| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to county-funded court employees; amending |
| 3 | s. 29.0081, F.S.; providing that the county is considered |
| 4 | the employer of county-funded court employees; providing |
| 5 | that county-funded court employees and other county |
| 6 | employees may be aggregated for purposes of a flexible |
| 7 | benefits plan; providing an effective date. |
| 8 |
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| 9 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 10 |
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| 11 | Section 1. Section 29.0081, Florida Statutes, is amended |
| 12 | to read: |
| 13 | 29.0081 County funding of additional court personnel.-- |
| 14 | (1) A county and the chief judge of a judicial circuit |
| 15 | that includes that county may enter into an agreement under |
| 16 | which the county funds personnel positions to assist in the |
| 17 | operation of the circuit. |
| 18 | (2) The agreement shall, at a minimum, provide that: |
| 19 | (a) Funding for the positions is provided on at least a |
| 20 | court fiscal-year basis. |
| 21 | (b) The personnel whose employment is funded under the |
| 22 | agreement are employees of the judicial circuit and are hired, |
| 23 | supervised, managed, and fired by personnel of the judicial |
| 24 | circuit. The county shall be considered the employer for |
| 25 | purposes of s. 440.10 and chapter 443. Employees funded by the |
| 26 | county under this section and other county employees may be |
| 27 | aggregated for purposes of a flexible benefits plan pursuant to |
| 28 | s. 125 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. |
| 29 | (c) The positions terminate upon the expiration of, or |
| 30 | substantial breach of, the agreement or upon the expiration of |
| 31 | county funding for the positions. |
| 32 | (3) Positions funded under this section shall be full-time |
| 33 | equivalent positions of the judicial circuit but shall not count |
| 34 | against any formula or similar process used by the Office of the |
| 35 | State Courts Administrator to determine personnel needs or |
| 36 | levels of a judicial circuit. |
| 37 | (4) Nothing in this section obligates the state to fund |
| 38 | any personnel positions. |
| 39 | Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2007. |