Florida Senate - 2025                        COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
       Bill No. CS for SB 1604
       
       
       
       
       
       
                                Ì389612,Î389612                         
       
                              LEGISLATIVE ACTION                        
                    Senate             .             House              
                   Comm: WD            .                                
                  04/16/2025           .                                
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       The Appropriations Committee on Criminal and Civil Justice
       (Martin) recommended the following:
       
    1         Senate Amendment to Amendment (317706) (with title
    2  amendment)
    3  
    4         Between lines 264 and 265
    5  insert:
    6         Section 6. Section 944.331, Florida Statutes, is amended to
    7  read
    8         944.331 Inmate grievance procedure.—
    9         (1) The department shall establish by rule an inmate
   10  grievance procedure that must conform to the Minimum Standards
   11  for Inmate Grievance Procedures as promulgated by the United
   12  States Department of Justice pursuant to 42 U.S.C. s. 1997e. An
   13  inmate's grievance must first be reviewed by an administrative
   14  law judge to determine whether there is cause to continue the
   15  grievance procedure. The department’s office of general counsel
   16  shall oversee the grievance procedures established by the
   17  department.
   18         (2) Any inmate must seek a declaratory statement from an
   19  administrative law judge pursuant to s. 120.565, regarding the
   20  validity of the initial grievance under relevant statutory
   21  provisions or of any rule or order of the department, as it
   22  applies to the inmate's particular set of circumstances, and
   23  whether the inmate has alleged sufficient cause to file such
   24  grievance.
   25         (3) The department shall cooperate with the Division of
   26  Administrative Hearings to develop a form to initiate the
   27  grievance process, and must adopt rules relating to, but not
   28  limited to, time frames for receiving and responding to
   29  grievances and methods of filing the grievance.
   30         (4) The department is authorized to waive the process for a
   31  petition for declaratory statement in the event of an emergency
   32  grievance alleging substantial risk of imminent sexual abuse or
   33  great bodily harm.
   34  
   35  ================= T I T L E  A M E N D M E N T ================
   36  And the title is amended as follows:
   37         Delete line 1293
   38  and insert:
   39         tracking applications; amending s. 944.331, F.S.,;
   40         requiring an inmate's grievance to be reviewed by an
   41         administrative law judge; amending s. 945.41, F.S.;