| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to county-funded court employees; amending |
| 3 | s. 29.0081, F.S.; requiring the county to provide certain |
| 4 | benefits to county-funded court employees; requiring that |
| 5 | the county be considered the employer; providing that |
| 6 | county-funded court employees and other county employees |
| 7 | may be aggregated for purposes of a flexible benefits |
| 8 | plan; providing an effective date. |
| 9 |
|
| 10 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 11 |
|
| 12 | Section 1. Section 29.0081, Florida Statutes, is amended |
| 13 | to read: |
| 14 | 29.0081 County funding of additional court personnel.-- |
| 15 | (1) A county and the chief judge of a judicial circuit |
| 16 | that includes that county may enter into an agreement under |
| 17 | which the county funds personnel positions to assist in the |
| 18 | operation of the circuit. |
| 19 | (2) The agreement shall, at a minimum, provide that: |
| 20 | (a) Funding for the positions is provided on at least a |
| 21 | court fiscal-year basis. |
| 22 | (b) The personnel whose employment is funded under the |
| 23 | agreement are employees of the judicial circuit and are hired, |
| 24 | supervised, managed, and fired by personnel of the judicial |
| 25 | circuit. The county shall provide benefits to county-funded |
| 26 | court employees in the same manner that benefits are provided to |
| 27 | other county employees, including, but not limited to, those |
| 28 | specified in ss. 112.08(2)(a), 112.0801, and 112.215 and chapter |
| 29 | 121. The county shall be considered the employer for purposes of |
| 30 | ss. 440.10 and 443.036(19). County-funded court employees and |
| 31 | other county employees may be aggregated for purposes of a |
| 32 | flexible benefits plan pursuant to s. 125 of the Internal |
| 33 | Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. |
| 34 | (c) The positions terminate upon the expiration of, or |
| 35 | substantial breach of, the agreement or upon the expiration of |
| 36 | county funding for the positions. |
| 37 | (3) Positions funded under this section shall be full-time |
| 38 | equivalent positions of the judicial circuit but shall not count |
| 39 | against any formula or similar process used by the Office of the |
| 40 | State Courts Administrator to determine personnel needs or |
| 41 | levels of a judicial circuit. |
| 42 | (4) Nothing in this section obligates the state to fund |
| 43 | any personnel positions. |
| 44 | Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2007. |