House committee advances bill allowing parents a second medical opinion in child-protective removals

The House Health and Human Services Committee voted to report CS/HB 47 favorably after a wide-ranging hearing that featured emotional testimony from families who said they were wrongly accused and removed from their homes.

Representative Maynard Bartleman, speaking for the bill, described CS/HB 47 as a narrow measure that "authorizes the parent or legal custodian of a child after a child is removed from the home to request a second medical opinion" and establishes timelines and a dispute-resolution process for conflicting diagnoses. An amendment adopted in committee requires parents to provide medical records supporting a diagnosis to the Department of Children and Families (DCF) within 15 days, requires parents to provide practitioner names and contact information, and requires practitioners to provide records to DCF within 14 days.

Several people who said they had been affected by child-protective investigations urged lawmakers to approve the bill. Christy Lee, a former Hillsborough County foster-care worker of 19 years, told the committee, "these cases were the most egregious abuse of power I've seen," saying parents are frequently presumed guilty and denied meaningful opportunities to present medical evidence. Kiara Buchanan, who said DCF filed an expedited termination of parental rights against her family, said, "This bill could have made all the difference for us" and described long legal battles, medical reports and the emotional toll on her children.

Cindy Smith, a nurse and former law-enforcement officer, argued that medical authority can be "weaponized" against parents and urged lawmakers to pass the measure to protect families and preserve due process. Supporters said the bill does not weaken protections for abused children but instead seeks to ensure decisions are grounded in medical evidence and that families can secure expertise such as geneticists or pediatric specialists when diagnoses conflict.

Representatives on both sides of the aisle praised the bill, noting the intent to balance child safety with family preservation. After debate, the committee recorded the vote as 26 yeas, 0 nays and showed the bill "reported favorably as amended." The committee did not record any amendments that changed the bill's core right to request a second opinion; instead, the amendment clarified timelines and record-exchange procedures.

Next steps: CS/HB 47 was reported favorably to the full House; the committee did not indicate further amendments or a scheduled floor vote during this session.