Insulin Administration by Direct Support Professionals and Relatives :
HB 1567 creates a new statutory framework allowing direct-support professionals and relatives to administer insulin to clients living in group home facilities for individuals with developmental disabilities, so long as the facility has training, policies, documentation, coordination, and emergency procedures in place. The bill defines “direct-support professional” for purposes of chapter 393 and specifies that insulin administration includes sliding-scale insulin therapy, including calculating a dose from current blood glucose and giving it by insulin pen or syringe.
The bill also expands existing medication-administration law to clarify that unlicensed direct service providers may supervise self-administration of insulin and epinephrine through devices such as insulin pens and epinephrine pens. In addition, it makes a conforming change to the Family Empowerment Scholarship Program’s disability definition by updating a cross-reference to the developmental-disability statute.
The bill amends chapter 393, Florida Statutes, by adding a new definition and a new section authorizing insulin administration in group home settings by nonlicensed caregivers under specified conditions. It also amends section 393.506 to expressly include subcutaneous insulin and epinephrine administration through self-administration devices, and makes a technical cross-reference change in section 1002.394. The practical effect is to broaden who may assist with insulin administration for people with developmental disabilities in residential settings, while providing immunity from civil liability and, for compliant individuals, civil and criminal penalties.
The available record shows no committee transcripts or recorded votes, so there is no documented floor or committee debate to indicate opposition or support. Based on the bill’s structure, the measure appears aimed at addressing a practical caregiving need and reducing legal barriers for families and group homes. The inclusion of immunity provisions and detailed training requirements suggests an effort to balance access to care with safety and accountability.
The main policy tension in the bill is between expanding medication access in group homes and ensuring that insulin is administered safely by nonlicensed personnel. Potential concerns would likely center on training adequacy, facility oversight, and liability exposure, while supporters would emphasize caregiver flexibility, continuity of care, and the needs of clients with developmental disabilities who require insulin. The bill resolves that tension by conditioning authorization on nurse- or physician-led training, written facility procedures, certification, and emergency protocols.