Senate Bill sb0936
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    Florida Senate - 2006                                   SB 936
    By Senator Bennett
    21-419-06
  1                      A bill to be entitled
  2         An act relating to the Florida Retirement
  3         System; amending ss. 121.021, 121.0515, F.S.;
  4         providing membership in the Special Risk Class
  5         for public safety dispatchers/911 operators and
  6         their supervisors; providing an effective date.
  7  
  8  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
  9  
10         Section 1.  Subsection (15) of section 121.021, Florida
11  Statutes, is amended to read:
12         121.021  Definitions.--The following words and phrases
13  as used in this chapter have the respective meanings set forth
14  unless a different meaning is plainly required by the context:
15         (15)(a)  Until October 1, 1978, "special risk member"
16  means any officer or employee whose application is approved by
17  the administrator and who receives salary payments for work
18  performed as a peace officer; law enforcement officer; police
19  officer; highway patrol officer; custodial employee at a
20  correctional or detention facility; correctional agency
21  employee whose duties and responsibilities involve direct
22  contact with inmates, but excluding secretarial and clerical
23  employees; firefighter; or an employee in any other job in the
24  field of law enforcement or fire protection if the duties of
25  such person are certified as hazardous by his or her employer.
26         (b)  Effective October 1, 1978, "special risk member"
27  means a member of the Florida Retirement System who is
28  designated as a special risk member by the division in
29  accordance with s. 121.0515.  Such member must be employed as
30  a law enforcement officer, a firefighter, or a correctional
31  
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 1  officer and must meet certain other special criteria as set
 2  forth in s. 121.0515.
 3         (c)  Effective October 1, 1999, "special risk member"
 4  means a member of the Florida Retirement System who is
 5  designated as a special risk member by the division in
 6  accordance with s. 121.0515.  Such member must be employed as
 7  a law enforcement officer, a firefighter, a correctional
 8  officer, an emergency medical technician, or a paramedic and
 9  must meet certain other special criteria as set forth in s.
10  121.0515.
11         (d)1.  Effective January 1, 2001, "special risk member"
12  includes any member who is employed as a community-based
13  correctional probation officer and meets the special criteria
14  set forth in s. 121.0515(2)(e).
15         2.  Effective January 1, 2001, "special risk member"
16  includes any professional health care bargaining unit or
17  non-unit member who is employed by the Department of
18  Corrections or the Department of Children and Family Services
19  and meets the special criteria set forth in s. 121.0515(2)(f).
20         (e)  Effective July 1, 2001, the term "special risk
21  member" includes any member who is employed as a youth custody
22  officer by the Department of Juvenile Justice and meets the
23  special criteria set forth in s. 121.0515(2)(g).
24         (f)  Effective October 1, 2006, the term "special risk
25  member" includes a person employed by an agency of state or
26  local government as a public safety dispatcher/911 operator
27  whose duties and responsibilities include answering 911
28  emergency calls; dispatching law enforcement, fire-rescue,
29  EMS, and other public safety units to the scene of an
30  emergency; and providing real-time information from federal,
31  state, and local crime databases or supervising or serving as
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 1  command officer of a member or members having such duties and
 2  responsibilities. However, the term does not include
 3  administrative support personnel, including, but not limited
 4  to, those whose primary duties and responsibilities are in
 5  accounting, purchasing, legal, and personnel.
 6         Section 2.  Subsection (2) of section 121.0515, Florida
 7  Statutes, is amended to read:
 8         121.0515  Special risk membership.--
 9         (2)  CRITERIA.--A member, to be designated as a special
10  risk member, must meet the following criteria:
11         (a)  The member must be employed as a law enforcement
12  officer and be certified, or required to be certified, in
13  compliance with s. 943.1395; however, sheriffs and elected
14  police chiefs shall be excluded from meeting the certification
15  requirements of this paragraph.  In addition, the member's
16  duties and responsibilities must include the pursuit,
17  apprehension, and arrest of law violators or suspected law
18  violators; or the member must be an active member of a bomb
19  disposal unit whose primary responsibility is the location,
20  handling, and disposal of explosive devices; or the member
21  must be the supervisor or command officer of a member or
22  members who have such responsibilities; provided, however,
23  administrative support personnel, including, but not limited
24  to, those whose primary duties and responsibilities are in
25  accounting, purchasing, legal, and personnel, shall not be
26  included;
27         (b)  The member must be employed as a firefighter and
28  be certified, or required to be certified, in compliance with
29  s. 633.35 and be employed solely within the fire department of
30  a local government employer or an agency of state government
31  with firefighting responsibilities. In addition, the member's
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 1  duties and responsibilities must include on-the-scene fighting
 2  of fires, fire prevention, or firefighter training; direct
 3  supervision of firefighting units, fire prevention, or
 4  firefighter training; or aerial firefighting surveillance
 5  performed by fixed-wing aircraft pilots employed by the
 6  Division of Forestry of the Department of Agriculture and
 7  Consumer Services; or the member must be the supervisor or
 8  command officer of a member or members who have such
 9  responsibilities; provided, however, administrative support
10  personnel, including, but not limited to, those whose primary
11  duties and responsibilities are in accounting, purchasing,
12  legal, and personnel, shall not be included and further
13  provided that all periods of creditable service in fire
14  prevention or firefighter training, or as the supervisor or
15  command officer of a member or members who have such
16  responsibilities, and for which the employer paid the special
17  risk contribution rate, shall be included;
18         (c)  The member must be employed as a correctional
19  officer and be certified, or required to be certified, in
20  compliance with s. 943.1395.  In addition, the member's
21  primary duties and responsibilities must be the custody, and
