| 1 | Representative Planas offered the following: |
| 2 |
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| 3 | Amendment to Amendment (159621) (with title amendment) |
| 4 | Between lines 4 and 5 insert: |
| 5 |
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| 6 | Section 1. Paragraph (j) is added to subsection (1) of |
| 7 | section 985.02, Florida Statutes, to read: |
| 8 | 985.02 Legislative intent for the juvenile justice |
| 9 | system.-- |
| 10 | (1) GENERAL PROTECTIONS FOR CHILDREN.--It is a purpose of |
| 11 | the Legislature that the children of this state be provided with |
| 12 | the following protections: |
| 13 | (j) A fully integrated, comprehensive approach to handling |
| 14 | all cases that involve children and families and a resolution of |
| 15 | family disputes in a fair, timely, efficient, and cost-effective |
| 16 | manner. It is the intent of the Legislature that the courts of |
| 17 | this state embrace methods of resolving disputes that do not |
| 18 | cause additional emotional harm to the children and families who |
| 19 | are required to interact with the judicial system. It is the |
| 20 | intent of the Legislature to support the development of a |
| 21 | unified family court and to support the state courts system's |
| 22 | efforts to improve the resolution of disputes involving children |
| 23 | and families through a fully integrated, comprehensive approach |
| 24 | that includes coordinated case management; the concept of "one |
| 25 | family, one judge"; collaboration with the community for |
| 26 | referral to needed services; and methods of alternative dispute |
| 27 | resolution. The Legislature supports the goal that the legal |
| 28 | system should focus on the needs of children who are involved in |
| 29 | the litigation, refer families to resources that will make |
| 30 | families' relationships stronger, coordinate families' cases to |
| 31 | provide consistent results, and strive to leave families in |
| 32 | better condition than when the families entered the system. |
| 33 |
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| 34 | ======== T I T L E A M E N D M E N T ======== |
| 35 | Remove line 857 and insert: |
| 36 | An act relating to juvenile justice; amending s. |
| 37 | 985.02, F.S.; providing additional purposes relating |
| 38 | to implementing a unified family court program in the |
| 39 | circuit courts; providing legislative intent; amending |
| 40 | s. 985.207, |