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A bill to be entitled

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An act relating to the Parole Commission; amending s.

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947.01, F.S.; deleting an obsolete provision; revising the

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number of commission members; amending s. 947.02, F.S.;

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requiring the commission's membership to reflect at all

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times the diversity of the population of this state;

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amending s. 947.13, F.S.; requiring the commission to

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provide transition assistance to eligible offenders;

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providing an appropriation; 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.  Section 947.01, Florida Statutes, is amended to

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read:

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     947.01  Parole Commission; creation; number of members.--A

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Parole Commission is created to consist of five six members who

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are residents of the state. Effective July 1, 1996, the

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membership of the commission shall be three members.

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     Section 2.  Subsection (1) of section 947.02, Florida

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Statutes, is amended to read:

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     947.02  Parole Commission; members, appointment.--

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     (1)  Except as provided in s. 947.021, the members of the

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Parole Commission shall be appointed by the Governor and Cabinet

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from a list of eligible applicants submitted by a parole

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qualifications committee. The appointments of members of the

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commission shall be certified to the Senate by the Governor and

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Cabinet for confirmation, and the membership of the commission

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shall at all times reflect the diversity of the population of

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this state include representation from minority persons as

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defined in s. 288.703.

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     Section 3.  Paragraph (i) is added to subsection (1) of

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section 947.13, Florida Statutes, to read:

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     947.13  Powers and duties of commission.--

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     (1)  The commission shall have the powers and perform the

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duties of:

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     (i) Providing transition assistance to eligible offenders

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under the commission's purview within appropriated funds in order

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to support the goals of reducing recidivism and promoting

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successful reentry of offenders into society.

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     Section 4. For the 2008-2009 fiscal year, the sum of

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$1,952,958 in general revenue funds is appropriated to the Parole

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Commission and 12 FTE positions are authorized to implement the

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provisions of this act.

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     Section 5.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2008.