Senate Bill sb1390c1

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    Florida Senate - 2007                           CS for SB 1390

    By the Committee on Children, Families, and Elder Affairs; and
    Senator Storms




    586-2251-07

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to the falsifying of records;

  3         amending s. 839.13, F.S.; clarifying provisions

  4         that prohibit falsifying, altering, or in any

  5         manner destroying records if such act may be

  6         detrimental to the health, safety, or welfare

  7         of an individual in the care and custody of a

  8         state agency; clarifying provisions that

  9         prohibit falsifying, altering, or in any manner

10         destroying records of the Department of

11         Children and Family Services or its contract

12         provider with the intent to conceal a material

13         fact; providing for the application of

14         penalties thereto; 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.  Subsection (2) of section 839.13, Florida

19  Statutes, is amended to read:

20         839.13  Falsifying records.--

21         (2)(a)  Any person who knowingly falsifies, alters,

22  destroys, defaces, overwrites, removes, or discards by

23  altering, destroying, defacing, overwriting, removing, or

24  discarding an official record relating to an individual in the

25  care and custody of a state agency, which act has the

26  potential to detrimentally affect the health, safety, or

27  welfare of that individual, commits a felony of the third

28  degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or

29  s. 775.084. For the purposes of this paragraph, the term "care

30  and custody" includes, but is not limited to, a child abuse

31  protective investigation, protective supervision, foster care

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    Florida Senate - 2007                           CS for SB 1390
    586-2251-07




 1  and related services, or a protective investigation or

 2  protective supervision of a vulnerable adult, as defined in

 3  chapter 39, chapter 409, or chapter 415.

 4         (b)  Any person who commits a violation of paragraph

 5  (a) which contributes to great bodily harm to or the death of

 6  an individual in the care and custody of a state agency

 7  commits a felony of the second degree, punishable as provided

 8  in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084. For the purposes of

 9  this paragraph, the term "care and custody" includes, but is

10  not limited to, a child abuse protective investigation,

11  protective supervision, foster care and related services, or a

12  protective investigation or protective supervision of a

13  vulnerable adult, as defined in chapter 39, chapter 409, or

14  chapter 415.

15         (c)  Any person who knowingly falsifies, alters,

16  destroys, defaces, overwrites, removes, or discards by

17  altering, destroying, defacing, overwriting, removing, or

18  discarding records of the Department of Children and Family

19  Services or its contract provider with the intent to conceal a

20  fact material to a child abuse protective investigation,

21  protective supervision, foster care and related services, or a

22  protective investigation or protective supervision of a

23  vulnerable adult, as defined in chapter 39, chapter 409, or

24  chapter 415, commits a felony of the third degree, punishable

25  as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084. Nothing

26  in this paragraph prohibits prosecution for a violation of

27  paragraph (a) or paragraph (b) involving records described in

28  this paragraph.

29         (d)  This section does not prohibit the disposing or

30  archiving of records as otherwise provided by law. In

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    Florida Senate - 2007                           CS for SB 1390
    586-2251-07




 1  addition, this section does not prohibit any person from

 2  correcting or updating records.

 3         Section 2.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2007.

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 5          STATEMENT OF SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES CONTAINED IN
                       COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
 6                         Senate Bill 1390

 7                                 

 8  The committee substitute amends s. 839.13(2), F.S., to make it
    clear that it is unlawful to create, as well as to alter,
 9  destroy, deface, overwrite, remove or discard, official
    records relating to individuals in the care and custody of a
10  state agency and certain records of the Department of Children
    and Families.
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