Amendment
Bill No. 0335

Amendment No. 001789

CHAMBER ACTION
Senate		House
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1	Representative(s) Planas offered the following:
2
3	Amendment (with title amendment)
4	Between line(s) 159 and 160, insert:
5	Section 2. Paragraph (j) is added to subsection (1) of
6	section 985.02, Florida Statutes, to read:
7	985.02  Legislative intent for the juvenile justice
8	system.--
9	(1)  GENERAL PROTECTIONS FOR CHILDREN.--It is a purpose of
10	the Legislature that the children of this state be provided with
11	the following protections:
12	(j)  A fully integrated, comprehensive approach to handling
13	all cases that involve children and families and a resolution of
14	family disputes in a fair, timely, efficient, and cost-effective
15	manner. It is the intent of the Legislature that the courts of
16	this state embrace methods of resolving disputes that do not
17	cause additional emotional harm to the children and families who
18	are required to interact with the judicial system. It is the
19	intent of the Legislature to support the development of a
20	unified family court and to support the state courts system's
21	efforts to improve the resolution of disputes involving children
22	and families through a fully integrated, comprehensive approach
23	that includes coordinated case management; the concept of "one
24	family, one judge"; collaboration with the community for
25	referral to needed services; and methods of alternative dispute
26	resolution. The Legislature supports the goal that the legal
27	system should focus on the needs of children who are involved in
28	the litigation, refer families to resources that will make
29	families' relationships stronger, coordinate families' cases to
30	provide consistent results, and strive to leave families in
31	better condition than when the families entered the system.
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33	======= T I T L E  A M E N D M E N T =======
34	Remove line(s) 10 and insert:
35	abuse investigations; amending s. 985.02, F.S.; providing
36	additional purposes relating to implementing a unified family
37	court program in the circuit courts; providing legislative
38	intent; amending s. 985.207, F.S.;

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