Florida Senate - 2019                        COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
       Bill No. SB 406
       
       
       
       
       
       
                                Ì646052ÅÎ646052                         
       
                              LEGISLATIVE ACTION                        
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       Appropriations Subcommittee on Criminal and Civil Justice
       (Brandes) recommended the following:
       
    1         Senate Amendment (with title amendment)
    2  
    3         Delete lines 154 - 219
    4  and insert:
    5         (8) The Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government
    6  Accountability shall perform a study every 5 years to determine
    7  the appropriateness of the threshold amounts included in this
    8  section. The study’s scope must include, but need not be limited
    9  to, the crime trends related to theft offenses, the theft
   10  threshold amounts of other states in effect at the time of the
   11  study, the fiscal impact of any modifications to this state’s
   12  threshold amounts, and the effect on economic factors, such as
   13  inflation. The study must include options for amending the
   14  threshold amounts if the study finds that such amounts are
   15  inconsistent with current trends. In conducting the study,
   16  OPPAGA shall consult with the Office of Economic and Demographic
   17  Research in addition to other interested entities. OPPAGA shall
   18  submit a report to the Governor, the President of the Senate,
   19  and the Speaker of the House of Representatives by September 1
   20  of each fifth year.
   21         Section 2. Subsections (8) and (9) of section 812.015,
   22  Florida Statutes, are amended, and paragraph (n) of subsection
   23  (1) and subsection (10) are added to that section, to read:
   24         812.015 Retail and farm theft; transit fare evasion;
   25  mandatory fine; alternative punishment; detention and arrest;
   26  exemption from liability for false arrest; resisting arrest;
   27  penalties.—
   28         (1) As used in this section:
   29         (n) “Value” means the fair market value of the property
   30  taken in violation of this section at the time the taking
   31  occurred.
   32         (8) Except as provided in subsection (9), a person who
   33  commits retail theft commits a felony of the third degree,
   34  punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084,
   35  if the property stolen is valued at $1,500 $300 or more, and the
   36  person:
   37         (a) Individually, or in concert with one or more other
   38  persons, coordinates the activities of one or more individuals
   39  in committing the offense, in which case the amount of each
   40  individual theft is aggregated to determine the value of the
   41  property stolen;
   42         (b) Commits theft from more than one location within a 48
   43  hour period, in which case the amount of each individual theft
   44  is aggregated to determine the value of the property stolen;
   45         (c) Acts in concert with one or more other individuals
   46  within one or more establishments to distract the merchant,
   47  merchant’s employee, or law enforcement officer in order to
   48  carry out the offense, or acts in other ways to coordinate
   49  efforts to carry out the offense; or
   50         (d) Commits the offense through the purchase of merchandise
   51  in a package or box that contains merchandise other than, or in
   52  addition to, the merchandise purported to be contained in the
   53  package or box.
   54         (9) A person commits a felony of the second degree,
   55  punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084,
   56  if the person:
   57         (a) Violates subsection (8) as an adult and has previously
   58  been convicted of a violation of subsection (8) within 3 years
   59  after the expiration of his or her sentence for the conviction;
   60  or
   61         (b) Individually, or in concert with one or more other
   62  persons, coordinates the activities of one or more persons in
   63  committing the offense of retail theft where the stolen property
   64  has a value in excess of $3,000.
   65         (10) The Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government
   66  Accountability shall perform a study every 5 years to determine
   67  the appropriateness of the threshold amounts included in this
   68  section. The study’s scope must include, but need not be limited
   69  to, the crime trends related to theft offenses, the theft
   70  threshold amounts of other states in effect at the time of the
   71  study, the fiscal impact of any modifications to this state’s
   72  threshold amounts, and the effect on economic factors, such as
   73  inflation. The study must include options for amending the
   74  threshold amounts if the study finds that such amounts are
   75  inconsistent with current trends. In conducting the study,
   76  OPPAGA shall consult with the Office of Economic and Demographic
   77  Research in addition to other interested entities. OPPAGA shall
   78  submit a report to the Governor, the President of the Senate,
   79  and the Speaker of the House of Representatives by September 1
   80  of each fifth year.
   81  
   82  ================= T I T L E  A M E N D M E N T ================
   83  And the title is amended as follows:
   84         Delete lines 8 - 19
   85  and insert:
   86         Office of Program Policy and Analysis (OPPAGA) to
   87         perform a study about certain threshold amounts on a
   88         specified schedule; providing study requirements;
   89         requiring OPPAGA to consult with the Office of
   90         Economic and Demographic Research and other interested
   91         entities; requiring OPPAGA to submit a report to the
   92         Governor and the Legislature by a certain date and on
   93         a specified basis; amending s. 812.015, F.S.; defining
   94         the term “value”; increasing threshold amounts for a
   95         certain theft offense; revising the circumstances
   96         under which an offense of retail theft constitutes a
   97         felony of the second degree; requiring the Office of
   98         Program Policy and Analysis (OPPAGA) to perform a
   99         study about certain threshold amounts on a specified
  100         schedule; providing study requirements; requiring
  101         OPPAGA to consult with the Office of Economic and
  102         Demographic Research and other interested entities;
  103         requiring OPPAGA to submit a report to the Governor
  104         and the Legislature by a certain date and on a
  105         specified basis; amending s. 921.0022, F.S.;