Florida Senate - 2023                                    SB 7018
       
       
        
       By the Committee on Criminal Justice
       
       
       
       
       
       591-02507-23                                          20237018__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to the inmate welfare trust fund;
    3         amending s. 945.215, F.S.; adding additional funding
    4         sources from which all proceeds must be deposited into
    5         the State-Operated Institutions Inmate Welfare Trust
    6         Fund or the General Revenue Fund; increasing the
    7         maximum amount of funds which the State-Operated
    8         Institutions Inmate Welfare Trust Fund may not exceed
    9         in any fiscal year; adding to the purposes for which
   10         the trust fund must be used at correctional facilities
   11         to include fixed capital outlays for educational
   12         facilities; amending s. 945.6037, F.S.; requiring that
   13         the proceeds from nonemergency health care visit
   14         copayments be deposited into the State-Operated
   15         Institutions Inmate Welfare Trust Fund or into the
   16         General Revenue Fund; reenacting ss. 944.516(5),
   17         944.73(2), and 946.002(4)(b), F.S., relating to the
   18         disposition of unexpended trust funds, the State
   19         Operated Institutions Inmate Welfare Trust Fund, and
   20         forfeiture of a prisoner’s earned funds, respectively,
   21         to incorporate the amendment made to s. 945.215, F.S.,
   22         in references thereto; providing an effective date.
   23          
   24  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   25  
   26         Section 1. Subsection (1) and paragraphs (b) and (c) of
   27  subsection (2) of section 945.215, Florida Statutes, are amended
   28  to read:
   29         945.215 Inmate welfare and employee benefit trust funds.—
   30         (1) INMATE PURCHASES; DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS.—
   31         (a) The net proceeds from operating inmate canteens,
   32  vending machines used primarily by inmates and visitors, hobby
   33  shops, and other such facilities must be deposited into the
   34  State-Operated Institutions Inmate Welfare Trust Fund or, as
   35  provided in paragraph (2)(b), into the General Revenue Fund;
   36  however, funds necessary to purchase items for resale at inmate
   37  canteens and vending machines must be deposited into local bank
   38  accounts designated by the department.
   39         (b) All proceeds from contracted telephone commissions must
   40  be deposited into the State-Operated Institutions Inmate Welfare
   41  Trust Fund or, as provided in paragraph (2)(b), into the General
   42  Revenue Fund. The department shall develop and update, as
   43  necessary, administrative procedures to verify that:
   44         1. Contracted telephone companies accurately record and
   45  report all telephone calls made by inmates incarcerated in
   46  correctional facilities under the department’s jurisdiction;
   47         2. Persons who accept collect calls from inmates are
   48  charged the contracted rate; and
   49         3. The department receives the contracted telephone
   50  commissions.
   51         (c) Any funds that may be assigned by inmates or donated to
   52  the department by the general public or an inmate service
   53  organization must be deposited into the State-Operated
   54  Institutions Inmate Welfare Trust Fund or, as provided in
   55  paragraph (2)(b), into the General Revenue Fund; however, the
   56  department may shall not accept any donation from, or on behalf
   57  of, any individual inmate.
   58         (d) All proceeds from the following sources must be
   59  deposited into the State-Operated Institutions Inmate Welfare
   60  Trust Fund or, as provided in paragraph (2)(b), into the General
   61  Revenue Fund:
   62         1. The confiscation and liquidation of any contraband found
   63  upon, or in the possession of, any inmate;
   64         2. Disciplinary fines imposed against inmates;
   65         3. Forfeitures of inmate earnings; and
   66         4. Unexpended balances in individual inmate trust fund
   67  accounts of less than $1;
   68         5.Copayments made by inmates for nonemergency visits to a
   69  health care provider pursuant to s. 945.6037;
   70         6.Any proceeds obtained through the collection of damages
   71  pursuant to s. 960.293(2); and
   72         7.Cost of incarceration liens pursuant to s. 960.292(2).
   73         (e) Items for resale at inmate canteens and vending
   74  machines maintained at the correctional facilities shall be
   75  priced comparatively with like items for retail sale at fair
   76  market prices.
   77         (f) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, inmates
   78  with sufficient balances in their individual inmate bank trust
   79  fund accounts, after all debts against the account are
   80  satisfied, shall be allowed to request a weekly draw of up to an
   81  amount set by the Secretary of Corrections, not to exceed $100,
   82  to be expended for personal use on canteen and vending machine
   83  items.
   84         (2) STATE-OPERATED INSTITUTIONS INMATE WELFARE TRUST FUND.—
   85         (b) Deposits into the trust fund may not exceed a total of
   86  $32 $2.5 million in any fiscal year. Any proceeds or funds that
   87  would cause deposits into the trust fund to exceed this limit
   88  must be deposited into the General Revenue Fund.
   89         (c) Funds in the trust fund shall be used exclusively to
   90  provide for or operate any of the following at correctional
   91  facilities operated by the department:
   92         1. Literacy programs, vocational training programs, and
   93  educational programs, which includes fixed capital outlays for
   94  educational facilities.
