Bill Text: FL S1030 | 2017 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Background Screening of Refugees
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Failed) 2017-05-05 - Died in Military and Veterans Affairs, Space, and Domestic Security [S1030 Detail]
Download: Florida-2017-S1030-Introduced.html
Florida Senate - 2017 SB 1030 By Senator Broxson 1-00913-17 20171030__ 1 A bill to be entitled 2 An act relating to background screening of refugees; 3 amending s. 187.201, F.S.; adopting a policy 4 concerning background screening of potential refugees 5 as a part of the State Comprehensive Plan; amending s. 6 216.151, F.S.; specifying duties of the Office of 7 State-Federal Relations concerning background 8 screening of refugees; amending s. 402.86, F.S.; 9 specifying requirements for background screening of 10 refugees as a condition of state participation in 11 certain refugee resettlement or assistance programs; 12 providing an effective date. 13 14 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 15 16 Section 1. Paragraph (b) of subsection (6) of section 17 187.201, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 18 187.201 State Comprehensive Plan adopted.—The Legislature 19 hereby adopts as the State Comprehensive Plan the following 20 specific goals and policies: 21 (6) PUBLIC SAFETY.— 22 (b) Policies.— 23 1. Maintain safe and secure prisons and other correctional 24 facilities with the required number of well-trained staff. 25 2. Provide effective alternatives to incarceration for 26 appropriate offenders and encourage victim restitution. 27 3. Make the corrections system as financially cost 28 effective as possible through prison industries and other inmate 29 work programs and through contractual agreements with public and 30 private vendors. 31 4. Continue to monitor educational and vocational training 32 of inmates to increase the likelihood of successful 33 reintegration into the community. 34 5. Provide all inmates with access to adequate health care, 35 including diagnostic and treatment programs for offenders 36 suffering from substance abuse or psychological disorders. 37 6. Provide incentives to attract and retain high-quality 38 law enforcement and correctional officers. 39 7. Emphasize the reduction of serious crime, particularly 40 violent, organized, economic, and drug-related crimes. 41 8. Increase the level of training and technical assistance 42 provided to law enforcement agencies. 43 9. Increase crime prevention efforts to enhance the 44 protection of individual personal safety and property. 45 10. Emphasize and protect the rights of crime victims. 46 11. Continue to implement coordinated and integrated 47 strategies to combat organized crime, economic crime, and drug 48 trafficking. 49 12. Expand the state’s provisions for the protection of 50 witnesses in criminal cases, especially organized crime cases. 51 13. Strengthen the state’s commitment to pursue, both 52 criminally and civilly, those individuals who profit from 53 economic crimes, in a manner that keeps pace with the level and 54 sophistication of these criminal activities. 55 14. Improve the efficiency of law enforcement through the 56 establishment of a close communication and coordination system 57 among agencies and a comprehensive reporting system for such 58 types of criminal activities as forcible felonies and organized, 59 economic, and drug crimes. 60 15. Improve the effectiveness of the delinquent juvenile 61 justice system commitment programs to reduce recidivism of 62 juveniles who would otherwise be recommitted to state 63 supervision. 64 16. Utilize alternative sentencing and dispute resolution 65 when appropriate, particularly in civil disputes and minor 66 criminal violations. 67 17. Increase the state’s commitment to stringent 68 enforcement of laws against drunken or drugged driving. 69 18. Expand public awareness campaigns that will emphasize 70 the dangers of driving while under the influence of alcohol or 71 drugs. 72 19. Promote efforts to encourage the use of personal safety 73 restraint devices for all persons traveling in motor vehicles. 74 20. Improve the enforcement of and compliance with safe 75 highway speed limits. 76 21. Provide effective and efficient driver licensing 77 systems, including a reliable testing system designed to 78 preclude unqualified drivers from receiving driver licenses. 79 22. Require local governments, in cooperation with regional 80 and state agencies, to prepare advance plans for the safe 81 evacuation of coastal residents. 82 23. Require local governments, in cooperation with regional 83 and state agencies, to adopt plans and policies to protect 84 public and private property and human lives from the effects of 85 natural disasters. 86 24. Require as a condition of participation in any program 87 of refugee resettlement that any refugee to be resettled in the 88 state receive a background investigation by the appropriate 89 federal agency, including the Department of Homeland Security 90 and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, to ensure that the 91 potential refugee is not a security threat before the refugee 92 may be received into the state or receive benefits from any 93 refugee resettlement program in the state. Such a background 94 investigation must include verification from the person’s 95 country of origin and residence in cooperation with the federal 96 agency vetting the potential refugee. 97 Section 2. Paragraph (e) is added to subsection (6) of 98 section 216.151, Florida Statutes, to read: 99 216.151 Duties of the Executive Office of the Governor.—It 100 shall be the duty of the Executive Office of the Governor to: 101 (6) Consult with the Office of State-Federal Relations in 102 Washington, D.C., under the Executive Office of the Governor, in 103 order to: 104 (e) Ensure that appropriate federal agencies shall take all 105 actions necessary to see that any refugee to be resettled in the 106 state receives a background investigation that ensures that the 107 potential refugee is not a security threat before the refugee 108 may be received into the state or receive benefits from any 109 refugee resettlement program in the state. Such a background 110 investigation must include verification from the person’s 111 country of origin and residence in cooperation with the federal 112 agency vetting the potential refugee. 113 114 The express intent of the endeavors enumerated in this 115 subsection shall be to secure a more equitable share of 116 available federal revenues. 117 Section 3. Section 402.86, Florida Statutes, is amended to 118 read: 119 402.86Rulemaking authority forRefugee assistance program; 120 screening requirements; rulemaking.— 121 (1) The Department of Children and Families has the 122 authority to administer the refugee assistance program in 123 accordance with 45 C.F.R. parts 400 and 401. The department 124 shall require, to the extent permitted under federal law, as a 125 condition of the state’s participation in any program of refugee 126 resettlement or assistance that any refugee to be resettled in 127 the state receive a background investigation by the appropriate 128 federal agency, including the Department of Homeland Security 129 and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, to ensure that the 130 potential refugee is not a security threat before the refugee 131 may be received into the state or receive benefits from any 132 refugee resettlement or assistance program in the state. Such a 133 background investigation must include verification from the 134 person’s country of origin and residence in cooperation with the 135 federal agency vetting the potential refugee. 136 (2) The Department of Children and Families or a child 137 placing or child-caring agency designated by the department may 138 petition in circuit court to establish custody. Upon making a 139 finding that a child is an Unaccompanied Refugee Minor as 140 defined in 45 C.F.R. s. 400.111, the court may establish custody 141 and placement of the child in the Unaccompanied Refugee Minor 142 Program. 143 (3)(2)The Department of Children and Families shall adopt 144 any rules necessary for the implementation and administration of 145 this section. 146 Section 4. This act shall take effect July 1, 2017.