This bill proposes amendments to Minnesota Statutes 2024, Section 145.902, concerning the Safe Place for Newborns law. The key changes aim to expand and clarify safe surrender locations, the procedures for relinquishing a newborn, and legal protections for involved parties.

Key Provisions of the Bill:

1. Expanded Designation of Safe Places:

   • The bill defines safe places where a newborn can be safely surrendered, including:
     1. Hospitals licensed under Minnesota law.
        
     2. Continuously staffed fire stations.
        
     3. Health care providers offering urgent medical care.
        
     4. Newborn safety devices installed at approved safe places.
        
     5. Licensed ambulance services responding to a 911 call for surrender.
        

2. Conditions for Accepting a Newborn:

   • The newborn must be no more than seven days old (as determined medically).
     
   • The baby must be left unharmed in the custody of an employee at a safe place or via a newborn safety device that complies with strict safety and monitoring requirements.
     

3. Newborn Safety Devices:

   • Must allow a parent to anonymously place a newborn.
     
   • Must enable emergency responders to immediately access and care for the infant.
     
   • Must have a dual alarm system that is tested monthly and checked visually twice daily.
     
   • Must be FDA-approved and located inside a 24-hour staffed fire station or hospital in a conspicuous area.
     

4. Legal Protections for Parents & Safe Place Staff:

   • Safe places and their employees, including medical professionals and ambulance personnel, are granted immunity from criminal and civil liability when acting in good faith under this law.
     
   • Mandated reporters at safe places are also immune from liability for failing to report child abandonment if they comply with the law.
     
   • Parents who relinquish a newborn under these conditions cannot be prosecuted for any crime solely based on the act of safe surrender.
     

5. Procedural Guidelines:

   • Safe places must not ask for the identity of the person surrendering the newborn.
     
   • They may request medical history, but the person relinquishing the infant is not required to provide it.
     
   • Safe places may provide social service resource information to the surrendering parent.
     
   • Urgent care providers must call 911 to arrange for newborn transport to a hospital.
     

Purpose of the Bill:

The legislation seeks to enhance protections for abandoned newborns by expanding designated safe places and implementing newborn safety devices to allow anonymous surrender in hospitals and fire stations. It also seeks to safeguard parents from legal penalties while ensuring the newborn receives immediate medical care.

This bill modernizes and strengthens Safe Haven laws by introducing new medical safety regulations, broader protections for staff, and greater accessibility for parents in crisis.