   95         2. Inmate chapels, faith-based programs, visiting
   96  pavilions, visiting services and programs, family services and
   97  programs, and libraries.
   98         3. Inmate substance abuse treatment programs and transition
   99  and life skills training programs.
  100         4. The purchase, rental, maintenance, or repair of
  101  electronic or audiovisual equipment, media, services, and
  102  programming used by inmates.
  103         5. The purchase, rental, maintenance, or repair of
  104  recreation and wellness equipment.
  105         6. The purchase, rental, maintenance, or repair of bicycles
  106  used by inmates traveling to and from employment in the work
  107  release program authorized under s. 945.091(1)(b).
  108         Section 2. Subsection (1) of section 945.6037, Florida
  109  Statutes, is amended to read:
  110         945.6037 Nonemergency health care; inmate copayments.—
  111         (1)(a) For each nonemergency visit by an inmate to a health
  112  care provider which is initiated by the inmate, the inmate must
  113  make a copayment of $5. A copayment may not be charged for the
  114  required initial medical history and physical examination of the
  115  inmate.
  116         (b) The copayment for an inmate’s health care must be
  117  deducted from any existing balance in the inmate’s bank account.
  118  If the account balance is insufficient to cover the copayment,
  119  50 percent of each deposit to the account must be withheld until
  120  the total amount owed has been paid.
  121         (c) The proceeds of each copayment must be deposited into
  122  the State-Operated Institutions Inmate Welfare Trust Fund
  123  pursuant to s. 945.215(1)(d) or into in the General Revenue Fund
  124  as provided in s. 945.215(2)(b).
  125         (d) The department may waive all or part of the copayment
  126  for an inmate’s visit to a health care provider if the health
  127  care:
  128         1. Is provided in connection with an extraordinary event
  129  that could not reasonably be foreseen, such as a disturbance or
  130  a natural disaster;
  131         2. Is an institutionwide health care measure that is
  132  necessary to address the spread of specific infectious or
  133  contagious diseases;
  134         3. Is provided under a contractual obligation that is
  135  established under the Interstate Corrections Compact or under an
  136  agreement with another jurisdiction which precludes assessing
  137  such a copayment;
  138         4. Was initiated by the health care provider or consists of
  139  routine follow-up followup care;
  140         5. Is initiated by the inmate to voluntarily request an HIV
  141  test;
  142         6. Produces an outcome that requires medical action to
  143  protect staff or inmates from a communicable disease; or
  144         7. When the inmate is referred to mental health evaluation
  145  or treatment by a correctional officer, correctional probation
  146  officer, or other person supervising an inmate worker.
  147         Section 3. For the purpose of incorporating the amendment
  148  made by this act to section 945.215, Florida Statutes, in a
  149  reference thereto, subsection (5) of section 944.516, Florida
  150  Statutes, is reenacted to read:
  151         944.516 Money or other property received for personal use
  152  or benefit of inmate; deposit; disposition of unclaimed trust
  153  funds.—The Department of Corrections shall protect the financial
  154  interest of the state with respect to claims which the state may
  155  have against inmates in state institutions under its supervision
  156  and control and shall administer money and other property
  157  received for the personal benefit of such inmates. In carrying
  158  out the provisions of this section, the department may delegate
  159  any of its enumerated powers and duties affecting inmates of an
  160  institution to the warden or regional director who shall
  161  personally, or through designated employees of his or her
  162  personal staff under his or her direct supervision, exercise
  163  such powers or perform such duties.
  164         (5) When an inmate is transferred between department
  165  facilities, is released from the custody of the department,
  166  dies, or escapes during incarceration, and the inmate has an
  167  unexpended inmate trust fund account balance of less than $1,
  168  that balance shall be transferred to the State-Operated
  169  Institutions Inmate Welfare Trust Fund or, as provided in s.
  170  945.215(2)(b), into the General Revenue Fund.
  171         Section 4. For the purpose of incorporating the amendment
  172  made by this act to section 945.215, Florida Statutes, in a
  173  reference thereto, subsection (2) of section 944.73, Florida
  174  Statutes, is reenacted to read:
  175         944.73 State-Operated Institutions Inmate Welfare Trust
  176  Fund.—
  177         (2) Moneys shall be deposited and the expenditures made
  178  from the trust fund as provided in s. 945.215.
  179         Section 5. For the purpose of incorporating the amendment
  180  made by this act to section 945.215, Florida Statutes, in a
  181  reference thereto, paragraph (b) of subsection (4) of section
  182  946.002, Florida Statutes, is reenacted to read:
  183         946.002 Requirement of labor; compensation; amount;
  184  crediting of account of prisoner; forfeiture; civil rights;
  185  prisoner not employee or entitled to compensation insurance
  186  benefits.—
  187         (4)
  188         (b) When any prisoner escapes, the department shall
  189  determine what portion of the prisoner’s earnings shall be
  190  forfeited, and such forfeiture shall be deposited in the State
  191  Treasury in the State-Operated Institutions Inmate Welfare Trust
  192  Fund of the department or, as provided in s. 945.215(2)(b), into
  193  the General Revenue Fund.
  194         Section 6. This act shall take effect July 1, 2023.