Senate Bill sb0448

    Florida Senate - 2007                                   SB 448

    By Senator Fasano





    11-435-07

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to county funding of additional

  3         court personnel; amending s. 29.0081, F.S.;

  4         requiring the county to provide certain

  5         benefits to county-funded court employees;

  6         requiring that the county be considered the

  7         employer; providing that county-funded court

  8         employees and other county employees may be

  9         aggregated for purposes of a flexible benefits

10         plan; providing an effective date.

11  

12  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

13  

14         Section 1.  Section 29.0081, Florida Statutes, is

15  amended to read:

16         29.0081  County funding of additional court

17  personnel.--

18         (1)  A county and the chief judge of a judicial circuit

19  that includes that county may enter into an agreement under

20  which the county funds personnel positions to assist in the

21  operation of the circuit.

22         (2)  The agreement shall, at a minimum, provide that:

23         (a)  Funding for the positions is provided on at least

24  a court fiscal-year basis.

25         (b)  The personnel whose employment is funded under the

26  agreement are employees of the judicial circuit and are hired,

27  supervised, managed, and fired by personnel of the judicial

28  circuit. The county shall provide benefits to county-funded

29  court employees in the same manner that benefits are provided

30  to other county employees, including, but not limited to,

31  those specified in ss. 112.08(2)(a), 112.0801, 112.215, and

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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.






    Florida Senate - 2007                                   SB 448
    11-435-07




 1  121.021. The county shall be considered the employer for

 2  purposes of ss. 440.10 and 443.036(19).  County-funded court

 3  employees and other county employees may be aggregated for

 4  purposes of a flexible benefits plan pursuant to s. 125 of the

 5  Internal Revenue Code of 1986.

 6         (c)  The positions terminate upon the expiration of, or

 7  substantial breach of, the agreement or upon the expiration of

 8  county funding for the positions.

 9         (3)  Positions funded under this section shall be

10  full-time equivalent positions of the judicial circuit but

11  shall not count against any formula or similar process used by

12  the Office of the State Courts Administrator to determine

13  personnel needs or levels of a judicial circuit.

14         (4)  Nothing in this section obligates the state to

15  fund any personnel positions.

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

17  

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19                          SENATE SUMMARY

20    Requires the county to provide certain benefits to
      county-funded court employees. Requires that the county
21    be considered the employer. Provides that county-funded
      court employees and other county employees may be
22    aggregated for purposes of a flexible benefits plan.

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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.