Florida Senate - 2022 SB 1220 By Senator Bracy 11-01547-22 20221220__ 1 A bill to be entitled 2 An act relating to fees; amending s. 741.327, F.S.; 3 requiring the Department of Children and Families to 4 assess and collect an annual certification fee from 5 batterers intervention programs; requiring certain 6 persons attending certified batterers intervention 7 programs to pay a fee for each program attended; 8 requiring the batterers intervention programs to 9 collect and remit such fees to the department; 10 providing an exception; requiring certification and 11 user fees to be deposited in the Domestic Violence 12 Trust Fund for a specified purpose; conforming 13 provisions to changes made by SB ___; requiring the 14 department to adopt rules; providing a contingent 15 effective date. 16 17 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 18 19 Section 1.Section 741.327, Florida Statutes, is amended to 20 read: 21 741.327Certification and monitoring of Batterers 22 intervention programs; fees; rules. 23 (1)The Department of Children and Families shall assess 24 and collect from batterers intervention programs an annual 25 certification fee not to exceed $300. 26 (2)Each person required by the court to attend a 27 batterers intervention program certified by the Department of 28 Children and Families must pay a $30 fee for each 29-week 29 program that he or she attends. The program shall collect and 30 remit such fee to the Department of Children and Families. A 31 person deemed indigent by the court is not required to pay the 32 program fee. 33 (3)The fees assessed and collected under this section must 34 be deposited in the Domestic Violence Trust Fund established by 35 the Executive Office of the Governor pursuant to s. 741.01 and 36 directed to the Department of Children and Families to fund the 37 cost of certifying and monitoring batterers intervention 38 programs Pursuant to s. 741.32, the Department of Children and 39 Families shall certify and monitor batterers intervention 40 programs. 41 (4)(2)The Department of Children and Families shall adopt 42 rules to implement this section by rule procedures to administer 43 this section, including, but not limited to, procedures related 44 to the development of criteria for the approval, suspension, or 45 rejection of certification of batterers intervention programs. 46 Section 2.This act shall take effect on the same date that 47 SB ___ or similar legislation takes effect, if such legislation 48 is adopted in the same legislative session or an extension 49 thereof and becomes a law.