Florida Senate - 2016                        COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
       Bill No. CS for SB 232
       
       
       
       
       
       
                                Ì125352ÅÎ125352                         
       
                              LEGISLATIVE ACTION                        
                    Senate             .             House              
                  Comm: RCS            .                                
                  12/01/2015           .                                
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       The Committee on Judiciary (Simmons) recommended the following:
       
    1         Senate Amendment (with title amendment)
    2  
    3         Between lines 431 and 432
    4  insert:
    5         Section 12. Section 744.20041, Florida Statutes, is created
    6  to read:
    7         744.20041 Grounds for discipline; penalties; enforcement.—
    8         (1) The following acts by a professional guardian shall
    9  constitute grounds for which the disciplinary actions specified
   10  in subsection (2) may be taken:
   11         (a) Making misleading, deceptive, or fraudulent
   12  representations in or related to the practice of guardianship.
   13         (b) Violating any rule governing guardians or guardianships
   14  adopted by the Office of Public and Professional Guardians.
   15         (c) Being convicted or found guilty of, or entering a plea
   16  of guilty or nolo contendere to, regardless of adjudication, a
   17  crime in any jurisdiction which relates to the practice of or
   18  the ability to practice as a professional guardian.
   19         (d) Failing to comply with the educational course
   20  requirements contained in s. 744.2003.
   21         (e) Having a registration, a license, or the authority to
   22  practice a regulated profession revoked, suspended, or otherwise
   23  acted against, including the denial of registration or
   24  licensure, by the registering or licensing authority of any
   25  jurisdiction, including its agencies or subdivisions, for a
   26  violation under Florida law. The registering or licensing
   27  authority’s acceptance of a relinquishment of registration or
   28  licensure, stipulation, consent order, or other settlement
   29  offered in response to or in anticipation of the filing of
   30  charges against the registration or license shall be construed
   31  as an action against the registration or license.
   32         (f) Knowingly filing a false report or complaint with the
   33  Office of Public and Professional Guardians against another
   34  guardian.
   35         (g) Attempting to obtain, obtaining, or renewing a
   36  registration or license to practice a profession by bribery, by
   37  fraudulent misrepresentation, or as a result of an error by the
   38  Office of Public and Professional Guardians which is known and
   39  not disclosed to the Office of Public and Professional
   40  Guardians.
   41         (h) Failing to report to the Office of Public and
   42  Professional Guardians any person who the professional guardian
   43  knows is in violation of this chapter or the rules of the Office
   44  of Public and Professional Guardians.
   45         (i) Failing to perform any statutory or legal obligation
   46  placed upon a professional guardian.
   47         (j) Making or filing a report or record that the
   48  professional guardian knows to be false, intentionally or
   49  negligently failing to file a report or record required by state
   50  or federal law, or willfully impeding or obstructing another
   51  person’s attempt to do so. Such reports or records shall include
   52  only those that are signed in the guardian’s capacity as a
   53  professional guardian.
   54         (k) Using the position of guardian for the purpose of
   55  financial gain by a professional guardian or a third party,
   56  other than the funds awarded to the professional guardian by the
   57  court pursuant to s. 744.108.
   58         (l) Violating a lawful order of the Office of Public and
   59  Professional Guardians or failing to comply with a lawfully
   60  issued subpoena of the Office of Public and Professional
   61  Guardians.
   62         (m) Improperly interfering with an investigation or
   63  inspection authorized by statute or rule or with any
   64  disciplinary proceeding.
   65         (n) Using the guardian relationship to engage or attempt to
   66  engage the ward, or an immediate family member or a
   67  representative of the ward, in verbal, written, electronic, or
   68  physical sexual activity.
   69         (o) Failing to report to the Office of Public and
   70  Professional Guardians in writing within 30 days after being
   71  convicted or found guilty of, or entered a plea of nolo
   72  contendere to, regardless of adjudication, a crime in any
   73  jurisdiction.
   74         (p) Being unable to perform the functions of a professional
   75  guardian with reasonable skill by reason of illness or use of
   76  alcohol, drugs, narcotics, chemicals, or any other type of
   77  substance or as a result of any mental or physical condition.
   78         (q) Failing to post and maintain a blanket fiduciary bond
   79  pursuant to s. 744.1085.
   80         (r) Failing to maintain all records pertaining to a
   81  guardianship for a reasonable time after the court has closed
   82  the guardianship matter.
   83         (s) Violating any provision of this chapter or any rule
   84  adopted pursuant thereto.
   85         (2) When the Office of Public and Professional Guardians
   86  finds a professional guardian guilty of violating subsection
   87  (1), it may enter an order imposing one or more of the following
   88  penalties:
   89         (a) Refusal to register an applicant as a professional
   90  guardian.
   91         (b) Suspension or permanent revocation of a professional
   92  guardian’s registration.
   93         (c) Issuance of a reprimand or letter of concern.
   94         (d) Requirement that the professional guardian undergo
   95  treatment, attend continuing education courses, submit to
   96  reexamination, or satisfy any terms that are reasonably tailored
   97  to the violations found.
   98         (e) Requirement that the professional guardian pay
   99  restitution of any funds obtained, disbursed, or obtained
  100  through a violation of any statute, rule, or other legal
  101  authority to a ward or the ward’s estate, if applicable.
