DeSantis signs bill providing $70M to support responsible fatherhood

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill into law on Monday to provide more than $70 million for "responsible fatherhood" in the state.

HB-7065, signed into law at One Buc Place in Tampa, passed unanimously in the Florida Senate in March, following a unanimous 117-0 vote in the House.  

One of the "worst social trends is the decline of fatherhood. This is not going to solve everything, but it's going to help," he said after signing the bill. "You're not a man if you leave your kids out in the open. You have to be there."

The law will require:

• The Department of Children and Families (DCF) and the Department of Juvenile Justice (FDJJ) to identify and meet the needs of dually-involved children within a specified timeframe.
• Review the information to be included in a transition plan.
• Prenatal and infant health care programs to include certain parental involvement activities.  
• DCF to contract for the development and implementation of the Responsible Fatherhood Initiative and provide grants to community-based nonprofit organizations to provide certain mentoring programs.
• Designate the month of June as "Responsible Parenthood Month."

Gov. DeSantis signs legislation that will provide more than $70 million to support fatherhood. https://t.co/uXDPga790v

— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) April 11, 2022

Children designated as dually-involved are those involved in the welfare and juvenile justice systems, and go back and forth between dependency hearings and criminal proceedings. Along with this comes visits with social workers, probation officers, and usually some form of social services for the child and family. Because this group of children is involved in two legal systems, they are called "dual-involved youth."

"In Florida, we are working hard to promote and support fatherhood. Children who grow up without a father in the home are more likely to drop out of school and get in trouble with the law," the state governor said on his Twitter account.

In Florida, we are working hard to promote and support fatherhood.

Children that grow up without a father in the home are more likely to drop out of school and get in trouble with the law. pic.twitter.com/eVGLMfP9If

— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) April 11, 2022

Florida House Speaker Chris Sprowls led the bill before the legislative session.

"From poverty to crime to incarceration, nearly every negative outcome we see children face here in Florida and across the country can be linked to an absent father in the home," Sprowls said.

Last month Senate President ⁦@WiltonSimpson⁩ and Senators stood on the historic Capitol steps committing with the House to address the fatherhood crisis and transform the lives of our kids in the process. Tonight, the Senate delivered a win for Florida! #ProudFLDad pic.twitter.com/2J50jxxllg

— Chris Sprowls (@ChrisSprowls) March 5, 2022

This new bill follows other major legislation DeSantis signed Wednesday to guarantee Florida families the fundamental right to visit loved ones receiving care in hospitals, hospice, and long-term care facilities, promising its residents that they will not be "denied the right" to see loved ones in hospitals or nursing homes, according to the official statement.

"Throughout the pandemic, the federal government has waived protections for families to visit loved ones in hospitals and long-term care facilities. That is unacceptable," the governor said after signing SB 988 'No Patient Left Alone' into law.

"Here in Florida, we recognize that family and human connection is one of the most important aspects of physical, mental, and emotional well-being, and we are making sure that Floridians are never again denied the right to see family and friends while they are in hospitals or nursing homes," he added.