HB 563

1	A bill to be entitled
2	An act relating to the Florida Retirement System; amending
3	ss. 121.021 and 121.0515, F.S.; providing membership in
4	the Special Risk Class for persons employed by certain
5	public acute care hospitals; providing a declaration of
6	important state interest; providing an effective date.
7
8	Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
9
10	Section 1.  Paragraph (f) is added to subsection (15) of
11	section 121.021, Florida Statutes, to read:
12	121.021  Definitions.--The following words and phrases as
13	used in this chapter have the respective meanings set forth
14	unless a different meaning is plainly required by the context:
15	(15)
16	(f)  Effective July 1, 2007, "special risk member" includes
17	any member who is employed by a public acute care hospital that
18	serves as a trauma center and that provides treatment to members
19	of the public with deadly or crippling infectious diseases,
20	members of the public who are accused of or convicted of serious
21	violent crimes, members of the public who have been subjected to
22	hazardous materials or biological or chemical agents as a result
23	of terrorism or industrial accidents, or members of the public
24	with diseases the treatment of which requires interventions with
25	extremely toxic substances.
26	Section 2.  Subsection (2) of section 121.0515, Florida
27	Statutes, is amended to read:
28	121.0515  Special risk membership.--
29	(2)  CRITERIA.--A member, to be designated as a special
30	risk member, must meet the following criteria:
31	(a)  The member must be employed as a law enforcement
32	officer and be certified, or required to be certified, in
33	compliance with s. 943.1395; however, sheriffs and elected
34	police chiefs shall be excluded from meeting the certification
35	requirements of this paragraph. In addition, the member's duties
36	and responsibilities must include the pursuit, apprehension, and
37	arrest of law violators or suspected law violators; or the
38	member must be an active member of a bomb disposal unit whose
39	primary responsibility is the location, handling, and disposal
40	of explosive devices; or the member must be the supervisor or
41	command officer of a member or members who have such
42	responsibilities; provided, however, administrative support
43	personnel, including, but not limited to, those whose primary
44	duties and responsibilities are in accounting, purchasing,
45	legal, and personnel, shall not be included;
46	(b)  The member must be employed as a firefighter and be
47	certified, or required to be certified, in compliance with s.
48	633.35 and be employed solely within the fire department of a
49	local government employer or an agency of state government with
50	firefighting responsibilities. In addition, the member's duties
51	and responsibilities must include on-the-scene fighting of
52	fires, fire prevention, or firefighter training; direct
53	supervision of firefighting units, fire prevention, or
54	firefighter training; or aerial firefighting surveillance
55	performed by fixed-wing aircraft pilots employed by the Division
56	of Forestry of the Department of Agriculture and Consumer
57	Services; or the member must be the supervisor or command
58	officer of a member or members who have such responsibilities;
59	provided, however, administrative support personnel, including,
60	but not limited to, those whose primary duties and
61	responsibilities are in accounting, purchasing, legal, and
62	personnel, shall not be included and further provided that all
63	periods of creditable service in fire prevention or firefighter
64	training, or as the supervisor or command officer of a member or
65	members who have such responsibilities, and for which the
66	employer paid the special risk contribution rate, shall be
67	included;
68	(c)  The member must be employed as a correctional officer
69	and be certified, or required to be certified, in compliance
70	with s. 943.1395. In addition, the member's primary duties and
71	responsibilities must be the custody, and physical restraint
72	when necessary, of prisoners or inmates within a prison, jail,
73	or other criminal detention facility, or while on work detail
74	outside the facility, or while being transported; or the member
75	must be the supervisor or command officer of a member or members
76	who have such responsibilities; provided, however,
77	administrative support personnel, including, but not limited to,
78	those whose primary duties and responsibilities are in
79	accounting, purchasing, legal, and personnel, shall not be
80	included; however, wardens and assistant wardens, as defined by
81	rule, shall participate in the Special Risk Class;
82	(d)  The member must be employed by a licensed Advance Life
83	Support (ALS) or Basic Life Support (BLS) employer as an
84	emergency medical technician or a paramedic and be certified in
85	compliance with s. 401.27. In addition, the member's primary
86	duties and responsibilities must include on-the-scene emergency
87	medical care or direct supervision of emergency medical
88	technicians or paramedics, or the member must be the supervisor
89	or command officer of one or more members who have such
90	responsibility. However, administrative support personnel,
91	including, but not limited to, those whose primary