  102         (f) Requirement that the professional guardian undergo
  103  remedial education.
  104         (3) In determining what action is appropriate, the Office
  105  of Public and Professional Guardians must first consider what
  106  sanctions are necessary to safeguard wards and to protect the
  107  public. Only after those sanctions have been imposed may the
  108  Office of Public and Professional Guardians consider and include
  109  in the order requirements designed to mitigate the circumstances
  110  and rehabilitate the professional guardian.
  111         (4) The Office of Public and Professional Guardians shall
  112  adopt by rule and periodically review the disciplinary
  113  guidelines applicable to each ground for disciplinary action
  114  that may be imposed by the Office of Public and Professional
  115  Guardians pursuant to this chapter.
  116         (5) It is the intent of the Legislature that the
  117  disciplinary guidelines specify a meaningful range of designated
  118  penalties based upon the severity and repetition of specific
  119  offenses and that minor violations be distinguished from those
  120  which endanger the health, safety, or welfare of a ward or the
  121  public; that such guidelines provide reasonable and meaningful
  122  notice to the public of likely penalties that may be imposed for
  123  proscribed conduct; and that such penalties be consistently
  124  applied by the Office of Public and Professional Guardians.
  125         (6) The Office of Public and Professional shall by rule
  126  designate possible mitigating and aggravating circumstances and
  127  the variation and range of penalties permitted for such
  128  circumstances.
  129         (a) An administrative law judge, in recommending penalties
  130  in any recommended order, must follow the disciplinary
  131  guidelines established by the Office of Public and Professional
  132  Guardians and must state in writing any mitigating or
  133  aggravating circumstance upon which a recommended penalty is
  134  based if such circumstance causes the administrative law judge
  135  to recommend a penalty other than that provided in the
  136  disciplinary guidelines.
  137         (b) The Office of Public and Professional Guardians may
  138  impose a penalty other than those provided for in the
  139  disciplinary guidelines upon a specific finding in the final
  140  order of mitigating or aggravating circumstances.
  141         (7) In addition to, or in lieu of, any other remedy or
  142  criminal prosecution, the Office of Public and Professional
  143  Guardians may file a proceeding in the name of the state seeking
  144  issuance of an injunction or a writ of mandamus against any
  145  person who violates any provision of this chapter or any
  146  provision of law with respect to professional guardians or the
  147  rules adopted pursuant thereto.
  148         (8) Notwithstanding chapter 120, if the Office of Public
  149  and Professional Guardians determines that revocation of a
  150  professional guardian’s registration is the appropriate penalty,
  151  the revocation is permanent.
  152         (9) If the Office of Public and Professional Guardians
  153  makes a final determination to suspend or revoke the
  154  professional guardian’s registration, the office must provide
  155  the determination to the court of competent jurisdiction for any
  156  guardianship case to which the professional guardian is
  157  currently appointed.
  158         (10) The purpose of this section is to facilitate uniform
  159  discipline for those actions made punishable under this section
  160  and, to this end, a reference to this section constitutes a
  161  general reference under the doctrine of incorporation by
  162  reference.
  163         (11) The Office of Public and Professional Guardians shall
  164  adopt rules to administer this section.
  165  
  166  ================= T I T L E  A M E N D M E N T ================
  167  And the title is amended as follows:
  168         Delete line 45
  169  and insert:
  170         Elderly Affairs to adopt rules; creating s. 744.20041,
  171         F.S.; specifying the acts by a professional guardian
  172         that constitute grounds for the Office of Public and
  173         Professional Guardians to take specified disciplinary
  174         actions; specifying penalties that the Office of
  175         Public and Professional Guardians may impose;
  176         requiring the Office of Public and Professional
  177         Guardians to consider sanctions necessary to safeguard
  178         wards and to protect the public; requiring the Office
  179         of Public and Professional Guardians to adopt by rule
  180         and periodically review disciplinary guidelines;
  181         providing legislative intent for the disciplinary
  182         guidelines; requiring the Office of Public and
  183         Professional Guardians to designate by rule possible
  184         mitigating and aggravating circumstances and the
  185         variation and range of penalties; requiring an
  186         administrative law judge to follow the Office of
  187         Public and Professional Guardians’ disciplinary
  188         guidelines when recommending penalties; requiring the
  189         administrative law judge to provide written mitigating
  190         or aggravating circumstances under certain
  191         circumstances; authorizing the Office of Public and
  192         Professional Guardians to impose a penalty other than
  193         those in the disciplinary guidelines under certain
  194         circumstances; authorizing the Office of Public and
  195         Professional Guardians to seek an injunction or a writ
  196         of mandamus for specified violations; providing for
  197         permanent revocation of a professional guardian’s
  198         registration by the Office of Public and Professional
  199         Guardians under certain circumstances; requiring the
  200         Office of Public and Professional Guardians to notify
  201         a court of the determination to suspend or revoke the
  202         professional guardian’s registration under certain
  203         circumstances; providing that cross-references are
  204         considered a general reference for the purpose of
  205         incorporation by reference; requiring the Office of
  206         Public and Professional Guardians to adopt rules;
  207         renumbering and