HB 0057-Relating to Retirement
This bill is sponsored by Representative Attkisson
This bill is entitled the "Officer Malcolm Thompson Act"; provides statement of important state interest; revises provisions relating to benefits payable for total & permanent disability for certain Special Risk Class members of FRS injured in line of duty; deletes provision authorizing employing agency to reemploy retired member as firefighter or paramedic after specified period; provides minimum retirement benefits payable to certain Special Risk Class members injured in line of duty & totally & permanently disabled due to such injury.
This bill has been referred to Government Efficiency & Accountability Council; Policy & Budget Council . This bill has a fiscal impact during a bad budget year , but is the top priority for the bill sponsor. A special note should be made that the sponsor has removed all firefighters from the language of the bill and has included only Law Enforcement Officers. This bill will continue to be a priority, but I think that we need to look at it from a two pronged angle. One allowing people to continue working with their medical and pension intact, and second changing the definition of full disability to that of the medical malpractice standards. One will have no fiscal impact and one will have a small impact.

HB 0061-Relating to Offenses Against Officers
This bill is sponsored by Representative Scionti. This bill provides that resisting with violence law enforcement officer who is engaged in execution of legal duty is not justified regardless of specified later finding by court; provides that person is not justified in using force if law enforcement officer acts in good faith & is known or appears to be law enforcement officer; provides for reclassification of certain offenses against certain officers who are engaged in performance of duties; provides criminal penalties for resisting with or without violence officer who is executing legal duty.
This bill passed ….

HB 0109-Relating to Highway Safety
This bill is sponsored by Representative Ari Porth. This bill creates "Deputy Michael Callin, Michael Haligowski, and Deputy Ryan C. Seguin Memorial Traffic Safety Act" to revise provisions relating to operation of motor vehicle without proper security or driver license or while license or driving privilege is canceled, suspended, revoked, or disqualified; revises penalties & citation disposition procedures; limits number of continuances of hearing; requires court to maintain certain information upon judgment of conviction; revises motor vehicle impoundment provisions & provides for seizure of motor vehicle; imposes fees & requires payment of costs; revises provisions prohibiting providing motor vehicle to person without valid license; revises duties of DHSMV. A portion of the fee will be given to the FOP LEO Memorial. This bill was blocked by Representative Rich Glorioso.

SB 0338-Relating to Officers' Rights in Disciplinary Proceedings
This bill is sponsored by Senator Saunders. This bill provides for imposing a fine not to exceed $10,000 against the person, that person's employing agency, or both for each violation of a law enforcement or correctional officers' rights in disciplinary proceedings, etc. This bill has been referred to Criminal Justice; Governmental Operations; Criminal and Civil Justice Appropriations. This bill was worked on by the Criminal Justice Committee, but FDLE stated that the bill had a huge fiscal impact and would require the hiring of several investigators, and that there was no real set up for implementation.

HB 0389-Relating to Retirement
This bill is sponsored by Representative Precourt. This bill is entitled the "Adam Pierce Act", and provides statement a revised definition of special risk member to include certain members suffering qualifying injury; provides eligibility requirements for membership in Special Risk Class for certain members suffering qualifying injury; provides medical certification requirements; defines "qualifying injury"; prohibits grant or creation of additional rights; provides retroactive effect. This bill did come close and moved thru the process, but when the actuarial came out had a fiscal impact of 8 million dollars per year.

SB 0458-Relating to Pugilistic Matches/Fraternal Order of Police
This bill is sponsored by Senator Wise. This bill exempts amateur matches that are conducted or sponsored by the Fraternal Order of Police and that are held in conjunction with a charitable event from provisions regulating pugilistic contests and exhibitions, etc. This bill passed both the House and the Senate.

HB 0493-Relating to Resolution of Public Employee Collective Bargaining Impasses
This bill is sponsored by Representative Grant. Resolution of Public Employee Collective Bargaining Impasses: Specifies that board of county commissioners is legislative body if public employer is sheriff; delineates sheriff's role in declaring impasse & in impasse proceedings. This bill is referred to Government Efficiency & Accountability Council; Policy & Budget Council.This bill was not heard, since it was discovered that it was going to be decided in court.

 HB 0631-Relating to Amateur Matches
This bill is sponsored by Representative Davis. This bill exempts amateur matches conducted or sponsored by Fraternal Order of Police & held in conjunction with charitable event from provisions regulating pugilistic contests and exhibitions. This bill was referred to Jobs & Entrepreneurship Council and was then assigned to the Committee on Business Regulation by Jobs & Entrepreneurship Council.
This bill passed the legislature.

SB 0654-Relating to Offenses Against Officers/Execution of Legal Duty
This bill is sponsored by Senator Crist. This bill states that a person is not justified in resisting with force a law enforcement officer who is engaged in the execution of a legal duty, regardless of a later finding by a court that the action of the officer was unlawful, if the officer acts in good faith and is known or appears to be a law enforcement officer. Reclassifies certain offenses against specified officers who are engaged in the performance of duties. See the Scionti bill..

