Florida Senate - 2017                              CS for SB 970
       
       
        
       By the Committee on Criminal Justice; and Senator Bracy
       
       
       
       
       
       591-03906-17                                           2017970c1
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to trust funds; creating s. 787.0611,
    3         F.S.; creating the Trust Fund for Victims of Human
    4         Trafficking and Prevention within the Department of
    5         Legal Affairs; providing the purposes of, and funding
    6         sources for, the trust fund; providing for
    7         administration of the fund by the Statewide Council on
    8         Human Trafficking; providing for future review and
    9         termination or re-creation of the trust fund;
   10         providing a contingent effective date.
   11          
   12  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   13  
   14         Section 1. Section 787.0611, Florida Statutes, is created
   15  to read:
   16         787.0611 The Trust Fund for Victims of Human Trafficking
   17  and Prevention.—
   18         (1) There is created within the Department of Legal Affairs
   19  a trust fund to be known as the Trust Fund for Victims of Human
   20  Trafficking and Prevention.
   21         (2) The trust fund shall consist of funds obtained under s.
   22  787.063 from civil actions brought on behalf of victims, from
   23  penalties imposed by the courts, and funds received from any
   24  other source, including legislative appropriations.
   25         (3) The purposes of the fund include, but are not limited
   26  to:
   27         (a) Educating the public about the recruitment,
   28  trafficking, and exploitation of persons through human
   29  trafficking.
   30         (b) Assisting in the prevention of recruitment in Florida
   31  schools of minors for exploitation.
   32         (c) Establishment of a survivors’ resource center to make
   33  available to survivors of human trafficking legal services,
   34  social services, safe harbors, safe houses, and language
   35  services.
   36         (d) Advertising the National Human Trafficking Resource
   37  Center hotline telephone number and the BeFree Textline in
   38  diverse venues.
   39         (e) Assisting in the coordination between law enforcement
   40  agencies and service providers.
   41         (f) Assisting in vacating the convictions of minors who
   42  were victims of human trafficking.
   43         (4) The fund shall be administered by the Statewide Council
   44  on Human Trafficking created in s. 16.617.
   45         (5) In addition to the purposes specified in subsection
   46  (3), moneys in the fund may be used to bring actions, and to pay
   47  any associated costs under such actions, under s. 787.063.
   48         (6) In accordance with s. 19(f)(2), Art. III of the State
   49  Constitution, the trust fund shall, unless terminated sooner, be
   50  terminated on July 1, 2021. Before its scheduled termination,
   51  the trust fund shall be reviewed as provided in s. 215.3206(1)
   52  and (2).
   53         Section 2. This act shall take effect on the same date that
   54  SB 972 or similar legislation takes effect, if such legislation
   55  is adopted in the same legislative session or an extension
   56  thereof and becomes a law.