Florida Senate - 2017                              CS for SB 154
       
       
        
       By the Committee on Criminal Justice; and Senators Thurston and
       Garcia
       
       591-01706-17                                           2017154c1
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to autism awareness training for law
    3         enforcement officers; creating s. 943.1727, F.S.;
    4         requiring the Department of Law Enforcement to
    5         establish a continued employment training component
    6         relating to autism spectrum disorder; specifying
    7         instruction to be included in the training component;
    8         providing that completion of the training may count
    9         toward continued employment instruction requirements;
   10         providing an effective date.
   11          
   12  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   13  
   14         Section 1. Section 943.1727, Florida Statutes, is created
   15  to read:
   16         943.1727 Continued employment training relating to autism
   17  spectrum disorder.—The department shall establish a continued
   18  employment training component relating to autism spectrum
   19  disorder as defined in s. 627.6686. The training component shall
   20  include, but need not be limited to, instruction on the
   21  recognition of the symptoms and idiosyncrasies of an individual
   22  on the autism disorder spectrum and appropriate responses to a
   23  person exhibiting such symptoms and idiosyncrasies. Completion
   24  of the training component may count toward the 40 hours of
   25  instruction for continued employment or appointment as a law
   26  enforcement officer required under s. 943.135.
   27         Section 2. This act shall take effect October 1, 2017.