Florida Senate - 2023                                     SB 390
       
       
        
       By Senator Garcia
       
       
       
       
       
       36-00762-23                                            2023390__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to the Domestic Violence Task Force;
    3         creating s. 39.909, F.S.; creating the Domestic
    4         Violence Task Force adjunct to the Department of
    5         Children and Families; requiring the department to
    6         provide certain services to the task force; specifying
    7         the task force’s purpose; specifying the composition
    8         of the task force; specifying a timeframe for the
    9         appointment of task force members; specifying
   10         requirements for meetings; specifying duties of the
   11         task force; authorizing the department to request
   12         assistance from state departments and agencies and
   13         requiring state departments and agencies to provide
   14         requested assistance to the task force; requiring the
   15         task force to submit reports to the Governor and the
   16         Legislature by certain dates; providing for
   17         dissolution of the task force; providing for future
   18         repeal; providing an effective date.
   19          
   20  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   21  
   22         Section 1. Section 39.909, Florida Statutes, is created to
   23  read:
   24         39.909 Domestic Violence Task Force.—
   25         (1) CREATION.—The Domestic Violence Task Force, a task
   26  force as defined in s. 20.03(8), is created adjunct to the
   27  department. The department shall provide administrative and
   28  support staff services relating to the functions of the task
   29  force.
   30         (2) PURPOSE.—The purpose of the task force is to evaluate
   31  the child welfare system in relation to domestic violence
   32  investigations, consider proposed legislation, and recommend
   33  changes to existing law, rules, and policies.
   34         (3) MEMBERSHIP; APPOINTMENT; MEETINGS.—
   35         (a) The task force is composed of the following members:
   36         1. The Secretary of Children and Families or the
   37  secretary’s designee, who shall serve as co-chair;
   38         2. The president of the Florida Partnership to End Domestic
   39  Violence or the president’s designee, who shall serve as co
   40  chair;
   41         3. A representative of domestic violence courts, appointed
   42  by the Governor;
   43         4. A domestic violence victim, appointed by the President
   44  of the Senate;
   45         5. A representative of a certified domestic violence
   46  center, appointed by the Speaker of the House of
   47  Representatives;
   48         6. A representative of a certified batterers’ intervention
   49  program, appointed by the Governor;
   50         7.A child protective investigator from the department,
   51  appointed by the President of the Senate;
   52         8. A representative from a county sheriff’s office
   53  protective investigation team, appointed by the Speaker of the
   54  House of Representatives;
   55         9.A representative from the field of law enforcement,
   56  appointed by the Governor;
   57         10. A chief executive officer of a community-based care
   58  lead agency, appointed by the President of the Senate; and
   59         11.A licensed therapist who specializes in treating
   60  victims of domestic violence, appointed by the Speaker of the
   61  House of Representatives.
   62         (b) Appointments to the task force must be made by October
   63  1, 2023. Members are appointed to serve at the pleasure of the
   64  appointing authority. A vacancy on the task force must be filled
   65  in the same manner as the original appointment.
   66         (c) The task force shall convene its first meeting by
   67  November 1, 2023. The task force shall meet quarterly or upon
   68  the call of the chair and hold its meetings by teleconference or
   69  other electronic means.
   70         (4) DUTIES.—
   71         (a) The duties of the Domestic Violence Task Force include
   72  all of the following:
   73         1. Examining the effectiveness of current operations and
   74  treatment in batterers’ intervention programs, the consistency
   75  in enforcement of domestic violence laws, and the level of
   76  accountability of agencies and providers that conduct protective
   77  investigations and that are responsible for handling dependency
   78  cases for domestic violence incidents.
   79         2. Eliciting feedback and seeking input from stakeholders
   80  who are responsible for domestic violence investigations and
   81  cases in the child welfare system regarding necessary policy or
   82  rule changes.
   83         3. Developing best practices, policies, and procedures
   84  relating to domestic violence abuse reports and delivery of
   85  services to the victims and perpetrators of domestic violence
   86  incidents, and addressing the specific challenges when such
   87  incidents involve children.
   88         4. Developing updated protocols, as necessary, to ensure
   89  that policies and procedures relating to domestic violence abuse
   90  reports, dependency cases, and termination of parental rights
   91  cases are consistently enforced.
   92         5. Developing policies relating to the roles of the
   93  department and the Florida Partnership to End Domestic Violence
   94  with respect to domestic violence incidents, including, but not
   95  limited to, such incidents that involve children. Such policies
   96  must evaluate the oversight of domestic violence services with a
   97  goal of optimizing accountability.
   98         6. Evaluating the appropriateness of establishing a model
   99  diversion program for victims of domestic violence who are
  100  subject to dependency proceedings related to a child in their
  101  custody as a result of such domestic violence, which allows for
  102  judicial oversight if certain criteria are met but which permits
  103  the dependency petition to be dismissed without prejudice if the
  104  victim completes narrowly tailored services related to domestic
  105  violence which are deemed necessary to keep the child safe.
  106         7. Determining the need for updated definitions and
  107  corresponding provisions applicable to domestic violence abuse
  108  reports and dependency cases, such as “failure to protect” and
  109  “intimate partner violence.”
  110         8. Determining when a domestic violence victim’s failure to
  111  protect his or her child may be used as a basis to file a
  112  shelter petition.
  113         9. Evaluating steps needed, as appropriate, to ensure
  114  proper implementation of and adherence to, as appropriate, the
  115  Safe and Together model that has been used in this state.
  116         10. Determining what steps should be taken during a
  117  domestic violence investigation to ensure a non-offending parent
  118  who is a victim of domestic violence is aware of the option to
  119  seek an injunction and remain in the home with the child, if
  120  appropriate.
  121         (b) The task force may request assistance in the
  122  performance of its duties from appropriate departments and
  123  agencies of the state, and such departments and agencies shall
  124  provide such assistance in a timely manner.
  125         (5) REPORTS.—By May 1, 2024, the task force shall submit an
  126  interim report to the Governor, the President of the Senate, and
  127  the Speaker of the House of Representatives which contains its
  128  findings and recommendations on best practices, policies, and
  129  procedures relating to domestic violence abuse reports and cases
  130  involving children, as well as proposed changes to current
  131  legislation to implement the task force’s recommendations. The
  132  task force shall submit its final report to the Governor, the
  133  President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of
  134  Representatives by November 1, 2024. The task force is dissolved
  135  upon submission of the final report.
  136         (6) REPEAL.—This section is repealed September 1, 2025,
  137  unless reviewed and saved from repeal through reenactment by the
  138  Legislature.
  139         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2023.