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| 3 | 3 | | HB 747 2024 |
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| 7 | 7 | | CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. |
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| 8 | 8 | | hb0747-00 |
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| 9 | 9 | | Page 1 of 2 |
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| 10 | 10 | | 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 |
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| 14 | 14 | | A bill to be entitled 1 |
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| 15 | 15 | | An act relating to law enforcement officers; amending 2 |
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| 16 | 16 | | s. 943.03, F.S.; providing legislative findings; 3 |
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| 17 | 17 | | requiring the Department of Law Enforcement to create 4 |
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| 18 | 18 | | a program to appoint and supervise unpaid auxiliary 5 |
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| 19 | 19 | | law enforcement officers with statewide jurisdiction 6 |
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| 20 | 20 | | to support law enforcement agencies; specifying the 7 |
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| 21 | 21 | | status of such officers; providing that certain 8 |
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| 22 | 22 | | training courses may be taught from any location in a 9 |
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| 23 | 23 | | virtual classroom without an instructor present; 10 |
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| 24 | 24 | | providing an effective date. 11 |
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| 25 | 25 | | 12 |
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| 26 | 26 | | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 13 |
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| 27 | 27 | | 14 |
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| 28 | 28 | | Section 1. Subsections (17) and (18) are added to section 15 |
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| 29 | 29 | | 943.03, Florida Statutes, to read: 16 |
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| 30 | 30 | | 943.03 Department of Law Enforcement. — 17 |
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| 31 | 31 | | (17)(a) The Legislature finds that there is a need to 18 |
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| 32 | 32 | | develop and implement a comprehensive statewide strategy to 19 |
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| 33 | 33 | | coordinate law enforcement efforts in combating the recent surge 20 |
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| 34 | 34 | | in hate crimes based on religious and ethnic her itage. The 21 |
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| 35 | 35 | | Legislature further finds that the state will benefit from the 22 |
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| 36 | 36 | | further engagement of community members as unpaid auxiliary law 23 |
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| 37 | 37 | | enforcement officers who can support multiple jurisdictions to 24 |
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| 38 | 38 | | enhance, among other things, the exchange and collectio n of 25 |
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| 40 | 40 | | HB 747 2024 |
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| 41 | 41 | | |
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| 43 | 43 | | |
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| 44 | 44 | | CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. |
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| 45 | 45 | | hb0747-00 |
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| 46 | 46 | | Page 2 of 2 |
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| 47 | 47 | | 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 |
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| 51 | 51 | | intelligence information, thereby benefitting statewide law 26 |
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| 52 | 52 | | enforcement efforts. 27 |
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| 53 | 53 | | (b) Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, the 28 |
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| 54 | 54 | | department shall create a program to appoint and supervise 29 |
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| 55 | 55 | | unpaid auxiliary law enforcement officers with statewi de 30 |
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| 56 | 56 | | jurisdiction to support law enforcement agencies throughout the 31 |
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| 57 | 57 | | state. An auxiliary law enforcement officer appointed under this 32 |
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| 58 | 58 | | paragraph shall not be considered as holding an office under the 33 |
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| 59 | 59 | | government of the state or the counties and municipalities 34 |
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| 60 | 60 | | therein as a result of the appointment. 35 |
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| 61 | 61 | | (18) Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, non -36 |
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| 62 | 62 | | high-liability law enforcement officer training courses of eight 37 |
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| 63 | 63 | | or fewer students taught using a virtual classroom may be 38 |
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| 64 | 64 | | conducted from any location without a commission-certified 39 |
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| 65 | 65 | | instructor present in the classroom. 40 |
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| 66 | 66 | | Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2024. 41 |
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