HB 0563

CS

CHAMBER ACTION

1	The Juvenile Justice Committee recommends the following:
2
3	Council/Committee Substitute
4	Remove the entire bill and insert:
5	A bill to be entitled
6	An act relating to juvenile animal cruelty; providing
7	legislative findings; providing definitions; creating a
8	task force on juvenile cruelty to animals; providing
9	powers and duties; requiring the task force to consider
10	specified issues and make recommendations; providing
11	membership; requiring a report; providing for
12	administrative support and travel reimbursement; providing
13	for dissolution of the task force; providing an effective
14	date.
15
16	Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
17
18	Section 1.  Task force on juvenile cruelty to animals.--
19	(1)  The Legislature recognizes that multiple research
20	studies have found statistically significant correlations
21	between acts of animal cruelty by juveniles and violent behavior
22	against persons and that a literature review conducted by the
23	federal Office of Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention found
24	that juvenile animal cruelty may be characteristic of the
25	developmental histories of 25 to 60 percent of violent adult
26	offenders. The Legislature further recognizes that it is
27	critical for the rehabilitation of juvenile animal cruelty
28	offenders and for the protection of society that the Legislature
29	establish a policy requiring the Department of Juvenile Justice
30	to assess the specific rehabilitation needs of juvenile animal
31	cruelty offenders and to provide programs that will treat these
32	offenders and halt further antisocial conduct.
33	(2)  For purposes of this section, the term:
34	(a)  "Department" means the Department of Juvenile Justice.
35	(b)  "Juvenile animal cruelty offender" means a juvenile
36	referred to the department who has violated s. 828.12, Florida
37	Statutes, or who otherwise has a history of engaging in one or
38	more acts of animal cruelty.
39	(3)  There is created a task force to review and evaluate
40	the state's laws that define and address animal cruelty and the
41	department's practices for treating and rehabilitating juvenile
42	animal cruelty offenders. The task force shall make findings
43	that include, but are not limited to:
44	(a)  Identification of statutes that address animal
45	cruelty.
46	(b)  Compilation of statistics regarding the number of
47	juveniles in this state who have been found, between July 1,
48	2001, and June 30, 2006, to have committed an act of animal
49	cruelty in violation of s. 828.12, Florida Statutes, and
50	identification of the disposition imposed in each of those
51	cases.
52	(c)  A profile of the delinquency and criminal histories of
53	the juveniles involved in the cases identified in paragraph (b)
54	before and after commission of the act of animal cruelty.
55	(d)  A summary of the department's methods for identifying
56	juvenile animal cruelty offenders who are referred to the
57	department for a delinquent act other than a violation of s.
58	828.12, Florida Statutes.
59	(e)  Identification of the department's practices,
60	procedures, and programs for the treatment and rehabilitation of
61	juvenile animal cruelty offenders.
62	(f)  A summary of research regarding juvenile animal
63	cruelty offenders and of any recommendations contained therein
64	for the treatment and rehabilitation of these offenders.
65	(g)  Identification of best and evidence-based practices
66	and model programs used in other jurisdictions for the treatment
67	and rehabilitation of juvenile animal cruelty offenders.
68	(4)  Based on its findings, the task force shall make
69	recommendations for the improvement of the state's policies and
70	laws that address juvenile animal cruelty. Such recommendations
71	shall specifically include, but are not limited to,
72	identification of methods to assess the needs of juvenile animal
73	cruelty offenders, treatment programs that will best
74	rehabilitate juvenile animal cruelty offenders, service delivery
75	mechanisms to ensure that recommended treatment programs are
76	available statewide, and any funding needs above existing
77	resources to ensure adequate availability of recommended
78	treatment programs.
79	(5)  On or before August 1, 2006, the secretary of the
80	department shall appoint up to 12 members to the task force. The
81	task force membership shall include, but is not limited to:
82	three persons who collectively have experience with the conduct
83	of juvenile animal cruelty research and with the treatment and
84	rehabilitation of juvenile animal cruelty offenders; two
85	department employees who collectively are responsible for
86	research and planning and delinquency prevention and treatment
87	programming; and two representatives of providers of juvenile
88	delinquency prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation services.
89	(6)  The task force shall submit a written report of its
90	findings and recommendations to the Governor, the President of
91	the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives by
92	January 1, 2007.
93	(7)  Administrative support for the task force shall be
94	provided by the department. Members of the task force shall
95	serve without compensation, but are entitled to reimbursement
96	under s. 112.061, Florida Statutes, for travel and per diem
97	expenses incurred in the performance of their official duties.
98	The task force shall strive to minimize travel and per diem
99	expenses by performing, when practicable, its duties in the
100	location where the majority of task force members reside.
101	(8)  The task force shall be dissolved upon submission of
102	its report.
103	Section 2.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2006.

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