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