Senate Bill sb1254

    Florida Senate - 2003                                  SB 1254

    By Senator Aronberg





    27-369A-03

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to school employees; requiring

  3         the Department of Law Enforcement to annually

  4         check its current criminal database to

  5         determine whether information about certain

  6         school employees appears thereon; providing

  7         procedures; providing responsibilities of the

  8         Department of Education; prohibiting fees;

  9         providing for notification of school districts;

10         allocating responsibility for investigating

11         information obtained through the background

12         checks; providing for future repeal unless

13         reviewed and reenacted by the Legislature;

14         providing an effective date.

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

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18         Section 1.  Annual background check of current school

19  employees; procedures; waiver of costs; local responsibility

20  for investigating.--

21         (1)  The Department of Law Enforcement shall annually

22  check its current criminal database for the name, date of

23  birth, and social security number of all current school

24  employees in this state other than the recently hired

25  employees who have been the subject of individual background

26  checks performed under section 1012.56, Florida Statutes,

27  during the preceding 12 months. The Department of Education

28  shall provide to the Department of Law Enforcement a list of

29  such current school employees. The background check required

30  under this section must consist of one massive database query

31  conducted once a year for all current employees, not a check

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






    Florida Senate - 2003                                  SB 1254
    27-369A-03




  1  of each name, one name at a time, nor an annual fingerprint

  2  check.

  3         (2)  The Department of Law Enforcement may not charge a

  4  fee for a background check performed under subsection (1).

  5         (3)  The Department of Law Enforcement must promptly

  6  inform the Department of Education if a current school

  7  employee's name is found in the criminal database. The

  8  Department of Education shall convey that information to the

  9  school district that employs the individual whose name appears

10  in the database, so that the school district may take

11  appropriate action. Neither the Department of Law Enforcement

12  nor the Department of Education has the responsibility to

13  investigate any matches that are found under subsection (1).

14         (4)  This section is repealed effective July 1, 2008,

15  unless reviewed and reenacted by the Legislature before that

16  date.

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

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20                          SENATE SUMMARY

21    Requires the Department of Law Enforcement to check its
      current criminal database annually for the name, date of
22    birth, and social security number of current school
      employees other than certain recently hired employees.
23    Provides responsibilities of the Department of Education.
      Prohibits the Department of Law Enforcement from charging
24    a fee for this background check. Provides for notifying a
      school district if any of its employees is found to be
25    listed on the criminal database. Provides that the school
      district, rather than either department, is responsible
26    for any followup investigation. Provides for future
      repeal unless reviewed and reenacted by the Legislature.
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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.