Criminal Justice Bills

West Palm Beach Criminal Defense Law Firm

Here Suskauer Law Firm announces and highlights criminal legislation that has been recently passed into law. Criminal Justice Bills effective July 1, 2009. Sorted by Bill Number.
 

HB 0115 Relating to Sexual Offenders and Predators - Kiar
Sexual Offenders and Predators: Encourages all public libraries to implement an Internet safety education program for children and adults; requires sexual offenders & predators to provide home telephone numbers & any cellular telephone numbers as part of registration process; corrects references relating to exclusions from sexual offender or predator designation; removes residency requirements in statutes relating to computer pornography involving minor children, etc. Effective Date: July 1, 2009

SB 0126 Relating to Children/Confidential Records - Dockery
Children/Confidential Records [SPSC]; Requires that the case record of a child under the supervision or in the custody of the DCFS be maintained in a complete and accurate manner. Specifies who has access to the case record. Provides for exceptions for the sharing of confidential information under certain circumstances. Expands the list of persons or entities that have access to child abuse records. Revises how long the department must keep such records, etc. Effective Date: July 1, 2009

HB 0177 Relating to Firearms Transactions - Adams
Firearms Transactions: Clarifies that violations of provisions prohibiting keeping any list, record, or registry of privately owned firearms or any list, record, or registry of the owners of those firearms may be committed by entities as well as persons; requires that secondhand dealers & pawnbrokers who electronically submit certain firearm transaction records submit specified information in FCIC coding. Effective Date: July 1, 2009

HB 0271 Relating to Confidential Informants - Nehr
Confidential Informants: Creates "Rachel's Law"; requires law enforcement agency to disclose certain information to persons requested to be informants; requires law enforcement agency to provide opportunity to consult with legal counsel to person requested to serve as informant; requires training for persons involved with recruitment & use of informants; requires agency to adopt policies & procedures to preserve safety of informants, law enforcement personnel, target offenders, & public; requires agency that uses confidential informants to address recruitment, control, & use of informants in its policies & procedures; requires agency to establish policies & procedures to assess suitability of potential informants; requires agency to establish procedures to maintain security of records relating to informants; requires agency to periodically review informant practices; provides that act does not grant any right or entitlement to informant or person who is requested to be informant; provides that any failure to abide by act does not create any additional right enforceable by defendant in criminal proceeding. Effective Date: July 1, 2009

SB 0318 Relating to Criminal Usury Laws/Discriminatory Language - Sobel
Criminal Usury Laws/Discriminatory Language [CPSC]; Removes the term "shylocking" from certain provisions of state law relating to loan sharking. Deletes the terms "shylock" and "shylocking" from the definitions of "loan shark" and "loan sharking," respectively, etc. Effective Date: July 1, 2009

SB 0412 Relating to Service of Process - Crist
Service of Process [SPSC]; Increases fees charged by the sheriff in civil cases for service of process. Exempts the state and its agencies from increased fees or additional fees required for alias and pluries. Provides that criminal witness subpoenas and criminal summonses may be served by a special process server appointed by the local sheriff or by a certified process server. Revises provisions relating to assessment of additional court costs and surcharges, etc. Effective Date: July 1, 2009

SB 0526 Relating to Court Costs - Lynn
Court Costs [SPSC]; Expands the list of provisions of law for which a court is required to impose an additional court cost for certain pleadings or findings relating to offenses against a minor and certain other offenses. Increases the amount of the court cost. Provides for distribution of a portion of the court costs to the Office of the Statewide Guardian Ad Litem and the Florida Network of Children's Advocacy Centers, Inc. Effective Date: July 1, 2009

SB 0554 Relating to Legal Jurisdiction of Campus Police - Dean
Legal Jurisdiction of Campus Police [SPSC]; Redefines the term "mutual aid agreement" to authorize state university police officers to enforce laws within a specified jurisdictional area as agreed upon in a mutual aid agreement. Authorizes university police officers to enforce traffic violations committed within a specified distance from property under the supervision or control of the university, etc. Effective Date: July 1, 2009

