Florida Senate - 2024                                    SB 1432
       
       
        
       By Senator Book
       
       
       
       
       
       35-00441-24                                           20241432__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to commercial sexual exploitation of
    3         children; amending s. 39.524, F.S.; requiring the
    4         Department of Children and Families to include
    5         individual-level child placement assessment data in
    6         its annual report to the Legislature on the commercial
    7         sexual exploitation of children; requiring the
    8         department to provide the Legislature with individual
    9         level child placement assessment data in a certain
   10         format; providing an effective date.
   11          
   12  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   13  
   14         Section 1. Subsection (3) of section 39.524, Florida
   15  Statutes, is amended to read:
   16         39.524 Safe-harbor placement.—
   17         (3)(a) By October 1 of each year, the department, with
   18  information from community-based care agencies, shall report to
   19  the Legislature on the prevalence of child commercial sexual
   20  exploitation of children; the specialized services provided and
   21  placement of such children; the local service capacity assessed
   22  pursuant to s. 409.1754; the placement of children in safe
   23  houses and safe foster homes during the year, including the
   24  criteria used to determine the placement of children; the number
   25  of children who were evaluated for placement; the number of
   26  children who were placed based upon the evaluation; the number
   27  of children who were not placed; and the department’s response
   28  to the findings and recommendations made by the Office of
   29  Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability in its
   30  annual study on commercial sexual exploitation of children, as
   31  required by s. 409.16791. In addition, the supporting
   32  assessments, including individual-level data for children who
   33  are assessed for such placement, must be included in this
   34  report.
   35         (b) The department shall maintain data specifying the
   36  number of children who were verified as victims of commercial
   37  sexual exploitation, who were referred to nonresidential
   38  services in the community, who were placed in a safe house or
   39  safe foster home, and who were referred to a safe house or safe
   40  foster home for whom placement was unavailable, and shall
   41  identify the counties in which such placement was unavailable.
   42  In addition, the department must provide to the Legislature
   43  individual-level data for children who are assessed for such
   44  placement in an extractable format that allows for aggregation
   45  and analysis. The department shall include this data in its
   46  report under this subsection so that the Legislature may
   47  consider this information in developing the General
   48  Appropriations Act.
   49         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2024.