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Votes at a glance: Committee reports favorably on multiple criminal‑justice bills
Summary
The Senate Criminal Justice Committee reported a package of bills favorably, covering school reporting, crash restitution, DNA‑testing grants, a diversion pilot, victims' records protections, coach background screening, transportation rules, and more.
The Senate Criminal Justice Committee met and reported the following bills favorably to the full Senate (committee action and brief descriptions are below). This roundup lists the bills recorded as "reported favorably" in the committee transcript and notes key committee-level details and any substantive debate captured on the record.
- SB 1374 (school district reporting requirements): Strengthens law‑enforcement notification of arrests for certain background-check‑level offenses and authorizes temporary removal of instructional personnel from student contact pending investigation. Reported favorably by roll call.
- CS for SB 1378 (leaving the scene of a crash): Allows courts discretion to order restitution to vehicle or property owners when a driver caused or contributed to damage; reported favorably.
- SB 1072 (expedited DNA testing grant program, FDLE): Establishes a grant program within FDLE to fund expedited or specialized DNA testing for sheriffs' offices; supporters from DNA Labs International and Department of Justice waived in support; reported favorably.
- CS for SB 1140 (criminal offender substance abuse pilot program): Creates a Hillsborough County pilot for probationers to enroll in an abstinence‑based program with testing and swift sanctions; amendment limits dates (10/01/2025–09/30/2027) and participant cap (150); reported favorably.
- CS for SB 1266 (public‑records protections for victims — Marcy's Law response): Strike‑all amendment seeks to reconcile Marcy's Law with public‑records disclosure for victims and provides a 72‑hour cooling‑off protection for officer identities in critical incidents, plus a sunset provision; committee adopted amendments and reported favorably.
- CS for SB 1546 (background screening of athletic coaches): Changes effective date for Level 2 screening to 07/01/2026, clarifies who is an 'athletic coach' and designates qualifying entities for clearinghouse participation; adopted amendments and reported favorably.
- CS for SB 1430 (post‑judgment execution proceedings related to terrorism): Narrowly targeted changes to facilitate enforcement of judgments against terrorists and modernize intangible‑asset law; reported favorably.
- CS for SB 1444 (Criminal Justice omnibus): Comprehensive measure (see separate article) including sealing, false‑reporting, AI oversight, and expanded protections for justice personnel; committee adopted delete‑all amendment and reported favorably after debate on several drafting points.
- SB 240 (Haven Act — victims of domestic and dating violence): See separate article. Committee adopted amendments and reported favorably.
- SB 606 (public lodging and food service establishments): Clarifies transient vs. non‑transient occupancy and removes a mandatory‑arrest penalty; recorded favorable report (one recorded 'No' vote by Vice Chair Smith).
- CS for SB 1450 (arrest/detention of individuals with significant medical conditions): Allows law enforcement discretion regarding immediate arrest of persons with significant medical conditions in institutional settings; reported favorably.
- CS for SB 44 (motor vehicles — impersonation and red/blue lights): Raises penalty for operating a vehicle with unauthorized red/blue lights and attempting to stop another vehicle (misdemeanor → felony); reported favorably.
- CS for SB 1000 (court‑ordered sealing reforms): Expands petition‑based sealing for certain low‑level misdemeanor convictions and non‑conviction records subject to limits and excludes some DUIs from eligibility; committee adopted amendments and reported favorably.
- CS for SB 1400 (removal of altered sexual depictions): Requires covered online platforms to establish a process to remove nonconsensual altered sexual depictions within 48 hours of a valid request; reported favorably.
- SB 1696 (prearranged transportation; rideshare): Updates safety and classification for transportation network companies, addresses impersonation and restores ability to provide paratransit/first‑last mile services; reported favorably.
- SB 1804 (capital trafficking of children under 12): See separate article; committee reported favorably though the measure generated constitutional objections from some members and witnesses.
Committee action: For each listed bill, the committee either adopted amendments on the floor and then voted to "report favorably" to the full Senate. Several bills drew significant testimony or debate (noted above); others were accompanied by waiver slips from stakeholders. Where the transcript shows a recorded roll call or a named senator's 'No' vote, that detail is noted in the bill entry above.
Any bill text, statutory cross‑references or legal interpretations should be verified against the official bill filings and committee files before publication.
