Florida Senate - 2022                        COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
       Bill No. SB 756
       
       
       
       
       
       
                                Ì560544&Î560544                         
       
                              LEGISLATIVE ACTION                        
                    Senate             .             House              
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       The Committee on Children, Families, and Elder Affairs (Diaz)
       recommended the following:
       
    1         Senate Amendment (with title amendment)
    2  
    3         Delete lines 15 - 42
    4  and insert:
    5         Section 1. Subsection (3) of section 943.0583, Florida
    6  Statutes, is amended, and subsection (12) is added to that
    7  section, and subsections (10) and (11) of that section are
    8  republished, to read:
    9         943.0583 Human trafficking victim expunction.—
   10         (3)(a) A person who is a victim of human trafficking may
   11  petition for the expunction of a criminal history record
   12  resulting from the arrest or filing of charges for one or more
   13  offenses committed or reported to have been committed while the
   14  person was a victim of human trafficking, which offense was
   15  committed or reported to have been committed as a part of the
   16  human trafficking scheme of which the person was a victim or at
   17  the direction of an operator of the scheme, including, but not
   18  limited to, violations under chapters 796 and 847, without
   19  regard to the disposition of the arrest or of any charges.
   20         (b)However,This section does not apply to any offense
   21  listed in s. 775.084(1)(b)1. if the defendant was found guilty
   22  of, or pled guilty or nolo contendere to, any such offense.
   23         (c) Determination of the petition under this section should
   24  be by a preponderance of the evidence. A conviction expunged
   25  under this section is deemed to have been vacated due to a
   26  substantive defect in the underlying criminal proceedings. If a
   27  person is adjudicated not guilty by reason of insanity or is
   28  found to be incompetent to stand trial for any such charge, the
   29  expunction of the criminal history record may not prevent the
   30  entry of the judgment or finding in state and national databases
   31  for use in determining eligibility to purchase or possess a
   32  firearm or to carry a concealed firearm, as authorized in s.
   33  790.065(2)(a)4.c. and 18 U.S.C. s. 922(t), nor shall it prevent
   34  any governmental agency that is authorized by state or federal
   35  law to determine eligibility to purchase or possess a firearm or
   36  to carry a concealed firearm from accessing or using the record
   37  of the judgment or finding in the course of such agency’s
   38  official duties.
   39         (d) The expansion of public records exemption in paragraph
   40  (b) to allow for the expunction of certain criminal history
   41  records related to an offense listed in s. 775.084(1)(b)1. is
   42  subject to the Open Government Sunset Review Act in accordance
   43  with s. 119.15 and shall stand repealed on October 2, 2027,
   44  unless reviewed and saved from repeal through reenactment by the
   45  Legislature. If the expansion of the exemption is not saved from
   46  repeal, this subsection shall revert to that in existence on
   47  June 30, 2022, except that any amendments to this subsection
   48  other than by this act shall be preserved and continue to
   49  operate to the extent that such amendments are not dependent
   50  upon the portions of this subsection which expire pursuant to
   51  this paragraph.
   52         (10)(a) A criminal history record ordered expunged under
   53  this section that is retained by the department is confidential
   54  and exempt from s. 119.07(1) and s. 24(a), Art. I of the State
   55  Constitution, except that the record shall be made available:
   56         1. To criminal justice agencies for their respective
   57  criminal justice purposes.
   58         2. To any governmental agency that is authorized by state
   59  or federal law to determine eligibility to purchase or possess a
   60  firearm or to carry a concealed firearm for use in the course of
   61  such agency’s official duties.
   62         3. Upon order of a court of competent jurisdiction.
   63         (b) A criminal justice agency may retain a notation
   64  indicating compliance with an order to expunge.
   65         (11)(a) The following criminal intelligence information or
   66  criminal investigative information is confidential and exempt
   67  from s. 119.07(1) and s. 24(a), Art. I of the State
   68  Constitution:
   69         1. Any information that reveals the identity of a person
   70  who is a victim of human trafficking whose criminal history
   71  record has been expunged under this section.
   72         2. Any information that may reveal the identity of a person
   73  who is a victim of human trafficking whose criminal history
   74  record has been ordered expunged under this section.
   75         (b) Criminal investigative information and criminal
   76  intelligence information made confidential and exempt under this
   77  subsection may be disclosed by a law enforcement agency:
   78         1. In the furtherance of its official duties and
   79  responsibilities.
   80         2. For print, publication, or broadcast if the law
   81  enforcement agency determines that such release would assist in
   82  locating or identifying a person that the agency believes to be
   83  missing or endangered. The information provided should be
   84  limited to that needed to identify or locate the victim.
   85         3. To another governmental agency in the furtherance of its
   86  official duties and responsibilities.
   87         (c) This exemption applies to such confidential and exempt
   88  criminal intelligence information or criminal investigative
   89  information held by a law enforcement agency before, on, or
   90  after the effective date of the exemption.
   91         (12)(a)A petition filed under this section and all
   92  pleadings and documents related to the petition are confidential
   93  and exempt from s. 119.07(1) and s. 24(a), Art. I of the State
   94  Constitution.
   95         (b)This subsection is subject to the Open Government
   96  Sunset Review Act in accordance with s. 119.15 and shall stand
   97  repealed on October 2, 2027, unless reviewed and saved from
   98  repeal through reenactment by the Legislature.
   99         Section 2. The Legislature finds it is a public necessity
  100  that criminal history records of human trafficking victims
  101  related to any offense listed in s. 775.084(1)(b)1. that was
  102  dismissed or nolle prosequi by the state attorney or statewide
  103  prosecutor, or was dismissed by a court of competent
  104  jurisdiction or a judgment of acquittal was rendered by a judge,
  105  or a verdict of not guilty was rendered by a judge or jury, and
  106  that are ordered to be expunged under s. 943.0583, Florida
  107  Statutes, be made confidential and exempt from 119.07(1),
  108  Florida Statutes, and s. 24(a), Article I of the State
  109  Constitution. Further, the Legislature finds that it is a public
  110  necessity that a petition filed under s. 943.0583, Florida
  111  Statutes, and all pleadings and documents related to the
  112  petition be made confidential and exempt from s. 119.07(1),
  113  Florida Statutes, and s. 24(a), Article I of the State
  114  Constitution. Persons who are victims of human trafficking and
  115  who have been arrested, charged, or convicted of crimes
  116  committed at the behest of their traffickers are themselves
  117  victims of crimes. These victims face barriers to employment and
  118  loss of other life opportunities, and the fact that they are
  119  seeking expungement, as well as the information contained in
  120  related pleadings and documents, would expose these petitioners
  121  to possible discrimination due to details of their past lives
  122  becoming public knowledge. Therefore, it is necessary that these
  123  specified criminal history records, even though such record is
  124  related to certain serious offenses, and these
  125  ================= T I T L E  A M E N D M E N T ================
  126  And the title is amended as follows:
  127         Delete lines 3 - 7
  128  and insert:
  129         943.0583, F.S.; expanding an existing public records
  130         exemption relating to human trafficking victims
  131         seeking expunction of certain records related to an
  132         offense listed in s. 775.084(1)(b)1., F.S.; providing
  133         for future review and repeal of the expanded
  134         exemption; providing for a reversion of specified
  135         provisions if the exemption is not saved from repeal;
  136         providing that a petition for human trafficking victim
  137         expunction and all pleadings and documents related to
  138         the petition are confidential and exempt from public