'Protecting Vulnerable Floridians' Bills Pass House Appropriations

The Florida House of Representatives Appropriations Committee passed a series of bills Wednesday aimed at strengthening laws to protect children from sexually violent predators.

It's part of the Legislatures Work Plan 2014 Protecting Floridas Vulnerable initiative.

Bills included in the Houses initiative to deal with violent predators are the following:

-- HB 7013 requires the Department of Children and Families (DCF) to notify victims and the Department of Corrections (DOC) of the release of all persons in the custody of DCF not just those committed as sexually violent predators. The bill also requires DCF to provide such notice to sheriffs in the county in which the person intends to reside or, if unknown, in the county in which the person was last convicted.

-- HB 7025 strengthens the registration requirements applicable to sexual predators and offenders to bring those requirements further in line with the federal Adam Walsh Act.

-- HB 7017 ensures that the probationary period of an offender in DCFs custody pursuant to the Jimmy Ryce Act does not begin until the person is released from DCFs custody.

-- HB 7019 closes a loophole by creating a process by which persons sentenced to a term of imprisonment in a jail can be referred to DCF for civil commitment.

-- HB 7027 increases the penalties for specified sexual battery and lewd or lascivious offenses against children; increases to 50 years the minimum mandatory sentence for dangerous sexual felony offenders; requires the court to impose a split sentence in which an offender convicted of specified sexual offenses is sentenced to 2 years of community supervision after serving his or her term of imprisonment; and creates a new sentencing multiplier for specified adult-on-minor sexual offenses.

-- HB 7021 raises standards and increases accountability in the DCF evaluation process for determining whether an offender meets criteria for commitment to the Sexually Violent Predator Program.

Said Matt Gaetz, chairman of the House Criminal Justice Subcommittee, To protect our children from harm, the House is working to make Florida the most unfriendly state in the nation for sexually violent predators. Our bipartisan initiative strengthens the states laws and closes loopholes to ensure these criminals are punished to the fullest extent and no longer are allowed to slip through the cracks of our criminal justice and civil commitment systems. ..."

Gayle Harrell, chairwoman of the House Healthy Families Subcommittee, said, The Florida House is taking a significant stand against sexually violent predators. This initiative shows our commitment to ensuring the safety of Floridas children and families. ..."