Our Priorities

Senate Bill 234 by Locke Burt Relating to FRS/Special Risk/Prior Service
House Bill 651 by Bilirakis Relating to FRS/Special Risk/Prior Service

The Senate Committee on Governmental Oversight and Productivity did not agenda this bill. When Senate Bill 2 was brought up in committee this bill was amended into it. Senate bill 2 had both the prior service and final average compensation bill in it. Due to the fact that the Senate did not have the 1.2 billion dollars allocated in their budget, they failed to move the bill any further, until an agreement between the Governor and Special Risk was made. This deal gave us the prior service or buy back with final average compensation being taken out. When the Senate still balked at the cost of the bill, the Governor put pressure on the Appropriations chairman, and the bill was then withdrawn from it’s last committees of reference and sent to the Senate Floor. With the Governor’s support this bill moved quickly and without any problems thru the House of Representatives. When Senate bill 2 got to the House floor the House took up the bill amended the heart bill onto it and sent it over to the Senate for approval and final passage. Senator Rudy Garcia failed to concur in the House amendments and then stripped off the heart bill amendment, and sent the bill back to the House of Representatives. The House of Representatives extended session late into the night and passed the amended bill onto the Governor.

Senate Bill 670 by Brown-Waite Relating to FRS/Special Risk/Disability Benefits

House Bill by Heather Fiorentino Relating to FRS/Special Risk/Disability Benefits

The Governmental Oversight committee failed to agenda our bill in the Senate and it was never heard.

Senator Rudy Garcia is the Chairman of the Governmental Oversight

This bill did move in the House of Representatives but stalled in the Appropriations committee due to the fiscal impact.(23 million dollars)

This bill would have extended the disability increase to those officers who have already been forced to retire due to injury in the line of duty.

Senate Bill 868 by Webster Relating to Law Enforcement/Disability-Heart Bill
Senate Bill 848 by Burt Relating to County Law Enforcement/Disability- Heart Bill
House Bill 249 by Kilmer Relating to Law Enforcement/Disability-Heart Bill
House Bill 649 by Bilirakis Relating to County Law Enforcement/Disability-Heart Bill

With so many Heart Bills filed The House of Representatives combined them all and passed them out of committee, and for the first time the Heart bill passed a chamber. The House not only passed the bill out, but when Senator Tom Lee, the rules chairman in the senate failed to place the bill on special order calendar the House amended it on to three different bills and passed it over to the Senate. In the Senate , the rules chairman failed to allow the bill up on the Senate Floor and Senator Rudy Garcia failed to concur in all the amendments from the House. We came closer than the we ever have before and almost got this great bill. The House of Representatives was very good to us this year, and all the law enforcement officers should thank Speaker Feeney for his strong support of law enforcement.

Senate Bill 762 by Bronson Relating to Defamation/False/Law Enforcement
House Bill 753 by Meadows Relating to Defamation/False/Law Enforcement

As everyone knows this bill has always had some constitutionality issues, and we did get the language so that it is constitutional , but there were some legal questions as to the fact that it might actually cause the bar to be raised higher by requiring everyone to meet the standards of intentional malice. In order to make this bill constitutionally sound we would have had to have language that made it effective across the board, and it would have caused all non-constitutional officers to meet the stricter guidelines. We made a judgement decision to not proceed any further. This issue and several others will more than likely be resolved by the supreme court , who are hearing arguments on whether deputies are public employees.

** We replaced this bill with :

House Bill 1055 by Needelman Relating to WorkerComp/Law Enforcement
Senate Bill 770 by Crist Relating to WorkerComp/Law Enforcement

This bill has workers compensation cover law enforcement officers that are going to or from work either in a marked or unmarked car. This is related to the requirement or policy in departments that officers are considered on duty 24 hours a day and are expected and required to take reasonable affirmative action.

Senate Bill 1040 by Saunders Relating to Laser Lighting Devices
House Bill 1169 by McGriff Relating to Laser Lighting Devices

A special thanks to Representative Brummer who held a special committee meeting to hear this bill, and another special thanks to Representative Dudley Goodlette( Rules Chairman),for removing the bill from all other committees of reference and placing it on the House Calendar. Unfortunately, Senate Chairman , Alex Villalobos failed to agenda this bill or to waive it onto the next committee, thereby killing the bill.

This bill was at the request of the Jacksonville lodges and there needs have been taken care of by a local city ordinance.

** This bill was replaced by :

Senate Bill 338 by Campbell Bryant Peney Act
House Bill 375 by Seiler Bryant Peney Act

This bill makes it a capitol felony to kill someone, while in the act of resisting arrest with violence to a law enforcement officer. This bill will pass into law on June 15th, 2001 , unless the Governor vetoes or signs it into law before.