Florida Senate - 2024 COMMITTEE AMENDMENT Bill No. SB 26 Ì737988sÎ737988 LEGISLATIVE ACTION Senate . House Comm: RCS . 02/06/2024 . . . . ————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————— ————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————— The Committee on Governmental Oversight and Accountability (Rouson) recommended the following: 1 Senate Amendment (with title amendment) 2 3 Delete everything after the enacting clause 4 and insert: 5 Section 1. Section 16.64, Florida Statutes, is created to 6 read: 7 16.64 Applications for compensation through the Dozier 8 School for Boys and Okeechobee School Victim Compensation 9 Program; public records exemption.—Any name, date of birth, 10 driver license number, social security number, home address, 11 mailing address, telephone number, or electronic mail address in 12 an application submitted to the Department of Legal Affairs by, 13 or on behalf of, a person seeking compensation through the 14 Dozier School for Boys and Okeechobee School Victim Compensation 15 Program is confidential and exempt from s. 119.07(1) and s. 16 24(a), Art. I of the State Constitution, and may not be 17 disclosed except upon court order. This paragraph is subject to 18 the Open Government Sunset Review Act in accordance with s. 19 119.15 and shall stand repealed on October 2, 2029, unless 20 reviewed and saved from repeal through reenactment by the 21 Legislature. 22 Section 2. The Legislature finds that it is a public 23 necessity that any name, date of birth, driver license number, 24 social security number, home address, mailing address, telephone 25 number, or electronic mail address in an application submitted 26 to the Department of Legal Affairs by, or on behalf of, a person 27 seeking compensation through the Dozier School for Boys and 28 Okeechobee School Victim Compensation Program be made 29 confidential and exempt from s. 119.07(1), Florida Statutes, and 30 s. 24(a), Article I of the State Constitution, except upon court 31 order. The Legislature finds that the release of such personal 32 identifying information, except upon court order, could subject 33 the persons applying for compensation through the Dozier School 34 for Boys and Okeechobee School Victim Compensation Program to 35 further trauma should their status as a victim of the Dozier 36 School for Boys or the Okeechobee School, or the nature of the 37 abuse each victim suffered there, be made public, and to the 38 possibility of harassment. The Legislature further finds that a 39 victim of the Dozier School for Boys or the Okeechobee School 40 may be more likely to come forward and apply for compensation 41 through the Dozier School for Boys and Okeechobee School Victim 42 Compensation Program if the personal identifying information in 43 the application is protected from public disclosure. The 44 Legislature finds that the harm that may result from the release 45 of such information outweighs the public benefit that may be 46 derived from the disclosure of such information. 47 Section 3. This act shall take effect on the same date that 48 SB 24 or similar legislation takes effect, if such legislation 49 is adopted in the same legislative session or an extension 50 thereof and becomes a law. 51 52 ================= T I T L E A M E N D M E N T ================ 53 And the title is amended as follows: 54 Delete everything before the enacting clause 55 and insert: 56 A bill to be entitled 57 An act relating to public records; creating s. 16.64, 58 F.S.; providing an exemption from public records 59 requirements for the personal identifying information 60 in an application submitted to the Department of Legal 61 Affairs by, or on behalf of, a person seeking 62 compensation through the Dozier School for Boys and 63 Okeechobee School Victim Compensation Program; 64 providing for future legislative review and repeal of 65 the exemption; providing a statement of public 66 necessity; providing a contingent effective date.