Florida 2024 2024 Regular Session

Florida House Bill H0469 Comm Sub / Bill

Filed 01/31/2024

                       
 
CS/HB 469  	2024 
 
 
 
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. 
hb0469-01-c1 
Page 1 of 2 
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P	R E S E N T A T I V E	S 
 
 
 
A bill to be entitled 1 
An act relating to victims of criminal offenses; 2 
amending s. 960.001, F.S.; providing that private 3 
counsel retained by a victim of a sexual offense may 4 
be present during victim depositions; providing an 5 
effective date. 6 
 7 
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 8 
 9 
 Section 1.  Paragraph (q) of subsection (1) of section 10 
960.001, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 11 
 960.001  Guidelines fo r fair treatment of victims and 12 
witnesses in the criminal justice and juvenile justice systems. — 13 
 (1)  The Department of Legal Affairs, the state attorneys, 14 
the Department of Corrections, the Department of Juvenile 15 
Justice, the Florida Commission on Offend er Review, the State 16 
Courts Administrator and circuit court administrators, the 17 
Department of Law Enforcement, and every sheriff's department, 18 
police department, or other law enforcement agency as defined in 19 
s. 943.10(4) shall develop and implement guideli nes for the use 20 
of their respective agencies, which guidelines are consistent 21 
with the purposes of this act and s. 16(b), Art. I of the State 22 
Constitution and are designed to implement s. 16(b), Art. I of 23 
the State Constitution and to achieve the following objectives: 24 
 (q)  Presence of victim advocate during discovery 25     
 
CS/HB 469  	2024 
 
 
 
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. 
hb0469-01-c1 
Page 2 of 2 
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P	R E S E N T A T I V E	S 
 
 
 
deposition; testimony of victim of a sexual offense. —At the 26 
request of the victim or the victim's parent, guardian, or 27 
lawful representative, private counsel retained by the victim, 28 
and a the victim advocate designated by the state attorney's 29 
office, sheriff's office, or municipal police department, or one 30 
representative from a not -for-profit victim services 31 
organization, including, but not limited to, rape crisis 32 
centers, domestic violence adv ocacy groups, and alcohol abuse or 33 
substance abuse groups , shall be permitted to attend and be 34 
present during any deposition of the victim. The victim of a 35 
sexual offense shall be informed of the right to have the 36 
courtroom cleared of certain persons as pr ovided in s. 918.16 37 
when the victim is testifying concerning that offense. 38 
 Section 2.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2024. 39