HB 1099

1
A bill to be entitled
2An act relating to court actions involving families;
3amending ss. 39.001, 61.001, and 985.02, F.S.; providing
4additional purposes relating to implementing a unified
5family court program in the circuit courts; providing
6legislative intent; providing an effective date.
7
8Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
9
10     Section 1.  Paragraph (n) is added to subsection (1) of
11section 39.001, Florida Statutes, to read:
12     39.001  Purposes and intent; personnel standards and
13screening.--
14     (1)  PURPOSES OF CHAPTER.--The purposes of this chapter
15are:
16     (n)  To provide all children and families affected by the
17legal process with a coordinated judicial system that minimizes
18multiple actions and provides one decisionmaker for each child
19or family and a coordinated approach in dealing with the
20applicable issues of the child or family. It is the intent of
21the Legislature to encourage the circuit courts of this state to
22implement a unified family court program as endorsed by the
23Florida Supreme Court and establish such a unified family court
24by local rule or administrative order to be submitted to the
25Florida Supreme Court for approval as directed by the Florida
26Supreme Court. It is the intent of the Legislature to improve
27the resolution of disputes within the judicial system for
28children and families by promoting the implementation of the
29Coordinated Management Model as established by the Florida
30Supreme Court and the concept of "one family, one judge" to
31coordinate multiple cases involving one family.
32     Section 2.  Section 61.001, Florida Statutes, is amended to
33read:
34     61.001  Purpose of chapter.--
35     (1)  This chapter shall be liberally construed and applied.
36     (2)  Its purposes are:
37     (a)  To preserve the integrity of marriage and to safeguard
38meaningful family relationships;
39     (b)  To promote the amicable settlement of disputes that
40arise between parties to a marriage; and
41     (c)  To mitigate the potential harm to the spouses and
42their children caused by the process of legal dissolution of
43marriage.
44     (d)  To provide all children and families affected by the
45legal process with a coordinated judicial system that minimizes
46multiple actions and provides one decisionmaker for each child
47or family and a coordinated approach in dealing with the
48applicable issues of the child or family. It is the intent of
49the Legislature to encourage the circuit courts of this state to
50implement a unified family court program as endorsed by the
51Florida Supreme Court and establish such a unified family court
52by local rule or administrative order to be submitted to the
53Florida Supreme Court for approval as directed by the Florida
54Supreme Court. It is the intent of the Legislature to improve
55the resolution of disputes within the judicial system for
56children and families by promoting the implementation of the
57Coordinated Management Model as established by the Florida
58Supreme Court and the concept of "one family, one judge" to
59coordinate multiple cases involving one family.
60     Section 3.  Paragraph (j) is added to subsection (1) of
61section 985.02, Florida Statutes, to read:
62     985.02  Legislative intent for the juvenile justice
63system.--
64     (1)  GENERAL PROTECTIONS FOR CHILDREN.--It is a purpose of
65the Legislature that the children of this state be provided with
66the following protections:
67     (j)  To all children and their families affected by the
68legal process, a coordinated judicial system that minimizes
69multiple actions and provides one decisionmaker for each child
70or family and a coordinated approach in dealing with the
71applicable issues of the child or family. It is the intent of
72the Legislature to encourage the circuit courts of this state to
73implement a unified family court program as endorsed by the
74Florida Supreme Court and establish such a unified family court
75by local rule or administrative order to be submitted to the
76Florida Supreme Court for approval as directed by the Florida
77Supreme Court. It is the intent of the Legislature to improve
78the resolution of disputes within the judicial system for
79children and families by promoting the implementation of the
80Coordinated Management Model as established by the Florida
81Supreme Court and the concept of "one family, one judge" to
82coordinate multiple cases involving one family.
83     Section 4.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2006.


CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.