Florida Senate - 2020                        COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
       Bill No. CS for SB 122
       
       
       
       
       
       
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                              LEGISLATIVE ACTION                        
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       Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and Human Services
       (Rouson) recommended the following:
       
    1         Senate Amendment (with title amendment)
    2  
    3         Delete lines 179 - 221
    4  and insert:
    5         Section 5. Section 39.820, Florida Statutes, is amended to
    6  read:
    7         39.820 Definitions.—As used in this chapter part, the term:
    8         (1) “Guardian ad litem” as referred to in any civil or
    9  criminal proceeding includes the following: the Statewide
   10  Guardian Ad Litem Office, which includes circuit a certified
   11  guardian ad litem programs; program, a duly certified volunteer,
   12  a staff member, a staff attorney, a contract attorney, or a
   13  certified pro bono attorney working on behalf of a guardian ad
   14  litem or the program; staff members of a program office; a
   15  court-appointed attorney; or a responsible adult who is
   16  appointed by the court to represent the best interests of a
   17  child in a proceeding as provided for by law, including, but not
   18  limited to, this chapter, who is a party to any judicial
   19  proceeding as a representative of the child, and who serves
   20  until discharged by the court.
   21         (2) “Guardian advocate” means a person appointed by the
   22  court to act on behalf of a drug dependent newborn under
   23  pursuant to the provisions of this part.
   24         Section 6. Paragraph (b) of subsection (2) of section
   25  39.8296, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
   26         39.8296 Statewide Guardian Ad Litem Office; legislative
   27  findings and intent; creation; appointment of executive
   28  director; duties of office.—
   29         (2) STATEWIDE GUARDIAN AD LITEM OFFICE.—There is created a
   30  Statewide Guardian Ad Litem Office within the Justice
   31  Administrative Commission. The Justice Administrative Commission
   32  shall provide administrative support and service to the office
   33  to the extent requested by the executive director within the
   34  available resources of the commission. The Statewide Guardian Ad
   35  Litem Office is shall not be subject to control, supervision, or
   36  direction by the Justice Administrative Commission in the
   37  performance of its duties, but the employees of the office are
   38  shall be governed by the classification plan and salary and
   39  benefits plan approved by the Justice Administrative Commission.
   40         (b) The Statewide Guardian Ad Litem Office shall, within
   41  available resources, have oversight responsibilities for and
   42  provide technical assistance to all guardian ad litem and
   43  attorney ad litem programs located within the judicial circuits.
   44         1. The office shall identify the resources required to
   45  implement methods of collecting, reporting, and tracking
   46  reliable and consistent case data.
   47         2. The office shall review the current guardian ad litem
   48  programs in Florida and other states.
   49         3. The office, in consultation with local guardian ad litem
   50  offices, shall develop statewide performance measures and
   51  standards.
   52         4. The office shall develop a guardian ad litem training
   53  program, which shall include, but not be limited to, training on
   54  the recognition of and responses to head trauma and brain injury
   55  in a child under 6 years of age. The office shall establish a
   56  curriculum committee to develop the training program specified
   57  in this subparagraph. The curriculum committee shall include,
   58  but not be limited to, dependency judges, directors of circuit
   59  guardian ad litem programs, active certified guardians ad litem,
   60  a mental health professional who specializes in the treatment of
   61  children, a member of a child advocacy group, a representative
   62  of a domestic violence advocacy group the Florida Coalition
   63  Against Domestic Violence, and a social worker experienced in
   64  working with victims and perpetrators of child abuse.
   65  
   66  ================= T I T L E  A M E N D M E N T ================
   67  And the title is amended as follows:
   68         Delete lines 15 - 20
   69  and insert:
   70         child from the home; amending s. 39.820, F.S.;
   71         revising the definition of the terms “guardian ad
   72         litem” and “guardian advocate”; amending s. 39.8296,
   73         F.S.; requiring that the guardian ad litem training
   74         program include training on the recognition of and
   75         responses to head trauma and brain injury in specified
   76         children; amending s.