SB 1030 Relating to Motor Vehicle Emergency Lights/Correctional Agency - Garcia
Motor Vehicle Emergency Lights/Correctional Agency [CPSC]; Authorizes vehicles owned, operated, or leased by any county correctional agency to show or display blue lights when responding to emergencies. Effective Date: July 1, 2009

SB 1312 Relating to Sexual Battery - Fasano
Sexual Battery [SPSC] ; Requires each law enforcement officer who investigates an alleged sexual battery incident to assist the victim in obtaining medical treatment if medical treatment is necessary, a forensic examination, and crisis-intervention services from a certified rape crisis center. Requires the law enforcement officer to immediately notify the victim of the legal rights and remedies available to a victim of sexual battery, etc. Effective Date: July 1, 2009

SB 1720 Relating to Capital Collateral Regional Counsel TF/JAC - Crist
Capital Collateral Regional Counsel TF/JAC [WPSC]; Creates the Capital Collateral Regional Counsel Trust Fund within the Justice Administrative Commission. Specifies the purposes of the trust fund. Provides for future review and termination or re-creation of the trust fund. Provides for the deposit of funds reimbursing the state for representation of certain indigent persons into the said trust fund. Effective Date: July 1, 2009

SB 1722 Relating to Department of Corrections - Crist
Department of Corrections [WPSC]; Requires that the court sentence certain offenders to a nonstate prison sanction unless the court makes written findings that ordering an offender to such sanction could present a danger to the public. Authorizes the DOC to contract with county and municipal entities to house inmates committed to the DOC. Requires the DOC to disseminate and that the courts use uniform order of supervision forms when placing a defendant on community supervision, etc. Effective Date: July 1, 2009

SB 1726 Relating to Postadjudicatory and Pretrial Drug Court Programs - Crist
Postadjudicatory and Pretrial Drug Court Programs [WPSC]; Specifies criteria that a court must consider before sentencing a person to a postadjudicatory treatment-based drug court program. Provides that a court may depart from a lowest permissible sentence if the defendant is amenable to a drug court program and is otherwise qualified. Authorizes a court to place certain nonviolent felony offenders into a pretrial substance abuse education and treatment intervention program, etc. Effective Date: July 1, 2009

SB 1778 Relating to Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles - Fasano
Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles [WPSC]; Terminates the DUI Programs Coordination TF within the HSMV. Increases fees for certain certificates of title. Revises the time period for which a registration license plate and replacement plates may be issued. Establishes an annual fee for the Autism license plate. Requires driver's license agents to charge a service fee, etc. Effective Date: July 1, 2009 except as otherwise provided.

SB 2276 Relating to DNA Database - Oelrich
DNA Database [SPSC]; Provides a phase-in schedule whereby persons arrested for specified felony offenses will be required to provide DNA samples to the FDLE. Provides for a statewide automated personal identification system capable of classifying, matching, and storing analyses of DNA and other data. Authorizes the FDLE to adopt rules related to the implementation of the removal of DNA analyses and samples from the statewide DNA database, etc. Effective Date: July 1, 2009

HB 7067 Relating to Federal Grants Trust Fund/Parole Commission Criminal & Civil Justice Appropriations Committee
Federal Grants Trust Fund/Parole Commission: Re-creates Federal Grants Trust Fund within Florida Parole Commission without modification; repeals provisions relating to termination of trust fund, to conform. Effective Date: July 1, 2009

HB 7069 Relating to Federal Grants Trust Fund/State Courts System Criminal & Civil Justice Appropriations Committee
Federal Grants Trust Fund/State Courts System: Re-creates Federal Grants Trust Fund within state courts system without modification; repeals provisions relating to termination of trust fund, to conform. Effective Date: July 1, 2009

HB 7073 Relating to Federal Grants Trust Fund/FDLE Criminal & Civil Justice Appropriations Committee
Federal Grants Trust Fund/FDLE: Re-creates Federal Grants Trust Fund within Department of Law Enforcement without modification; repeals provisions relating to termination of trust fund, to conform. Effective Date: July 1, 2009

HB 7075 Relating to Operating Trust Fund/State Courts System Criminal & Civil Justice Appropriations Committee
Operating Trust Fund/State Courts System: Re-creates Operating Trust Fund within state courts system without modification; repeals provisions relating to termination of trust fund, to conform. Effective Date: July 1, 2009