Medal of Heroism for Juvenile Justice Officers and Fund Distribution

State Bills: Florida

Published March 31st, 2026

Detected April 2nd, 2026

Summary

Florida enacted H1153 (Chapter No. 2026-16), authorizing the Governor to award a Medal of Heroism to juvenile detention and probation officers and permitting certain entities to establish Medal of Valor award programs for these officers. The bill also revises the definition of 'officer' to include juvenile justice personnel and requires the Department of Revenue to transfer specified funds owed to the Department of Juvenile Justice into a designated trust fund.

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What changed

Florida H1153 makes several additions to state law regarding juvenile justice. The bill authorizes the Governor to award a Medal of Heroism to juvenile detention officers and juvenile probation officers, and permits certain entities to establish their own Medal of Valor award programs for these officers. Additionally, the definition of 'officer' under relevant statutes is expanded to explicitly include juvenile detention and probation officers. The Department of Juvenile Justice is required to direct the Department of Revenue to deduct amounts owed to DJJ, which are then to be transferred into a specified trust fund, affecting county fund distributions.

Compliance teams at the Department of Juvenile Justice and related agencies should review updated officer definitions to ensure internal policies reflect the expanded scope. Budget and finance personnel should monitor changes to fund distribution procedures between DJJ and the Department of Revenue. The bill passed unanimously (108-0 in House, 34-0 in Senate) and took effect upon the Governor's approval on March 30, 2026, with formal enactment on March 31, 2026.

What to do next

Update internal policies to reflect the expanded definition of 'officer' to include juvenile detention and probation officers
Review award program procedures if establishing a Medal of Valor program for juvenile justice personnel
Coordinate with Department of Revenue regarding updated fund transfer and deduction procedures

Source document (simplified)

ChangeBridge / Florida / H1153 Enacted H1153 H Enacted 2026-03-31

Juvenile Justice

Authorizing the Governor to award a Medal of Heroism to juvenile detention and juvenile probation officers; authorizing certain entities to establish an award program to award a Medal of Valor to a juvenile detention officer or probation officer in certain circumstances; revising the definition of the term "officer" to include juvenile detention and juvenile probation officers; requiring the Department of Juvenile Justice to direct the Department of Revenue to deduct specified amounts owed to the Department of Juvenile Justice upon a certain determination; requiring the Department of Revenue to transfer such funds into a certain trust fund; specifying requirements relating to such reductions in amounts distributed to counties, etc.

Bill Details

State Florida

Session 2026 Regular Session

Chamber House

Official Source www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2026/1153

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Action History

2026-03-31 Chapter No. 2026-16 2026-03-30 Approved by Governor 2026-03-30 Signed by Officers and presented to Governor 2026-03-06 H Ordered enrolled 2026-03-06 H In Messages 2026-03-06 S CS passed; YEAS 34 NAYS 0 2026-03-06 S Read 3rd time 2026-03-06 S Read 2nd time 2026-03-06 S Substituted for CS/SB 1734 2026-03-06 S Placed on Calendar, on 2nd reading 2026-03-06 S Withdrawn from Rules 2026-03-03 S Received 2026-03-03 S Referred to Rules 2026-03-03 S In Messages 2026-03-03 H CS passed; YEAS 108, NAYS 0 2026-03-03 H Read 3rd time 2026-03-03 H Added to Third Reading Calendar 2026-03-03 H Read 2nd time 2026-02-26 H Bill added to Special Order Calendar (3/3/2026) 2026-02-18 H Added to Second Reading Calendar 2026-02-18 H Bill referred to House Calendar 2026-02-17 H 1st Reading (Committee Substitute 2) 2026-02-17 H CS Filed 2026-02-17 H Laid on Table under Rule 7.18(a) 2026-02-17 H Reported out of Judiciary Committee 2026-02-17 H Favorable with CS by Judiciary Committee 2026-02-13 H Added to Judiciary Committee agenda 2026-02-09 H Now in Judiciary Committee 2026-02-09 H Referred to Judiciary Committee 2026-02-09 H 1st Reading (Committee Substitute 1) 2026-02-06 H CS Filed 2026-02-06 H Laid on Table under Rule 7.18(a) 2026-02-06 H Reported out of Justice Budget Subcommittee 2026-02-05 H Favorable with CS by Justice Budget Subcommittee 2026-02-03 H Added to Justice Budget Subcommittee agenda 2026-01-28 H Now in Justice Budget Subcommittee 2026-01-28 H Reported out of Criminal Justice Subcommittee 2026-01-28 H Favorable by Criminal Justice Subcommittee 2026-01-26 H Added to Criminal Justice Subcommittee agenda 2026-01-15 H Now in Criminal Justice Subcommittee 2026-01-15 H Referred to Judiciary Committee 2026-01-15 H Referred to Justice Budget Subcommittee 2026-01-15 H Referred to Criminal Justice Subcommittee 2026-01-13 H 1st Reading (Original Filed Version) 2026-01-07 H Filed

Votes

2026-01-28 House Criminal Justice Subcommittee Yea: 14 Nay: 0 2026-02-05 House Justice Budget Subcommittee Yea: 14 Nay: 0 2026-02-17 House Judiciary Committee Yea: 20 Nay: 0 2026-03-03 House: Third Reading RCS#650 Yea: 108 Nay: 0 2026-03-06 Senate: Third Reading RCS#30 Yea: 34 Nay: 0