponsored by Children, Families, and Elder Affairs; status signed, last action 2025-06-26 (Chapter No. 2025-186) (as of 2026-10-19).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/FL-SB7012-2025
- As of: 2026-10-19
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: Florida SB 7012
- State: Florida
- Session: 2025
- Title: Child Welfare
- Status: signed
- Chamber: Senate
- Introduced: 2025-02-27
- Last action: 2025-06-26, Chapter No. 2025-186
- Sponsor: Children, Families, and Elder Affairs
- Cosponsors: 1
- Subjects: Appropriation, Fiscal Policy, House Calendar
- Touches household money: no
- Roll calls: 6 (312 yes, 0 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 6

## Summary

No summary available.

## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read

- Specialized foster homes for high-need children: benefit, medium. Subject to funding, Florida must develop a four-year treatment foster-care pilot beginning July 1, 2025, and implement it by January 1, 2026. It serves two judicial circuits selected using removal and placement data. Eligible children need high levels of support in foster care or continued foster c…
- Research incentives allowed for state employees: benefit, low. Beginning July 1, 2025, Florida state employees can receive qualifying child-welfare research incentives without violating the specified ethics rules. These incentives also do not require gift reporting under the specified law. The research or evaluation must be required by the Florida Institute fo…
- Emergency approval for domestic violence centers: benefit, low. Florida’s Department of Children and Families can waive the operating-history rule for a new domestic violence center. Normally, centers need 18 consecutive months of operation, including 12 months as an emergency shelter. The waiver requires an emergency local need and no other viable way to keep…
- Foster-care lead agencies shed one bond: benefit, low. Groups seeking to become Florida community-based care lead agencies no longer need a fidelity bond. That bond covered the cost of choosing a replacement agency and penalties for undisclosed conflicts of interest. Applicants must still show financial responsibility through a plan for regular financi…
- Foster-care subcontractors gain limited lawsuit protection: mixed, low. Foster-care subcontractors are not liable for actions or failures by their lead agency, Florida’s child-welfare department, or those agencies’ staff. This protection applies to contracts entered into or renewed after July 1, 2025. It limits claims against subcontractors for those other parties’ con…
- Narrower exceptions for child-care and foster-care workers: mixed, low. Florida’s Department of Children and Families can no longer waive certain disqualification rules for work with children or people with developmental disabilities. It can still grant limited exceptions to child-care staff standards and specified foster-care licensing and operating rules. Each except…

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: Children, Families, and Elder Affairs
- Cosponsor: Fiscal Policy

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2025-05-02 | House | House Floor Vote | pass | 98 | 0 |   |
| 2025-05-01 | Senate | Senate Floor Vote | pass | 37 | 0 |   |
| 2025-04-30 | House | House Floor Vote | pass | 113 | 0 |   |
| 2025-03-19 | Senate | Senate Floor Vote | pass | 39 | 0 |   |
| 2025-03-13 | Senate | Fiscal Policy Vote | pass | 18 | 0 |   |
| 2025-03-04 | Senate | Children, Families, and Elder Affairs Vote | pass | 7 | 0 |   |

