| 1 | Representative(s) Simmons offered the following: |
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| 3 | Amendment (with title amendment) |
| 4 | Between lines 2020 and 2021, insert: |
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| 6 | Section 32. Subsection (3) of section 44.103, Florida |
| 7 | Statutes, is amended to read: |
| 8 | 44.103 Court-ordered, nonbinding arbitration.-- |
| 9 | (3) Arbitrators shall be selected and compensated in |
| 10 | accordance with rules adopted by the Supreme Court. Arbitrators |
| 11 | shall be compensated by the parties, or, upon a finding by the |
| 12 | court that a party is indigent, an arbitrator may be partially |
| 13 | or fully compensated from state funds according to the party's |
| 14 | present ability to pay. At no time may an arbitrator charge more |
| 15 | than $1,500 per diem, unless the parties agree otherwise. Prior |
| 16 | to approving the use of state funds to reimburse an arbitrator, |
| 17 | the court must ensure that the party reimburses the portion of |
| 18 | the total cost that the party is immediately able to pay and |
| 19 | that the party has agreed to a payment plan established by the |
| 20 | clerk of the court that will fully reimburse the state for the |
| 21 | balance of all state costs for both the arbitrator and any costs |
| 22 | of administering the payment plan and any collection efforts |
| 23 | that may be necessary in the future. Whenever possible, |
| 24 | qualified individuals who have volunteered their time to serve |
| 25 | as arbitrators shall be appointed. If an arbitration program is |
| 26 | funded pursuant to s. 44.108, volunteer arbitrators shall be |
| 27 | entitled to be reimbursed pursuant to s. 112.061 for all actual |
| 28 | expenses necessitated by service as an arbitrator. |
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| 31 | ================ T I T L E A M E N D M E N T ============= |
| 32 | Remove line 191 and insert: |
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| 34 | compensated by the county or parties; amending s. 44.103, F.S.; |
| 35 | limiting the amount of per diem expenses an arbitrator may |
| 36 | charge; amending s. 44.108, |