SB 1073

Under current law, commonly referred to as the “safe haven law,” a child whom a law enforcement officer, emergency medical technician, or hospital staff member reasonably believes to be 72 hours old or younger (newborn infant) may be taken into custody under circumstances in which a parent of the newborn infant relinquishes custody of the newborn infant to the law enforcement officer, emergency medical technician, or hospital staff member and does not express an intent to return for the newborn infant or in which a parent of the newborn infant leaves the child in a newborn infant safety device installed in a supporting wall of an authorized location and does not express an intent to return for the newborn infant. Current law authorizes only a hospital, fire station, or law enforcement agency to install a newborn infant safety device, and only if the following conditions are met: 1) the building is staffed 24 hours per day or, in the case of a fire station, is staffed 24 hours per day with an emergency medical services practitioner; 2) the device is physically part of the building; 3) the device is equipped with a surveillance system that allows employees at the location to monitor the inside of the device 24 hours per day; and 4) the device is located such that the interior point of access is in an area that is conspicuous and visible to employees of the location. This bill adds an emergency medical services station to the locations that may install a newborn infant safety device. Under the bill, an emergency medical services station is a facility staffed with an emergency medical services practitioner that is not a hospital or fire station.