Many New Bills Become Law July 1st
There are many Bills which will modify Florida Statutes on July 1st including four related to safety and health. The first is H325 which will make red light cameras legal in Florida. There have been many studies whether they will reduce the number of red light runners, thereby reducing vehicle accidents. Most studies agree that over time, intersections with red light cameras catch fewer and fewer red light runners. The program was so successful in Bolingbrook, Ill that over time there was a 40% decrease in tickets given out which resulted in the city no longer using the cameras. How successful the program will be in Florida, we will see.
Senate Bill S1136 changes Florida Statutes relative to fire inspections.
The new statute changes include:
· Exceptions to certain local government fire safety inspections,
· More clearly defining requirements for inspections of fire hydrants owned by governmental entities including how authorizing local government utilities to comply using designated employees
· What the qualifications are for designated employees to make these inspections.
Senate Bill 742 updates and clarifies Florida Statutes relating to Public Safety Telecommunicators (PST), formally known as Emergency Dispatchers.
Items covered include:
· Fees for certification and recertification collected by the Department of Health,
· Providing updated requirements for training and certification for PSTs
· Requiring the Department of Health to establish a procedure for the approval of PST training programs
· Requiring sworn state-certified law enforcement officers and state-certified firefighters to pass an examination administered by the Department of Health
· Providing for a temporary waiver of certification requirements in an area of the state for which the Governor has declared a state of emergency.
House Bill H951 provides for documentation changes and updates for the Criminal Justice Information Program and Department of Law Enforcement.
The safety aspects include:
· New or updated statutes requiring the Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission to adopt rules relating to the maintenance of officers who engage in those specialized areas found to present a high risk of harm to the officer or to the public at large
· Further requires the Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission to adopt rules requiring the demonstration of proficiency in firearms for all law enforcement officers
· Revising standards for completing a Commission-approved basic recruit training program
· Revising qualifications for certified law enforcement officers separated from employment for more than a certain period of time
· Updates the requirements for correctional probation officers relative to specified basic skills examination and assessment instrument before entrance into the basic recruit training program.
If you would like to read these Bills, or if you would like to read all the Bills that go into effect July 1st, please go to http://laws.flrules.org/