22  physical restraint when necessary, of prisoners or inmates
23  within a prison, jail, or other criminal detention facility,
24  or while on work detail outside the facility, or while being
25  transported; or the member must be the supervisor or command
26  officer of a member or members who have such responsibilities;
27  provided, however, administrative support personnel,
28  including, but not limited to, those whose primary duties and
29  responsibilities are in accounting, purchasing, legal, and
30  personnel, shall not be included; however, wardens and
31  
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 1  assistant wardens, as defined by rule, shall participate in
 2  the Special Risk Class;
 3         (d)  The member must be employed by a licensed Advance
 4  Life Support (ALS) or Basic Life Support (BLS) employer as an
 5  emergency medical technician or a paramedic and be certified
 6  in compliance with s. 401.27.  In addition, the member's
 7  primary duties and responsibilities must include on-the-scene
 8  emergency medical care or direct supervision of emergency
 9  medical technicians or paramedics, or the member must be the
10  supervisor or command officer of one or more members who have
11  such responsibility.  However, administrative support
12  personnel, including, but not limited to, those whose primary
13  responsibilities are in accounting, purchasing, legal, and
14  personnel, shall not be included;
15         (e)  The member must be employed as a community-based
16  correctional probation officer and be certified, or required
17  to be certified, in compliance with s. 943.1395.  In addition,
18  the member's primary duties and responsibilities must be the
19  supervised custody, surveillance, control, investigation, and
20  counseling of assigned inmates, probationers, parolees, or
21  community controllees within the community; or the member must
22  be the supervisor of a member or members who have such
23  responsibilities. Administrative support personnel, including,
24  but not limited to, those whose primary duties and
25  responsibilities are in accounting, purchasing, legal
26  services, and personnel management, shall not be included;
27  however, probation and parole circuit and deputy circuit
28  administrators shall participate in the Special Risk Class;
29         (f)  The member must be employed in one of the
30  following classes and must spend at least 75 percent of his or
31  her time performing duties which involve contact with patients
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 1  or inmates in a correctional or forensic facility or
 2  institution:
 3         1.  Dietitian (class codes 5203 and 5204);
 4         2.  Public health nutrition consultant (class code
 5  5224);
 6         3.  Psychological specialist (class codes 5230 and
 7  5231);
 8         4.  Psychologist (class code 5234);
 9         5.  Senior psychologist (class codes 5237 and 5238);
10         6.  Regional mental health consultant (class code
11  5240);
12         7.  Psychological Services Director--DCF (class code
13  5242);
14         8.  Pharmacist (class codes 5245 and 5246);
15         9.  Senior pharmacist (class codes 5248 and 5249);
16         10.  Dentist (class code 5266);
17         11.  Senior dentist (class code 5269);
18         12.  Registered nurse (class codes 5290 and 5291);
19         13.  Senior registered nurse (class codes 5292 and
20  5293);
21         14.  Registered nurse specialist (class codes 5294 and
22  5295);
23         15.  Clinical associate (class codes 5298 and 5299);
24         16.  Advanced registered nurse practitioner (class
25  codes 5297 and 5300);
26         17.  Advanced registered nurse practitioner specialist
27  (class codes 5304 and 5305);
28         18.  Registered nurse supervisor (class codes 5306 and
29  5307);
30         19.  Senior registered nurse supervisor (class codes
31  5308 and 5309);
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    Florida Senate - 2006                                   SB 936
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 1         20.  Registered nursing consultant (class codes 5312
 2  and 5313);
 3         21.  Quality management program supervisor (class code
 4  5314);
 5         22.  Executive nursing director (class codes 5320 and
 6  5321);
 7         23.  Speech and hearing therapist (class code 5406); or
 8         24.  Pharmacy manager (class code 5251);
 9         (g)  The member must be employed as a youth custody
10  officer and be certified, or required to be certified, in
11  compliance with s. 943.1395. In addition, the member's primary
12  duties and responsibilities must be the supervised custody,
13  surveillance, control, investigation, apprehension, arrest,
14  and counseling of assigned juveniles within the community; or
15         (h)  The member must be employed by a law enforcement
16  agency or medical examiner's office in a forensic discipline
17  recognized by the International Association for Identification
18  and must qualify for active membership in the International
19  Association for Identification. The member's primary duties
20  and responsibilities must include the collection, examination,
21  preservation, documentation, preparation, or analysis of
22  physical evidence or testimony, or both, or the member must be
23  the direct supervisor, quality management supervisor, or
24  command officer of one or more individuals with such
25  responsibility. Administrative support personnel, including,
26  but not limited to, those whose primary responsibilities are
27  clerical or in accounting, purchasing, legal, and personnel,
28  shall not be included; or.
29         (i)  The member must be employed by an agency of state
30  or local government as a public safety dispatcher/911
31  operator. In addition, the member's duties and
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    Florida Senate - 2006                                   SB 936
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 1  responsibilities must include answering 911 emergency calls;
 2  dispatching law enforcement, fire-rescue, EMS, and other
 3  public safety units to the scene of an emergency; and
 4  providing real-time information from federal, state, and local
 5  crime databases or the member must be the supervisor or
 6  command officer of a member or members who have such duties
 7  and responsibilities. However, administrative support
 8  personnel, including, but not limited to, those whose primary
 9  duties and responsibilities are in accounting, purchasing,
10  legal, and personnel, are not included.
11         Section 3.  This act shall take effect October 1, 2006.
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14                          SENATE SUMMARY
15    Extends membership in the Special Risk Class of the
      Florida Retirement System to public safety
16    dispatchers/911 operators and their supervisors.
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