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A bill to be entitled

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An act relating to the resolution of public employee

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collective bargaining impasses; amending s. 447.203, F.S.;

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specifying the legislative body when a public employer is

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the sheriff; amending s. 447.403, F.S.; delineating the

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role of the sheriff in declaring an impasse and in impasse

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proceedings; providing an effective date.

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

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     Section 1.  Subsection (10) of section 447.203, Florida

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Statutes, is amended to read:

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     447.203  Definitions.--As used in this part:

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     (10)  "Legislative body" means the State Legislature, the

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board of county commissioners, the district school board, the

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governing body of a municipality, or the governing body of an

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instrumentality or unit of government having authority to

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appropriate funds and establish policy governing the terms and

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conditions of employment and which, as the case may be, is the

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appropriate legislative body for the bargaining unit. For

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purposes of s. 447.403, the Board of Governors of the State

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University System, or the board's designee, shall be deemed to be

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the legislative body with respect to all employees of each

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constituent state university. For purposes of s. 447.403 the

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board of trustees of a community college shall be deemed to be

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the legislative body with respect to all employees of the

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community college. For the purposes of s. 447.403, if the public

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employer is the sheriff, the board of county commissioners of the

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county served by the sheriff shall be deemed to be the

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legislative body with respect to all employees of the sheriff.

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     Section 2.  Paragraph (d) is added to subsection (2) of

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section 447.403, Florida Statutes, to read:

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     447.403  Resolution of impasses.--

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     (2)

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     (d) If the public employer is a sheriff, the sheriff shall

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not preside over any stage of the impasse proceedings. This does

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not preclude the sheriff, as the public employer, from declaring

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an impasse or from being a party to an impasse proceeding.

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     Section 3.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2008.