Senate Bill 1478

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    Florida Senate - 1999                                  SB 1478

    By Senator Mitchell





    4-1254A-99

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to Crime Stoppers trust funds;

  3         creating s. 932.80, F.S.; requiring each board

  4         of county commissioners to create a Crime

  5         Stoppers trust fund; specifying the purposes

  6         for which moneys in the trust funds may be

  7         expended; providing for distributing moneys in

  8         a trust fund to the sheriff or other entity

  9         that operates a Crime Stoppers program within

10         the county; providing for the board of county

11         commissioners to expend funds in the trust fund

12         if such program is not operated within the

13         county; requiring that a Crime Stoppers program

14         provide certain services; amending s. 938.06,

15         F.S.; providing for the surcharge assessed as

16         an additional court cost in criminal cases to

17         be deposited into the Crime Stoppers trust fund

18         within the county; repealing s. 16.555, F.S.,

19         relating to the Crime Stoppers Trust Fund

20         within the Department of Legal Affairs;

21         providing a contingent effective date.

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

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25         Section 1.  Section 932.80, Florida Statutes, is

26  created to read:

27         932.80  Crime Stoppers trust funds.--

28         (1)  Each board of county commissioners shall create a

29  Crime Stoppers trust fund to receive funds collected and

30  remitted to the clerk of the court under s. 938.06. Moneys

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    Florida Senate - 1999                                  SB 1478
    4-1254A-99




  1  deposited into the Crime Stoppers trust funds, and interest

  2  accruing to the trust funds, may only be expended for:

  3         (a)  Rewards for information leading to the arrest and

  4  prosecution of persons who have committed, or who are

  5  committing, crimes;

  6         (b)  Community notification of the presence of sexual

  7  predators, sexual offenders, or violent offenders;

  8         (c)  Crime prevention;

  9         (d)  Safe Neighborhood programs;

10         (e)  Administrative costs of Crime Stoppers programs

11  that receive funds under subsection (2) or subsection (3); and

12         (f)  Training the public in methods of crime prevention

13  and the principles of personal safety, especially for persons

14  who live in, work at, or frequent locations that have high

15  rates of crime.

16         (2)  In any county in which a Crime Stoppers program is

17  operated by the sheriff or person in charge of the county law

18  enforcement agency, all funds in the Crime Stoppers trust fund

19  shall be distributed to the sheriff or person in charge of the

20  county law enforcement agency for the purpose of funding the

21  Crime Stoppers program in conformance with subsection (1).

22         (3)  In any county in which a Crime Stoppers program is

23  operated pursuant to the approval of the sheriff or person in

24  charge of the county law enforcement agency and in

25  consultation with the chief of police of municipalities within

26  the county, all funds in the Crime Stoppers trust fund shall

27  be distributed to the Crime Stoppers program in conformance

28  with subsection (1).

29         (4)  If a Crime Stoppers program is not operated within

30  a county, the board of county commissioners may expend funds

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    Florida Senate - 1999                                  SB 1478
    4-1254A-99




  1  in the Crime Stoppers trust fund in conformance with

  2  subsection (1).

  3         (5)  A Crime Stoppers program described under

  4  subsection (2) or subsection (3) may not receive funds under

  5  this section unless the program provides Crime Stoppers

  6  services, including, but not limited to, receiving information

  7  regarding crimes and providing rewards for such information on

  8  behalf of the sheriff's office and all municipal police

  9  agencies in the county.

10         Section 2.  Section 938.06, Florida Statutes, 1998

11  Supplement, is amended to read:

12         938.06  Additional cost for crime stoppers programs.--

13         (1)  In addition to any fine prescribed by law for any

14  criminal offense, there is hereby assessed as a court cost an

15  additional surcharge of $20 on such fine, which shall be

16  imposed by all county and circuit courts and collected by the

17  clerks of the courts together with such fine. No political

18  subdivision shall be held liable for payment of costs under

19  this section.

20         (2)  The clerk of the court shall collect and forward,

21  on a monthly basis, all costs assessed under this section,

22  less $3 per assessment as a service charge to be retained by

23  the clerk, to the Department of Legal Affairs for deposit in

24  the Crime Stoppers trust fund established by the board of

25  county commissioners, to be used as provided in s. 932.80 s.

26  16.555.

27         Section 3.  Section 16.555, Florida Statutes, as

28  amended by section 2 of chapter 98-319, Laws of Florida, is

29  repealed.

30         Section 4.  This act shall take effect July 1, 1999,

31  but it shall take effect only if it is enacted by a

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    Florida Senate - 1999                                  SB 1478
    4-1254A-99




  1  three-fifths vote of the membership of each house of the

  2  Legislature.

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  5                          SENATE SUMMARY

  6    Abolishes the Crime Stoppers Trust Fund within the
      Department of Legal Affairs and requires each board of
  7    county commissioners to create a Crime Stoppers trust
      fund within the county. Provides moneys in a trust fund
  8    to be distributed to the sheriff or other entity that
      operates a Crime Stoppers program within the county.
  9    Authorizes the board of county commissioners to expend
      moneys in the trust fund if a Crime Stoppers program is
10    not operated within the county.

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