| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to the Special Risk Class of the Florida |
| 3 | Retirement System; amending s. 121.0515, F.S.; revising |
| 4 | special risk membership criteria to include certain |
| 5 | emergency dispatchers employed by a county, municipality, |
| 6 | or district law enforcement or fire services agency; |
| 7 | providing a finding of important state interest; providing |
| 8 | an effective date. |
| 9 |
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| 10 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 11 |
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| 12 | Section 1. Paragraphs (g) and (h) of subsection (2) of |
| 13 | section 121.0515, Florida Statutes, are amended, and paragraph |
| 14 | (i) is added to that subsection, to read: |
| 15 | 121.0515 Special risk membership.-- |
| 16 | (2) CRITERIA.--A member, to be designated as a special |
| 17 | risk member, must meet the following criteria: |
| 18 | (g) The member must be employed as a youth custody officer |
| 19 | and be certified, or required to be certified, in compliance |
| 20 | with s. 943.1395. In addition, the member's primary duties and |
| 21 | responsibilities must be the supervised custody, surveillance, |
| 22 | control, investigation, apprehension, arrest, and counseling of |
| 23 | assigned juveniles within the community; or |
| 24 | (h) The member must be employed by a law enforcement |
| 25 | agency or medical examiner's office in a forensic discipline |
| 26 | recognized by the International Association for Identification |
| 27 | and must qualify for active membership in the International |
| 28 | Association for Identification. The member's primary duties and |
| 29 | responsibilities must include the collection, examination, |
| 30 | preservation, documentation, preparation, or analysis of |
| 31 | physical evidence or testimony, or both, or the member must be |
| 32 | the direct supervisor, quality management supervisor, or command |
| 33 | officer of one or more individuals with such responsibility. |
| 34 | Administrative support personnel, including, but not limited to, |
| 35 | those whose primary responsibilities are clerical or in |
| 36 | accounting, purchasing, legal, and personnel, shall not be |
| 37 | included; or |
| 38 | (i) The member must be employed by a county, municipality, |
| 39 | or district law enforcement or fire services agency as an |
| 40 | emergency dispatcher. The member's primary duties and |
| 41 | responsibilities must include reception of emergency calls for |
| 42 | service; coordination of the direction and placement of field |
| 43 | units to strategic locations for critical incidents; |
| 44 | prioritization of calls for service; selection of assignments |
| 45 | and dispatch of emergency and nonemergency calls via radio |
| 46 | communication technology to county, municipal, intercounty, and |
| 47 | federal personnel using the assigned talk groups; monitoring of |
| 48 | the safety status of all field units; and coordination of the |
| 49 | movements of multiple emergency units engaged in pursuit tactics |
| 50 | or responding to life or death situations, or the member must be |
| 51 | the direct supervisor or command officer of one or more |
| 52 | individuals with such responsibilities. |
| 53 | Section 2. The Legislature finds that a proper and |
| 54 | legitimate state purpose is served when employees and retirees |
| 55 | of the state and its political subdivisions, and the dependents, |
| 56 | survivors, and beneficiaries of such employees and retirees, are |
| 57 | extended the basic protections afforded by governmental |
| 58 | retirement systems. These persons must be provided benefits that |
| 59 | are fair and adequate and that are managed, administered, and |
| 60 | funded in a sound actuarial manner as required by s. 14, Art. X |
| 61 | of the State Constitution and part VII of chapter 112, Florida |
| 62 | Statutes. Therefore, the Legislature determines and declares |
| 63 | that this act fulfills an important state interest. |
| 64 | Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2006. |