From the National Center For State Courts Gavel to Gavel:
For fourth time in five years, Florida bills would provide additional funding for courts, but only if judicial immunity is retroactively ended and judicial disciplinary commission changed.
Here are the bills in question:
Florida HB 1345 Retroactively eliminates judicial immunity. Requires Supreme Court create plan for promoting civics for residents in state. Requires all final reports by court committees, retroactive to 2000, be submitted to the Governor, Cabinet, and Legislature. Requires Auditor General and the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability conduct full audit review of state courts system and repeat the audit ever two years. Creates unified family courts, teen courts, drug courts and mental health courts in each judicial circuit. Expands Judicial Qualifications Commission. Requires panels of the Commission investigating complaints against judges include at least 5 "common citizen electors" as a staff committee, none of whom may be "officers of the court" and who must prepare a separate report on the investigation that is to be made publicly available. Requires Auditor General and the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability conduct full audit review of commission and repeat the audit every two years. In House Judiciary Committee.
Florida SB 1444 Retroactively eliminates judicial immunity. Requires Supreme Court create plan for promoting civics for residents in state. Requires all final reports by court committees, retroactive to 2000, be submitted to the Governor, Cabinet, and Legislature. Requires Auditor General and the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability conduct full audit review of state courts system and repeat the audit ever two years. Creates unified family courts, teen courts, drug courts and mental health courts in each judicial circuit. Expands Judicial Qualifications Commission. Requires panels of the Commission investigating complaints against judges include at least 5 "common citizen electors" as a staff committee, none of whom may be "officers of the court" and who must prepare a separate report on the investigation that is to be made publicly available. Requires Auditor General and the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability conduct full audit review of commission and repeat the audit every two years. In Senate Judiciary Committee.
Florida HB 1347 Creates Fiscal Stability Trust Fund to be administered by the Supreme Court. Requires 1 percent of General Revenue Fund automatically be placed in the Fiscal Stability Trust Fund. States "the judicial branch of state government shall be held harmless in years of fiscal deficits in the state as a matter of public safety." Permits revenues in the Fiscal Stability Trust Fund to remain in the fund at the end of every fiscal year. Requires passage of HB 1347 "or similar legislation". In House Judiciary Committee.
