HB 7177 Summary

• Amends Florida's prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP) public records exemption under section 893.0551 to allow the Attorney General, health care regulatory boards, and law enforcement agencies to disclose confidential information only when relevant to active investigations.

• Requires law enforcement agencies to enter into a user agreement with the Department of Health before accessing the PDMP database and prohibits direct database access for all law enforcement and regulatory entities.

• Mandates that anyone disclosing confidential PDMP information to criminal justice agencies must redact nonrelevant information and take steps to ensure continued confidentiality of exempt records.

• Specifies that information shared with state attorneys may only be released in response to discovery demands if directly related to the criminal case, with unrelated information requiring court order for release.

• Subjects the exemption to the Open Government Sunset Review Act with a repeal date of October 2, 2014, unless reenacted by the Legislature; effective October 1, 2014.