THE BILL ITSELF
HB 1391
Family Court Report Cards
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A bill to be entitled
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An act relating to family court report cards; creating
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s. 25.396, F.S.; requiring the Office of the State
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Courts Administrator to establish a pilot program
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beginning on a specified date; providing the purpose
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of the pilot program; providing a reporting
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requirement; providing an appropriation; requiring the
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office to prepare and publish on its website an annual
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family court report card of each judge who presides
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over family law proceedings in each judicial circuit
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beginning on a specified date; providing a purpose for
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the report card; requiring that the report card
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include specified information; requiring the office to
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maintain a publicly accessible online database of the
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report cards and certain statewide summaries;
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prohibiting the report cards from containing certain
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personal identifying information; requesting the
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Supreme Court to adopt rules; providing an effective
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date.
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Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
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Section 1. Section 25.396, Florida Statutes, is created to
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read:
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25.396 Family court report cards pilot program.—
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(1)(a)1. Beginning on July 1, 2026, the Office of the
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State Courts Administrator shall establish a pilot program in
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three judicial circuits to implement the provisions of this
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section.
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2. The purpose of the pilot program is to refine data
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definitions, reporting standards, publication tools, and methods
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before the family court report cards are implemented statewide
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pursuant to this section.
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3. No later than March 1, 2027, the Office of the State
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Courts Administrator shall submit to the Governor, the President
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of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives a
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report on the findings of the pilot program.
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(b) The Legislature shall provide funding necessary for
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the Office of the State Courts Administrator to implement the
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pilot program, including personnel and information technology
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resources dedicated to data collection, verification, and
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publication.
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(2)(a) Beginning July 1, 2027, and annually thereafter,
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the Office of the State Courts Administrator shall prepare and
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publish on its website a family court report card of each judge
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who presides over family law proceedings in each judicial
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circuit.
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(b) The report card is intended to promote transparency,
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accountability, and public confidence in the family law system
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by providing standardized performance metrics regarding case
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management, timeliness, and outcomes.
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(c) At a minimum, each report card must include all of the
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following:
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1. The average time to final judgment in dissolution and
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time-sharing cases.
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2. The percentage of cases resolved through mediation or
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settlement.
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3. The number and percentage of cases requiring court-
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ordered psychological evaluations.
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4. The average cost to parties for court-appointed
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professionals, if such data is available.
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5. The rate of postjudgment modifications within 3 years
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after entry of final judgment.
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6. The compliance rate with statutory time requirements
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for rulings on motions and reports.
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7. The aggregate rate of reversal on appeal in family law
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cases.
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(d) To ensure accurate interpretation of the metrics under
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this subsection, each report card must also include all of the
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following:
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1. Circuit caseload volume and yearly changes.
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2. Available judicial and administrative resources for
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family court operations.
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3. Indicators of case complexity, when quantifiable.
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4. Optional narrative statements not to exceed 500 words
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by a presiding judge to provide context for the metrics.
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(3) The Office of the State Courts Administrator shall
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maintain a publicly accessible, searchable, online database of
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report cards and annual statewide summaries. Such summaries must
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identify trends and resource disparities across all of the
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judicial circuits of this state.
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(4) Report cards may not contain personal identifying
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information about litigants or minor children.
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(5) The Supreme Court is requested to adopt rules to
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implement this section, including standardized data definitions,
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reporting procedures, and quality assurance requirements.
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Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026.