Senate Bill sb1950
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
Florida Senate - 2006 SB 1950
By Senator Rich
34-1351-06 See CS/HB 563
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to juvenile animal cruelty;
3 providing legislative findings; providing
4 definitions; creating a task force on juvenile
5 cruelty to animals; providing powers and
6 duties; requiring the task force to consider
7 specified issues and make recommendations;
8 providing membership; requiring a report;
9 providing for administrative support and travel
10 reimbursement; providing for dissolution of the
11 task force; providing an effective date.
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13 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
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15 Section 1. Task force on juvenile cruelty to
16 animals.--
17 (1) The Legislature recognizes that multiple research
18 studies have found statistically significant correlations
19 between acts of animal cruelty by juveniles and violent
20 behavior against persons and that a literature review
21 conducted by the federal Office of Juvenile Justice
22 Delinquency Prevention found that juvenile animal cruelty may
23 be characteristic of the developmental histories of 25 to 60
24 percent of violent adult offenders. The Legislature further
25 recognizes that it is critical for the rehabilitation of
26 juvenile animal cruelty offenders and for the protection of
27 society that the Legislature establish a policy requiring the
28 Department of Juvenile Justice to assess the specific
29 rehabilitation needs of juvenile animal cruelty offenders and
30 to provide programs that will treat these offenders and halt
31 further antisocial conduct.
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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
Florida Senate - 2006 SB 1950
34-1351-06 See CS/HB 563
1 (2) For purposes of this section, the term:
2 (a) "Department" means the Department of Juvenile
3 Justice.
4 (b) "Juvenile animal cruelty offender" means a
5 juvenile referred to the department who has violated s.
6 828.12, Florida Statutes, or who otherwise has a history of
7 engaging in one or more acts of animal cruelty.
8 (3) There is created a task force to review and
9 evaluate the state's laws that define and address animal
10 cruelty and the department's practices for treating and
11 rehabilitating juvenile animal cruelty offenders. The task
12 force shall make findings that include, but are not limited
13 to:
14 (a) Identification of statutes that address animal
15 cruelty.
16 (b) Compilation of statistics regarding the number of
17 juveniles in this state who have been found, between July 1,
18 2001, and June 30, 2006, to have committed an act of animal
19 cruelty in violation of s. 828.12, Florida Statutes, and
20 identification of the disposition imposed in each of those
21 cases.
22 (c) A profile of the delinquency and criminal
23 histories of the juveniles involved in the cases identified in
24 paragraph (b) before and after commission of the act of animal
25 cruelty.
26 (d) A summary of the department's methods for
27 identifying juvenile animal cruelty offenders who are referred
28 to the department for a delinquent act other than a violation
29 of s. 828.12, Florida Statutes.
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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
Florida Senate - 2006 SB 1950
34-1351-06 See CS/HB 563
1 (e) Identification of the department's practices,
2 procedures, and programs for the treatment and rehabilitation
3 of juvenile animal cruelty offenders.
4 (f) A summary of research regarding juvenile animal
5 cruelty offenders and of any recommendations contained therein
6 for the treatment and rehabilitation of these offenders.
7 (g) Identification of best and evidence-based
8 practices and model programs used in other jurisdictions for
9 the treatment and rehabilitation of juvenile animal cruelty
10 offenders.
11 (4) Based on its findings, the task force shall make
12 recommendations for the improvement of the state's policies
13 and laws that address juvenile animal cruelty. Such
14 recommendations shall specifically include, but are not
15 limited to, identification of methods to assess the needs of
16 juvenile animal cruelty offenders, treatment programs that
17 will best rehabilitate juvenile animal cruelty offenders,
18 service delivery mechanisms to ensure that recommended
19 treatment programs are available statewide, and any funding
20 needs above existing resources to ensure adequate availability
21 of recommended treatment programs.
22 (5) On or before August 1, 2006, the secretary of the
23 department shall appoint up to 12 members to the task force.
24 The task force membership shall include, but is not limited
25 to: three persons who collectively have experience with the
26 conduct of juvenile animal cruelty research and with the
27 treatment and rehabilitation of juvenile animal cruelty
28 offenders; two department employees who collectively are
29 responsible for research and planning and delinquency
30 prevention and treatment programming; and two representatives
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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
Florida Senate - 2006 SB 1950
34-1351-06 See CS/HB 563
1 of providers of juvenile delinquency prevention, treatment,
2 and rehabilitation services.
3 (6) The task force shall submit a written report of
4 its findings and recommendations to the Governor, the
5 President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of
6 Representatives by January 1, 2007.
7 (7) Administrative support for the task force shall be
8 provided by the department. Members of the task force shall
9 serve without compensation, but are entitled to reimbursement
10 under s. 112.061, Florida Statutes, for travel and per diem
11 expenses incurred in the performance of their official duties.
12 The task force shall strive to minimize travel and per diem
13 expenses by performing, when practicable, its duties in the
14 location where the majority of task force members reside.
15 (8) The task force shall be dissolved upon submission
16 of its report.
17 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2006.
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