Senate Bill sb1224e1

    CS for SB 1224                           First Engrossed (ntc)



  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to leaving children unattended

  3         or unsupervised in a motor vehicle; amending s.

  4         316.6135, F.S.; revising the elements of the

  5         noncriminal infraction to prohibit leaving a

  6         child younger than a specified age unattended

  7         or unsupervised in a motor vehicle for any

  8         period of time; increasing a penalty and

  9         providing additional penalties; providing an

10         effective date.

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

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14         Section 1.  Subsections (1) and (2) of section

15  316.6135, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:

16         316.6135  Leaving children unattended or unsupervised

17  in motor vehicle; penalty; authority of law enforcement

18  officer.--

19         (1)  A No parent, legal guardian, or other person at

20  least 12 years of age who is responsible for a child younger

21  than 8 6 years of age may not shall leave such child

22  unattended or unsupervised in a motor vehicle for more than a

23  5-minute period of time and, during that period of 5 minutes

24  or less, at least one window of the motor vehicle must be open

25  a period in excess of 15 minutes; however, no such person

26  shall leave a child unattended for any period of time if the

27  motor of the vehicle is running or the health of the child is

28  in danger.

29         (2)  Any person who violates the provisions of

30  subsection (1) commits is guilty of a noncriminal traffic

31  infraction, punishable by a fine of:


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    CS for SB 1224                           First Engrossed (ntc)



 1         (a)  Not more than $200 $100; or

 2         (b)  Not less than $50 and not more than $500 if the

 3  motor of the vehicle was running or the health of the child

 4  was in danger at the time of the violation; or.

 5         (c)  Not less than $500 or more than $1,000 for a

 6  second or subsequent violation if the motor of the vehicle was

 7  running or the health of the child was in danger at the time

 8  of the violation.

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10  This subsection does not preclude prosecution under any other

11  provision of law.

12         Section 2.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2003.

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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.