FL H0575

Eliminates mandatory direct file provisions that previously required state attorneys to automatically prosecute certain juveniles as adults, making all direct file decisions discretionary

Requires a mandatory evidentiary hearing within 30 days for any child charged in adult court, allowing a judge to determine whether adult prosecution is necessary for community protection

Expands factors judges must consider at hearings, including the child's maturity, trauma history, intellectual capacity, peer pressure effects, rehabilitation prospects, and whether juvenile court could adequately address public safety

Removes "conspiracy to commit" from the list of qualifying offenses for discretionary direct file of 14-15 year olds, and eliminates "adjudications withheld" from counting toward the two prior adjudications required for misdemeanor direct file of 16-17 year olds

Prohibits housing children subject to direct file in adult jails prior to a court finding that adult prosecution is appropriate, with effective date of July 1, 2019