AN ACT AUTHORIZING HOSPITALS TO INSTALL DEVICES ON AN EXTERIOR WALL OF AN EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT TO FACILITATE THE VOLUNTARY SURRENDER OF INFANTS TO EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT STAFF.

HB 6549 authorizes hospitals to install climate-controlled devices on emergency department exteriors for the safe, voluntary surrender of infants. These devices must include a bassinet, an automatically locking exterior door, and an alert alarm to notify staff. The bill directly affects parents in crisis who might abandon infants and hospitals that choose to implement such devices. It provides a legal, safe alternative to infant abandonment by enabling immediate staff response without requiring parents to enter the facility.