92	responsibilities are in accounting, purchasing, legal, and
93	personnel, shall not be included;
94	(e)  The member must be employed as a community-based
95	correctional probation officer and be certified, or required to
96	be certified, in compliance with s. 943.1395. In addition, the
97	member's primary duties and responsibilities must be the
98	supervised custody, surveillance, control, investigation, and
99	counseling of assigned inmates, probationers, parolees, or
100	community controllees within the community; or the member must
101	be the supervisor of a member or members who have such
102	responsibilities. Administrative support personnel, including,
103	but not limited to, those whose primary duties and
104	responsibilities are in accounting, purchasing, legal services,
105	and personnel management, shall not be included; however,
106	probation and parole circuit and deputy circuit administrators
107	shall participate in the Special Risk Class;
108	(f)  The member must be employed in one of the following
109	classes and must spend at least 75 percent of his or her time
110	performing duties which involve contact with patients or inmates
111	in a correctional or forensic facility or institution:
112	1.  Dietitian (class codes 5203 and 5204);
113	2.  Public health nutrition consultant (class code 5224);
114	3.  Psychological specialist (class codes 5230 and 5231);
115	4.  Psychologist (class code 5234);
116	5.  Senior psychologist (class codes 5237 and 5238);
117	6.  Regional mental health consultant (class code 5240);
118	7.  Psychological Services Director--DCF (class code 5242);
119	8.  Pharmacist (class codes 5245 and 5246);
120	9.  Senior pharmacist (class codes 5248 and 5249);
121	10.  Dentist (class code 5266);
122	11.  Senior dentist (class code 5269);
123	12.  Registered nurse (class codes 5290 and 5291);
124	13.  Senior registered nurse (class codes 5292 and 5293);
125	14.  Registered nurse specialist (class codes 5294 and
126	5295);
127	15.  Clinical associate (class codes 5298 and 5299);
128	16.  Advanced registered nurse practitioner (class codes
129	5297 and 5300);
130	17.  Advanced registered nurse practitioner specialist
131	(class codes 5304 and 5305);
132	18.  Registered nurse supervisor (class codes 5306 and
133	5307);
134	19.  Senior registered nurse supervisor (class codes 5308
135	and 5309);
136	20.  Registered nursing consultant (class codes 5312 and
137	5313);
138	21.  Quality management program supervisor (class code
139	5314);
140	22.  Executive nursing director (class codes 5320 and
141	5321);
142	23.  Speech and hearing therapist (class code 5406); or
143	24.  Pharmacy manager (class code 5251);
144	(g)  The member must be employed as a youth custody officer
145	and be certified, or required to be certified, in compliance
146	with s. 943.1395. In addition, the member's primary duties and
147	responsibilities must be the supervised custody, surveillance,
148	control, investigation, apprehension, arrest, and counseling of
149	assigned juveniles within the community; or
150	(h)  The member must be employed by a law enforcement
151	agency or medical examiner's office in a forensic discipline
152	recognized by the International Association for Identification
153	and must qualify for active membership in the International
154	Association for Identification. The member's primary duties and
155	responsibilities must include the collection, examination,
156	preservation, documentation, preparation, or analysis of
157	physical evidence or testimony, or both, or the member must be
158	the direct supervisor, quality management supervisor, or command
159	officer of one or more individuals with such responsibility.
160	Administrative support personnel, including, but not limited to,
161	those whose primary responsibilities are clerical or in
162	accounting, purchasing, legal, and personnel, shall not be
163	included; or
164	(h)  The member must be employed by a public acute care
165	hospital that serves as a trauma center and that provides
166	treatment to members of the public with deadly or crippling
167	infectious diseases, members of the public who are accused of or
168	convicted of serious violent crimes, members of the public who
169	have been subjected to hazardous materials or biological or
170	chemical agents as a result of terrorism or industrial
171	accidents, or members of the public with diseases the treatment
172	of which requires interventions with extremely toxic substances.
173	Section 3.  The Legislature finds that in providing
174	treatment to members of the public with deadly or crippling
175	infectious diseases, members of the public who are accused of or
176	convicted of serious violent crimes, members of the public who
177	have been subjected to hazardous materials or biological or
178	chemical agents as a result of terrorism or industrial
179	accidents, or members of the public with diseases the treatment
180	of which requires interventions with extremely toxic substances,
181	a member of the Florida Retirement System who is employed by a
182	public acute care hospital that serves as a trauma center is
183	serving an important state interest and should be a member of
184	the Special Risk Class of the Florida Retirement System.
185	Section 4.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2007.

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