## Actions (38)

- 2025-06-26: Chapter No. 2025-186
- 2025-06-25: Approved by Governor
- 2025-06-18: Signed by Officers and presented to Governor
- 2025-05-02: Ordered engrossed, then enrolled (Senate)
- 2025-05-02: CS passed as amended; YEAS 98, NAYS 0 (House)
- 2025-05-02: Amendment 451310 Concur (House)
- 2025-05-02: Senate Message List (House)
- 2025-05-01: In Messages (House)
- 2025-05-01: CS passed as amended; YEAS 37 NAYS 0 -SJ 1092 (Senate)
- 2025-05-01: Concurred in House amendment(s) as amended (646549) -SJ 1092 (Senate)
- 2025-05-01: Amendment(s) to House amendment(s) adopted (451310) -SJ 1088 (Senate)
- 2025-04-30: In returning messages (Senate)
- 2025-04-30: CS passed as amended; YEAS 113, NAYS 0 (House)
- 2025-04-30: Read 3rd time (House)
- 2025-04-30: Added to Third Reading Calendar (House)
- 2025-04-30: Placed on 3rd reading (House)
- 2025-04-30: Amendment 646549 adopted (House)
- 2025-04-30: Read 2nd time (House)
- 2025-04-29: 1st Reading (Committee Substitute 1) (House)
- 2025-04-29: Bill added to Special Order Calendar (4/30/2025) (House)
- 2025-04-29: Bill referred to House Calendar (House)
- 2025-03-19: In Messages (House)
- 2025-03-19: Immediately certified -SJ 242 (Senate)
- 2025-03-19: CS passed; YEAS 39 NAYS 0 -SJ 236 (Senate)
- 2025-03-19: Read 3rd time -SJ 236 (Senate)
- 2025-03-19: Read 2nd time -SJ 236 (Senate)
- 2025-03-18: CS by Fiscal Policy read 1st time (Senate)
- 2025-03-17: Placed on Special Order Calendar, 03/19/25 (Senate)
- 2025-03-14: Placed on Calendar, on 2nd reading (Senate)
- 2025-03-13: Pending reference review -under Rule 4.7(2) - (Committee Substitute) (Senate)
- 2025-03-13: CS by- Fiscal Policy; YEAS 18 NAYS 0 (Senate)
- 2025-03-10: Introduced (Senate)
- 2025-03-10: On Committee agenda-- Fiscal Policy, 03/13/25, 8:30 am, 412 Knott Building (Senate)
- 2025-03-06: Referred to Fiscal Policy (Senate)
- 2025-03-05: Filed (Senate)
- 2025-03-04: Submitted as Committee Bill and Reported Favorably by Children, Families, and Elder Affairs; YEAS 7 NAYS 0 (Senate)
- 2025-02-27: On Committee agenda-- Children, Families, and Elder Affairs, 03/04/25, 4:00 pm, 301 Senate Building (Senate)
- 2025-02-27: Submitted for consideration by Children, Families, and Elder Affairs (Senate)

## Bill text

- er, 2025-07-01: [HTML](https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2025/7012/BillText/er/HTML), [PDF](https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2025/7012/BillText/er/PDF)
- e1, 2025-05-05: [HTML](https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2025/7012/BillText/e1/HTML), [PDF](https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2025/7012/BillText/e1/PDF)
- c1, 2025-03-13: [HTML](https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2025/7012/BillText/c1/HTML), [PDF](https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2025/7012/BillText/c1/PDF)
- Filed, 2025-03-05: [HTML](https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2025/7012/BillText/Filed/HTML), [PDF](https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2025/7012/BillText/Filed/PDF)
- pb, 2025-02-27: [HTML](https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2025/7012/BillText/pb/HTML), [PDF](https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2025/7012/BillText/pb/PDF)

## Related bills

- HB 1427: Nursing Education Programs (vetoed)
- HB 1095: Criminal Offender Substance Abuse Program (vetoed)
- HB 6017: Recovery of Damages for Medical Negligence Resulting in Death (vetoed)
- HB 1445: Public Officers and Employees (vetoed)
- HB 11: Municipal Water and Sewer Utility Rates (vetoed)
- HB 5015: State Group Insurance (vetoed)

## Sources
- [er (HTML)](https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2025/7012/BillText/er/HTML)
- [er (PDF)](https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2025/7012/BillText/er/PDF)
- [e1 (HTML)](https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2025/7012/BillText/e1/HTML)
- [e1 (PDF)](https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2025/7012/BillText/e1/PDF)
- [c1 (HTML)](https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2025/7012/BillText/c1/HTML)
- [c1 (PDF)](https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2025/7012/BillText/c1/PDF)
- [Filed (HTML)](https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2025/7012/BillText/Filed/HTML)
- [Filed (PDF)](https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2025/7012/BillText/Filed/PDF)
- [pb (HTML)](https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2025/7012/BillText/pb/HTML)
- [pb (PDF)](https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2025/7012/BillText/pb/PDF)

## Related
- [HB 1427: Nursing Education Programs](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/FL-HB1427-2025)
- [HB 1095: Criminal Offender Substance Abuse Program](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/FL-HB1095-2025)
- [HB 6017: Recovery of Damages for Medical Negligence Resulting in Death](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/FL-HB6017-2025)
- [HB 1445: Public Officers and Employees](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/FL-HB1445-2025)
- [HB 11: Municipal Water and Sewer Utility Rates](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/FL-HB11-2025)
- [HB 5015: State Group Insurance](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/FL-HB5015-2025)
- [Florida bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/florida/bills)
- [Florida state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/florida)
- [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/FL-SB7012-2025 (as of 2026-10-19).