Draft Bills We Support

This is a repeal of the Truth in Sentencing laws for all offenders and includes other protections such as a vesting period so people do not loss all of their gain time on 1 disciplinary report for example. Here is a link to this proposed reform: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1XePa-osJyeUE0UPzc8NPVkpFr0tKJ9Cm 

This proposed bill is considered by some an alternative parole vehicle. It is from Sen. Brandes SB1308 (2020) while it would not release anyone automatically, but it would allow courts to revisit potentially excessive sentences, and reduce them when they can no longer be justified by public safety concerns for young adult offenders ages 18 up until age 25. There has also been a section added that includes a prosecutorial second look for those 25 and over. Here is a link this proposed reform: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_7kknvZLtO74kIJXwKxqYKjqbm6do8No/view?usp=sharing

Florida’s “Prison Releasee Reoffender” (PRR) law provides that, if a person commits one of a number of crimes within three years of release from a prison, the statutory maximum sentence is the mandatory minimum sentence for that offense. This has led to unjust punishments for many non-serious crimes, including life without parole sentences for hundreds of people who clearly don’t deserve such a harsh punishment. This proposed reform eliminates the life without parole PRR mandatory minimum sentence, reduces the mandatory minimum PRR sentences for other offenses, and applies retroactively. This bill was originally filed by Sen Brandes as SB1716 (2020) Here is a link to this proposed reform: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1REJ_gILEUcX3p9H8HSKaDNnI5k-9JoSs

Florida’s Felony murder law allows a person to be convicted of first-degree murder, a capital felony, even if they did not personally commit nor intend to commit the murder as long as they were a participant in any way in the underlying felony that leads to the death of another. This proposed reform would distinguish felony murder from premeditated murder and require that a participant in felony murder actually kill another, aid or otherwise assist in the killing of another, or act with reckless indifference to human life, before being punished for felony murder. Here is a link to this proposed reform: https://drive.google.com/open?id=113ZyXGuMoRuV2lDEJUqzJWnWG7KhmcMH 

This was Rep. Andrade’s HB339 (2020) This proposed reform increases cocaine trafficking from 28-200 grams to 50-250 to hit the 3 year man min and from 200-400 to 250-500 for the 7 year man min and from 400 to 500 grams for the 15 year man min for example. It also gives judges the ability to depart from the mandatory minimum all together if certain findings were met and the bill allows people currently incarcerated for drug crimes to petition for re-sentencing.  Here's a link to this proposed reform: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1-1-V1rPIICxhmPHGrhgtazdNY_Q-7Mqw 

This is a combination of 2 more of Sen. Brandes bills filed in 2020 to create a conditional aging inmate release program within FDC and shifts release authority under the conditional medical release program from the FCOR to FDC. Many people think right now that FDC should release people but they actually do not have the legal power to do this only the Governor does. A bill like this would give FDC the power to release people on their own. Here is a link to this proposed reform: https://drive.google.com/open?id=19Ni7aFpDT03pXs1QcGdoHt1AljjLeta0

In 2016, the Legislature repealed the mandatory minimum sentence for aggravated assault with a firearm. Under the old law, the mandatory      minimum was 20 years in prison. Under current law, it’s 5 years. In 2018, Florida voters approved amendment 11 to allow the Legislature to apply reforms retroactively. This proposed reform would allow people serving sentences imposed before the law changed to petition the court for re-sentencing. Link to this proposed reform: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1xO5358PvWD6Vta3CIXHhiBwx3zzXV_dO