Senate Bill sb1062

    Florida Senate - 2006                                  SB 1062

    By Senator Diaz de la Portilla





    36-735-06

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to coordinated 311 nonemergency

  3         and other governmental services telephone

  4         systems; creating s. 365.180, F.S.; defining

  5         the term "coordinated 311 nonemergency and

  6         other governmental services telephone system";

  7         authorizing the Department of Community Affairs

  8         to accept and administer funds to provide

  9         grants for coordinated 311 nonemergency and

10         other governmental services systems;

11         authorizing counties and municipalities to

12         apply for grants; requiring a county or

13         municipality to provide matching funds;

14         requiring the department to award grants in

15         order of priority; providing for certain

16         limitations on grant funds received;

17         authorizing the department to adopt rules;

18         providing an appropriation; providing an

19         effective date.

20  

21  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

22  

23         Section 1.  Section 365.180, Florida Statutes, is

24  created to read:

25         365.180  Grant program for a coordinated 311

26  nonemergency and other governmental services telephone system;

27  grants for operation; funding; approval; allocation.--

28         (1)  The Legislature finds that a 311 telephone system

29  for nonemergency and other governmental services may reduce

30  the volume of nonemergency calls to 911 Public Safety

31  Answering Points, particularly in times of a disaster. The

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    Florida Senate - 2006                                  SB 1062
    36-735-06




 1  Legislature further finds that 311 systems improve public

 2  access to government by providing seamless access to various

 3  governmental entities, enhancing coordination among state and

 4  various local jurisdictions, and improving service delivery.

 5         (2)  As used in this section, the term "coordinated 311

 6  nonemergency and other governmental services telephone system"

 7  means a 311 system that is multijurisdictional and designed to

 8  provide seamless access to nonemergency and other governmental

 9  services.

10         (3)  The Department of Community Affairs may accept and

11  administer funds that are appropriated to it to award grants

12  to counties and municipalities to operate a coordinated 311

13  nonemergency and other governmental services telephone system.

14         (4)  A county or municipality may apply to the

15  department for a grant of state funds to implement and operate

16  a coordinated 311 nonemergency and other governmental services

17  telephone system.

18         (5)  A grant awarded under this section must be matched

19  by a contribution from the county or municipality in an amount

20  equal to $1 for each $1 awarded under this section.

21         (6)  The department shall review each grant application

22  that is submitted under subsection (4) and shall annually

23  submit to the secretary a list of all applications received.

24  Included with the list of applicants shall be a list of the

25  systems that staff of the department recommend for approval,

26  arranged in order of priority. The department shall allocate

27  grants only to applicants that are approved by the secretary

28  and for which funds are appropriated by the Legislature.

29         (7)  The annual amount of any one grant made under this

30  section may not exceed the lesser of $2.5 million or 50

31  percent of the total annual cost of operating the coordinated

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    Florida Senate - 2006                                  SB 1062
    36-735-06




 1  311 nonemergency and other governmental services telephone

 2  system. The total amount of the grants awarded to a

 3  coordinated 311 nonemergency and other governmental services

 4  telephone system in a 5-year period may not exceed $10

 5  million.

 6         (8)  Each 311 system receiving funds under this section

 7  shall submit a report to the Governor, the President of the

 8  Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives by

 9  December 15, 2007, detailing how the 311 system spent the

10  funds appropriated to it under this section.

11         (9)  The Department of Community Affairs may adopt

12  rules for administering this section, including rules for the

13  criteria to be applied in order to evaluate applications for

14  grants.

15         Section 2.  The sum of $10 million is appropriated from

16  the General Revenue Fund to the Department of Community

17  Affairs for the 2006-2007 fiscal year for the purpose of

18  funding grants for the coordinated 311 nonemergency and other

19  governmental services telephone system.

20         Section 3.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2006.

21  

22            *****************************************

23                          SENATE SUMMARY

24    Authorizes the Department of Community Affairs to accept
      and administer funds to provide grants for coordinated
25    311 nonemergency and other governmental services systems.
      Provides that counties and municipalities may apply for
26    implementation and operation grants. Requires a county or
      municipality to provide matching funds. Requires the
27    department to award grants in order of priority. Provides
      for certain limitations on grant funds received.
28    Authorizes the department to adopt rules. Provides an
      appropriation.
29  

30  

31  

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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.