Florida Senate - 2017                                     SB 350
       
       
        
       By Senator Clemens
       
       31-00362A-17                                           2017350__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to the Criminal Justice Standards and
    3         Training Commission; amending s. 943.12, F.S.;
    4         requiring the Criminal Justice Standards and Training
    5         Commission to implement, administer, maintain, and
    6         revise a basic abilities examination by a specified
    7         date; requiring the commission to establish specified
    8         procedures and standards; amending s. 943.17, F.S.;
    9         requiring the commission to set a fee for the basic
   10         abilities examination; requiring a nonrefundable fee
   11         for each examination attempt; requiring that
   12         examination fees be deposited in the Criminal Justice
   13         Standards and Training Trust Fund; providing a
   14         condition for when the examination fee takes effect;
   15         reenacting s. 943.173(3), F.S., relating to
   16         examinations, administration, and materials not being
   17         public records, to incorporate the amendment made to
   18         s. 943.17, F.S., in a reference thereto; reenacting
   19         and amending s. 943.25(2), F.S., relating to criminal
   20         justice trust funds; conforming a provision to changes
   21         made by the act; providing an effective date.
   22          
   23  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   24  
   25         Section 1. Subsection (18) is added to section 943.12,
   26  Florida Statutes, to read:
   27         943.12 Powers, duties, and functions of the commission.—The
   28  commission shall:
   29         (18) On or before January 1, 2019, implement, administer,
   30  maintain, and revise a basic abilities examination for all
   31  applicants for basic recruit training in law enforcement and
   32  corrections. The commission shall establish by rule procedures
   33  for the administration of the basic abilities examination. The
   34  commission shall also establish standards for acceptable
   35  performance on the examination.
   36         Section 2. Paragraph (g) of subsection (1) of section
   37  943.17, Florida Statutes, is amended, and paragraph (h) is added
   38  to that subsection, to read:
   39         943.17 Basic recruit, advanced, and career development
   40  training programs; participation; cost; evaluation.—The
   41  commission shall, by rule, design, implement, maintain,
   42  evaluate, and revise entry requirements and job-related
   43  curricula and performance standards for basic recruit, advanced,
   44  and career development training programs and courses. The rules
   45  shall include, but are not limited to, a methodology to assess
   46  relevance of the subject matter to the job, student performance,
   47  and instructor competency.
   48         (1) The commission shall:
   49         (g) Assure that entrance into the basic recruit training
   50  program for law enforcement and correctional officers be limited
   51  to those who have passed a basic abilities skills examination
   52  and assessment instrument, based on a job task analysis in each
   53  discipline and adopted by the commission.
   54         (h) Set a fee, not to exceed $50, for the basic abilities
   55  examination. The fee applies to one scheduled examination
   56  attempt and is not refundable. Fees collected pursuant to this
   57  paragraph shall be deposited in the Criminal Justice Standards
   58  and Training Trust Fund. This paragraph shall take effect upon
   59  the implementation of the revised basic abilities examination on
   60  or before January 1, 2019, as specified in s. 943.12(18).
   61         Section 3. For the purpose of incorporating the amendment
   62  made by this act to section 943.17, Florida Statutes, in a
   63  reference thereto, subsection (3) of section 943.173, Florida
   64  Statutes, is reenacted to read:
   65         943.173 Examinations; administration; materials not public
   66  records; disposal of materials.—
   67         (3) All examinations, assessments, and instruments and the
   68  results of examinations, other than test scores on officer
   69  certification examinations, including developmental materials
   70  and workpapers directly related thereto, prepared, prescribed,
   71  or administered pursuant to ss. 943.13(9) or (10) and 943.17 are
   72  exempt from the provisions of s. 119.07(1) and s. 24(a), Art. I
   73  of the State Constitution. Provisions governing access to,
   74  maintenance of, and destruction of relevant documents pursuant
   75  to this section shall be prescribed by rules adopted by the
   76  commission.
   77         Section 4. Subsection (2) of section 943.25, Florida
   78  Statutes, is reenacted and amended to read:
   79         943.25 Criminal justice trust funds; source of funds; use
   80  of funds.—
   81         (2) There is created, within the Department of Law
   82  Enforcement, the Criminal Justice Standards and Training Trust
   83  Fund for the purpose of providing for the payment of necessary
   84  and proper expenses incurred by the operation of the commission
   85  and the Criminal Justice Professionalism Program and providing
   86  commission-approved criminal justice advanced and specialized
   87  training and criminal justice training school enhancements and
   88  of establishing the provisions of s. 943.17 and developing the
   89  specific tests provided under s. 943.12 s. 943.12(9). The
   90  program shall administer the Criminal Justice Standards and
   91  Training Trust Fund and shall report the status of the fund at
   92  each regularly scheduled commission meeting.
   93         Section 5. This act shall take effect July 1, 2017.