PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — The passage of Senate Bill 634 — "Jordan's Law" — is a matter of life and death.
Supporters are making a plea to lawmakers for a floor vote on the bill before time runs out on the current legislative session.
- House version of bill passed in the House unanimously
- If passed, bill would aid child welfare agencies
- Make your voice heard: Call Senate President Bill Galvano at 850-487-5021
- More Pinellas County stories
Supporters say this bill, drafted after the death of 2-year-old Jordan Belliveau, is just common sense legislation.
Rep. Chris Latvala wrote the House version of the bill, which passed unanimously in the House last week. Sen. Darryl Rouson, sponsor of the Senate version, sent a letter to Senate President Bill Galvano Tuesday pushing for a floor vote.
"Please consider bringing Senate Bill 634 to the floor," the letter reads. "This bill will save children's lives."
Among those supporters is Eckerd Connects Chief of Community Based Care Chris Card. His agency worked with Jordan’s family before his death last year.
“We’re just asking for this help. Help us do this better with that kind of help,” Card said.
What the bill would do
Jordan’s Law, if passed, would help child welfare agencies like Eckerd Connects. The bill would provide better communication with law enforcement and child welfare organizations, something Card says is vital in cases like Jordan’s.
“There were a couple of times during the life of this case where law enforcement did go out on a domestic violence call and a fight call and we didn’t know until months later that they had even been out to the house,” Card said. “Today if a law enforcement officer goes out on a call to a house they don’t know if child welfare is active in that home or not."
"This new communication would make sure they know that we are active in the home and that they would be able to communicate back to us immediately that they’ve been in this home,” Card added.
The bill would also expand access to training in detecting injuries in children under five years old.
“Everybody in the system would get training under this law,” said Card. “The judges, the lawyers, the case workers.”
Lightening the load
Another component of the law would give assurance that no caseworker is checking on more than 15 children under six years old and provide for more intense reunification practices with parents of these children.
“They’re our most vulnerable population that we work with and we think we could develop some expertise around working with that population, to better recognize warning signs to better able to get services put into place,” said Card.
All the changes the bill would make could’ve saved Jordan’s life according to Card. Like many, he's now on pins and needles, waiting for senators to bring the bill from the Appropriations Committee to the Senate floor.
“I wish I could have had the crystal ball to say 'this is what we need now,'” Card said. “We learned from our mistakes sometimes, and we learned from the experiences that we have. And we constantly are trying to tweak and redesign the system and try to make things better.”