HB 321

1	A bill to be entitled
2	An act relating to forensic services; providing a short
3	title; amending s. 943.04, F.S.; requiring the Criminal
4	Justice Investigations and Forensic Science Program within
5	the Department of Law Enforcement, in consultation with a
6	partner, to provide training and technical assistance to
7	state, local, and other law enforcement agencies in
8	matters of forensic science, assist crime laboratories in
9	becoming accredited, aid in the design or redesign of
10	forensic computer systems, and maintain equipment and
11	supplies sufficient for the department to operate in
12	another location on a temporary basis if a local crime
13	laboratory is damaged or destroyed; providing an effective
14	date.
15
16	Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
17
18	Section 1.   This act may be cited as the "Florida Forensic
19	Service and Technical Training Act."
20	Section 2.  Subsection (6) is added to section 943.04,
21	Florida Statutes, to read:
22	943.04  Criminal Justice Investigations and Forensic
23	Science Program; creation; investigative, forensic, and related
24	authority.--
25	(6)(a)  It is the intent of the Legislature that the
26	department assist in improving the quality and timeliness of
27	forensic services within the criminal justice community of this
28	state. The goal of the Legislature is that each state and local
29	criminal justice entity improve the quality and timeliness of
30	its forensic-science analyses and enhance the law enforcement
31	entities' forensic services in order to better ensure the safety
32	of the residents of this state.
33	(b)  In order to achieve these goals, the Criminal Justice
34	Investigations and Forensic Science Program within the
35	department shall, in consultation with a partner such as the
36	National Forensic Science Technology Center, provide training
37	and technical assistance to state, local, and other law
38	enforcement agencies in matters of forensic science. The
39	Criminal Justice Investigations and Forensic Science Program
40	shall:
41	1.  Develop courses and training materials in topics of
42	forensic science that may be used to train appropriate staff who
43	are directly and substantially involved in providing forensic-
44	science analyses in crime laboratories and field investigations
45	and to court personnel and members of law enforcement agencies.
46	The program may also assist an appropriate individual to become
47	certified in a specific forensic discipline area if
48	certification is directly related to the individual's job
49	position and duties. All education, training, and certification
50	activities of the forensic program must be designed to improve
51	the quality and timeliness of forensic services.
52	2.  Assist crime laboratories and law enforcement agencies
53	in becoming accredited by nationally recognized laboratory
54	accreditation organizations, including, but not limited to,
55	those organizations recognized by the Justice for All Act, Pub.
56	L. No. 108-405. Such organizations include the American Society
57	of Crime Laboratory Directors-Laboratory Accreditation Board,
58	the National Association of Medical Examiners, and Forensic
59	Quality Services-International(FQS-I), as well as other
60	appropriate accrediting bodies.
61	3.  Cooperate with state and local law enforcement agencies
62	when those agencies design or redesign their computer systems
63	for crime laboratories and recommend the purchase of computer
64	hardware and software specifically developed for forensic
65	analyses and data management.
66	4.  Maintain equipment and supplies at its Tallahassee
67	office or a regional laboratory sufficient for the department to
68	operate in another location on a temporary basis when a local
69	crime laboratory is damaged or destroyed by a natural disaster
70	or other catastrophic event.
71	Section 3.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2007.

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