Florida Senate - 2020                                    SB 1358
       
       
        
       By Senator Rodriguez
       
       
       
       
       
       37-00397A-20                                          20201358__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to detained or housed unaccompanied
    3         minors; imposing requirements on state agencies, and
    4         entities that contract with a state agency, which
    5         provide services, or coordinate with the Federal
    6         Government to provide services, relating to the
    7         detention of unaccompanied minors in this state;
    8         providing requirements for the Children and Youth
    9         Cabinet; providing an effective date.
   10          
   11  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   12  
   13         Section 1. (1) A state agency, or an entity that contracts
   14  with a state agency, which provides services, or coordinates
   15  with the Federal Government to provide services, relating to the
   16  detention or housing of unaccompanied minors in this state
   17  shall:
   18         (a) Have a signed agreement with the Department of Children
   19  and Families for the reporting of incidents of abuse or neglect;
   20         (b) In conjunction with the appropriate school board,
   21  arrange for the provision of education to such minors;
   22         (c) Comply with the terms of the 1997 Flores Settlement
   23  Agreement from Janet Reno, Attorney General, et al. v. Jenny
   24  Lisette Flores, et al., 507 U.S. 292 (1993), including providing
   25  for a certain quality of life for the detained minors, and may
   26  not detain a minor for longer than the 20-day period established
   27  therein;
   28         (d) Prioritize keeping siblings together and placing them
   29  with foster parents; and
   30         (e) Ensure that every employee who has not already
   31  undergone a level 2 background screening under s. 435.04,
   32  Florida Statutes, complete the background screening before he or
   33  she is eligible to work in such a position.
   34         (2) The Children and Youth Cabinet shall ensure that the
   35  requirements of this section are met and include related
   36  observations and findings and document deficiencies and areas in
   37  need of improvement in its annual report required under s.
   38  402.56, Florida Statutes.
   39         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2020.