Florida Senate - 2009 SB 1094 By Senator Crist 12-01109A-09 20091094__ 1 A bill to be entitled 2 An act relating to the registration of career 3 offenders; amending s. 775.261, F.S.; providing that 4 it is a third-degree felony for a person who has 5 reason to believe that a career offender is or has not 6 complied with the registration requirements for career 7 offenders to assist the career offender elude a law 8 enforcement agency, to withhold information from the 9 law enforcement agency about the career offender’s 10 noncompliance, to harbor or attempt to harbor the 11 career offender, to conceal or attempt to conceal the 12 career offender, or to provide information to a law 13 enforcement agency which the person knows to be false; 14 providing criminal penalties; reenacting s. 15 944.608(7), F.S., relating to notifying the Department 16 of Law Enforcement of information concerning career 17 offenders, to incorporate the amendments made to s. 18 775.261 F.S., in a reference thereto; providing an 19 effective date. 20 21 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 22 23 Section 1. Paragraph (c) is added to subsection (8) of 24 section 775.261, Florida Statutes, to read: 25 775.261 The Florida Career Offender Registration Act.— 26 (8) PENALTIES.— 27 (c) Any person who has reason to believe that a career 28 offender is not complying, or has not complied, with the 29 requirements of this section and who, with the intent to assist 30 the career offender in eluding a law enforcement agency that is 31 seeking to find the career offender to question the career 32 offender about, or to arrest the career offender for, his or her 33 noncompliance with the requirements of this section: 34 1. Withholds information from, or does not notify, the law 35 enforcement agency about the career offender’s noncompliance 36 with the requirements of this section and, if known, the 37 whereabouts of the career offender; 38 2. Harbors or attempts to harbor, or assists another person 39 in concealing or attempting to harbor, the career offender; 40 3. Conceals or attempts to conceal, or assists another 41 person in concealing or attempting to conceal, the career 42 offender; or 43 4. Provides information to the law enforcement agency 44 regarding the career offender which the person knows to be false 45 information, 46 commits a felony of the third degree, punishable as provided in 47 s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084. 48 Section 2. For the purpose of incorporating the amendment 49 made by this act to section 775.261, Florida Statutes, in a 50 reference thereto, subsection (7) of section 944.608, Florida 51 Statutes, is reenacted to read: 52 944.608 Notification to Department of Law Enforcement of 53 information on career offenders.— 54 (7) A career offender who is under the supervision of the 55 department but who is not incarcerated shall, in addition to the 56 registration requirements provided in subsection (3), register 57 in the manner provided in s. 775.261(4)(c), unless the career 58 offender is a sexual predator, in which case he or she shall 59 register as required under s. 775.21, or is a sexual offender, 60 in which case he or she shall register as required in s. 61 944.607. A career offender who fails to comply with the 62 requirements of s. 775.261(4) is subject to the penalties 63 provided in s. 775.261(8). 64 Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2009.