HB 0677-Relating to Retirement
This bill is sponsored by Representative Gardiner. This bill redefines term "compensation" to include certain supplementary payments made to firefighters, paramedics, & emergency medical technicians & certain employer-reported retirement contributions; redefines term "average final compensation" with respect to members of Special Risk Class of FRS; authorizes certain employees to purchase additional retirement credit for past service at 3-percent Special Risk Class accrual value; revises provisions relating to benefits payable for total & permanent disability for certain Special Risk Class members who are injured in line of duty; authorizes reemployment of person who retired with in-line-of-duty disability benefits by employers not participating in state-administered retirement system; authorizes reemployment of person who retired with in-line-of-duty disability benefits by employer participating in state-administered retirement system after 1 calendar month; provides for contribution rate increases to fund benefits provided in act; directs Division of Statutory Revision to adjust uniform contribution rates set forth in statute to conform to changes made by act; requires Division of Retirement to request letter ruling from IRS; provides for certain contingent effect; provides legislative findings & declaration of important state interest. This bill had a huge fiscal impact and was not passed.

SB 0798-Relating to Retirement/Special Risk Class
This bill is sponsored by Senator Dean. This bill is entitled the "Adam Pierce Act." The bill revises the definition of "special risk member" effective August 1, 2007, to include firefighters, law enforcement officers, and correctional officers who are already qualified for and are actively participating in special risk membership, have suffered a qualifying injury, and are not receiving disability retirement benefits. This bill will need to be amended to remove the limitations on time line to include all future leo officers, but basically this bill is the once special risk always special risk bill. The Orange County Sheriffs office worked with us on this legislation, and this bill was blocked only after we moved it thru several committees. Once the actuarial came out, it was stated that this bill would have an 8 million dollars impact.

HB 0873-Relating to Retiree Health Insurance Subsidy
This bill is sponsored by Representative Soto. This bill increases minimum & maximum health insurance subsidies, and provides for a cost-of-living adjustment to subsidy. The bill increases contribution paid by employers of members in state-administered retirement plans. This bill is referred to Government Efficiency & Accountability Council; Referred to Policy & Budget Council. Due to the large fiscal impact this bill was not heard this session.

HB 0901-Relating to Law Enforcement Officers and Correctional Officers
This bill is sponsored by Representative Luis Garcia. This bill provides for sanctions for violation of officers' rights in disciplinary proceedings.
See senate bill.

SB 1024-Relating to Retirement/Officer Malcolm Thompson Act
This bill is sponsored by Senator Oelrich. This bill changes the benefits payable for total and permanent disability for certain Special Risk Class members of FRS who are injured in the line of duty. Deletes a provision authorizing an employing agency to reemploy a retired member as a firefighter or paramedic after a specified period. Provides minimum retirement benefits payable to certain Special Risk Class members who are injured and are totally and permanently disabled due to such injury. This bill is referred to Community Affairs; Criminal Justice; Governmental Operations; General Government Appropriations. This bill has a fiscal impact and therefore was not heard during this budget deficit year.

SB 1030-Relating to Highway Safety
This bill is sponsored by Senator Gaetz. This bill is named the "Deputy Michael Callin, Michael Haligowski, and Deputy Ryan C. Seguin Memorial Traffic Safety Act" to revise provisions relating to the operation of a motor vehicle without proper personal injury protection security or a driver license or while license or driving privilege is canceled, suspended, revoked, or disqualified. Limits the number of continuances of a hearing to no more than three times, etc. . This bill calls for a portion  of the impound fee on vehicles go to the law enforcement memorial. This bill is referred to Transportation; Criminal Justice; Judiciary; Transportation and Economic Development Appropriations. Though we had movement on this legislation in the Senate, it was blocked by Representative Glorioso in the House.

SB 1032-Relating to Retiree Health Insurance Subsidy/FRS
This bill is sponsored by Senator Lawson Jr. This bill increases the minimum and maximum health insurance subsidies for each eligible retiree of the defined benefit program or the Public Employee Optional Retirement Program of the Florida Retirement System beginning January 1, 2009. Provides a cost-of-living adjustment beginning January 1, 2010, and increases the contribution paid by employers, to 1.75 percent of member's or participant's gross compensation each pay period, etc. This bill has been referred to Community Affairs; Governmental Operations; Education Pre-K - 12 Appropriations; General Government Appropriations. This bill had a large fiscal impact and we had a deficit budget, with no money we were unsuccessful this year.

SB 1306-Relating to Collective Bargaining Impasse/Sheriff's Office
This bill is sponsored by Senator Saunders
This bill specifies that for resolution of a collective bargaining impasse, if the public employer is the sheriff, the board of county commissioners of the county served by the sheriff shall be deemed to be the legislative body with respect to all employees of the sheriff. Provides that if the sheriff is the public employer, the sheriff shall not preside over any stage of the impasse proceedings, etc. This bill is a clarification of present law, not new law. I have received reports from a few of the lodges saying that the Sheriff has told his deputies that we are making the County Commission in control. I will repeat this is current law, the only new language for this bill is the inability of the Sheriff to control the impasse. The bill has been referred to Community Affairs; Governmental Operations; Criminal and Civil Justice Appropriations Once the legislators realized that a ULP had been filed regarding this issue, and that the issue would be decided in the courts they used that as an excuse to not hear the issue.