HB 1345 Summary

• Amends section 2.01 to declare certain English common and statute laws (through July 4, 1776) in force in Florida, with specific exceptions for tort liability, abuse of process, malicious prosecution, and fraud claims where litigation privilege and judicial immunity are not valid defenses.

• Requires Florida Supreme Court to develop and annually report on plans for civics promotion and judicial branch education; expands recipients of annual reports to include Governor, Cabinet members, Senate President, and House Speaker.

• Establishes biennial full audit reviews of the state courts system and Judicial Qualifications Commission by the Auditor General and Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability, beginning July 1, 2014.

• Creates special divisions within each judicial circuit for unified family courts, teen courts, and drug and mental health courts to consolidate cases involving children, families, and mental health matters.

• Increases Judicial Qualifications Commission membership from 13 to 15 members and requires the commission to hire separate staff for each panel, including a designated staff committee of five citizen electors whose reports become public records.