House Bill 3275e1

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                                          HB 3275, First Engrossed



  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to worthless checks; creating

  3         s. 832.09, F.S.; providing for the suspension

  4         of a driver's license with respect to certain

  5         persons against whom a warrant or capias is

  6         issued in a worthless check case; amending s.

  7         322.251, F.S.; providing for notification;

  8         providing for conditions for reinstatement;

  9         providing a fee; directing the Department of

10         Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles and the

11         Department of Law Enforcement to develop and

12         implement a plan; amending s. 322.142, relating

13         to records of the Department of Highway Safety

14         and Motor Vehicles; providing an appropriation;

15         providing an effective date.

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17  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

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19         Section 1.  Section 832.09, Florida Statutes, is

20  created to read:

21         832.09  Suspension of driver license after warrant or

22  capias is issued in worthless check case.--

23         (1)  Any person who is being prosecuted for passing a

24  worthless check in violation of s. 832.05, who fails to appear

25  before the court and against whom a warrant or capias for

26  failure to appear is issued by the court shall have his or her

27  driver's license suspended or revoked pursuant to s. 322.251.

28         (2)  Within 5 working days after the issuance of a

29  warrant or capias for failure to appear the clerk of the court

30  in the county where the warrant or capias is issued, shall

31  notify the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles by


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                                          HB 3275, First Engrossed



  1  the most efficient method available of the action of the

  2  court.

  3         Section 2.  Section 832.10, Florida Statutes, is

  4  created to read:

  5         832.10  Alternative to bad check diversion program;

  6  fees for collection.--

  7         (1)  In lieu of referring a case to the bad check

  8  diversion program, the state attorney may refer the case to a

  9  private debt collector or an independent contractor, for the

10  purpose of diverting from prosecution certain persons accused

11  of a violation of s. 832.04, s. 832.041, s. 832.05, or s.

12  832.06.  The use of such debt collector or independent

13  contractor shall not affect the authority of the state

14  attorney to prosecute any person for any such violation.

15         (2)  Upon receipt of the referral by the state

16  attorney, the private debt collector or independent contractor

17  shall have a period of 90 days during which to collect the

18  face value of the worthless check.  If the full face value of

19  the worthless check is not collected by the private debt

20  collector or independent contractor within this time, the case

21  shall be referred back to the state attorney.

22         (3)  A private debt collector or independent contractor

23  who collects and remits to the payee the full amount of a

24  worthless check under this section shall be entitled to a

25  collection fee not to exceed the service fees authorized under

26  s. 832.05(5) or 5 percent of the face amount of the worthless

27  check, whichever is greater, prior to the debt collector or

28  independent contractor collecting a fee from the drawer of the

29  check.

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                                          HB 3275, First Engrossed



  1         (4)  The debt collector or independent contractor may

  2  compromise the amount to be collected only with the express

  3  consent of the payee of the check.

  4         Section 3.  Subsection (7) is added to section 322.251,

  5  Florida Statutes, to read:

  6         322.251  Notice of cancellation, suspension,

  7  revocation, or disqualification of license.--

  8         (7)(a)  A person whose driving privilege is suspended

  9  or revoked pursuant to s. 832.09 shall be notified, pursuant

10  to this section, and the notification shall direct the person

11  to surrender himself or herself to the sheriff who entered the

12  warrant to satisfy the conditions of the warrant. A person

13  whose driving privilege is suspended or revoked under this

14  subsection shall not have his or her driving privilege

15  reinstated for any reason other than:

16         1.  Full payment of any restitution, court costs, and

17  fees incurred as a result of a warrant or capias being issued

18  pursuant to s. 832.09;

19         2.  The cancellation of the warrant or capias from the

20  Department of Law Enforcement recorded by the entering agency;

21  and

22         3.  The payment of an additional fee of $10 to the

23  Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles to be paid

24  into the Highway Safety Operating Trust Fund; or

25         4.  The department has modified the suspension or

26  revocation of the license pursuant to s. 322.271 restoring the

27  driving privilege solely for business or employment purposes.

28         (b)  The Department of Law Enforcement shall provide

29  electronic access to the department for the purpose of

30  identifying any person who is the subject of an outstanding

31  warrant or capias for passing worthless bank checks.


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                                          HB 3275, First Engrossed



  1         (c)  The Department of Highway Safety and Motor

  2  Vehicles and the Department of Law Enforcement shall develop

  3  and implement a plan to ensure the identification of any

  4  person who is the subject of an outstanding warrant or capias

  5  for passing worthless bank checks and to ensure the

  6  identification of the person's driver's license record.

  7         Section 4.  Subsections (5) and (6) are added to

  8  Section 322.142, Florida Statutes, to read:

  9         Section 322.142  Color photographic or digital imaged

10  licenses.--

11         (5)  Notwithstanding any other provisions of law, the

12  department may sell copies of photographs, electronically

13  stored photographs, or digitized images and other driver's

14  license and state identification card information on file,

15  which are recorded and maintained as required, if such items

16  are to be used solely for the prevention of fraud, including,

17  but not limited to, use in mechanisms intended to prevent the

18  fraudulent use of credit cards, debit cards, or checks, or

19  fraud in other forms of financial transactions.  The use of

20  such photographs, electronically stored photographs, or

21  digitized images obtained pursuant to this subsection is

22  limited to the verification of the identity of the holder of

23  an account, other form of identification, or other similar

24  uses, and may not be used for any other purpose.

25         (6)  Notwithstanding any other provisions of law, the

26  department may sell copies of photographs, electronically

27  stored photographs, or digitized images maintained by the

28  department as required, upon receipt of the following from an

29  applicant:

30         (a)  Proof of the identity of the applicant;

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                                          HB 3275, First Engrossed



  1         (b)  A declaration, in such form as is required by the

  2  department, describing how the applicant will use such

  3  photographs, electronically stored photographs, or digitized

  4  images for the prevention of fraud; and

  5         (c)  Payment of a fee for the photographs,

  6  electronically stored photographs, or digitized images.  The

  7  department shall establish a fee for providing copies of such

  8  photographs, electronically stored photographs, or digitized

  9  images and all fees collected pursuant to this subsection

10  shall be used to defray the costs of the department in

11  providing such copies to an applicant.

12         Section 5.  $35,000 is hereby appropriated from the

13  Highway Safety Operating Trust fund to implement the

14  provisions of this legislation.

15         Section 6.  This act shall take effect July 1 of the

16  year in which enacted.

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