| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to programs for autism and related |
| 3 | disabilities; amending ss. 320.08056 and 320.08058, F.S.; |
| 4 | creating an Autism license plate; establishing an annual |
| 5 | use fee for the plate; providing for the distribution of |
| 6 | use fees received from the sale of such plates; requiring |
| 7 | the retention of specified contribution proceeds to offset |
| 8 | implementation costs; amending s. 320.02, F.S.; requiring |
| 9 | the application form for motor vehicle registration and |
| 10 | renewal of registration to include language permitting a |
| 11 | voluntary contribution to the Autism License Plate Fund; |
| 12 | amending s. 322.08, F.S.; requiring the application form |
| 13 | for a driver's license or duplicate thereof to include |
| 14 | language permitting a voluntary contribution to the Autism |
| 15 | License Plate Fund; providing an effective date. |
| 16 |
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| 17 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 18 |
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| 19 | Section 1. Paragraph (qqq) is added to subsection (4) of |
| 20 | section 320.08056, Florida Statutes, to read: |
| 21 | 320.08056 Specialty license plates.-- |
| 22 | (4) The following license plate annual use fees shall be |
| 23 | collected for the appropriate specialty license plates: |
| 24 | (qqq) Autism license plate, $25. |
| 25 | Section 2. Subsection (69) is added to section 320.08058, |
| 26 | Florida Statutes, to read: |
| 27 | 320.08058 Specialty license plates.-- |
| 28 | (69) AUTISM LICENSE PLATES.-- |
| 29 | (a) The department shall develop an Autism license plate |
| 30 | as provided in this section. Autism license plates must bear the |
| 31 | colors and design approved by the department. The word "Florida" |
| 32 | must appear at the top of the plate, and the words "Support |
| 33 | Autism Programs" must appear at the bottom of the plate. |
| 34 | (b) The proceeds from the license plate annual use fee |
| 35 | shall be distributed to Achievement and Rehabilitation Centers, |
| 36 | Inc., to fund service programs for autism and related |
| 37 | disabilities throughout the state and to operate and establish |
| 38 | programs to support individuals with autism and related |
| 39 | disabilities through direct services, evaluation, training, and |
| 40 | awareness. Achievement and Rehabilitation Centers, Inc., shall |
| 41 | establish an Autism Services Grant Council that shall provide |
| 42 | grants from available Autism license plate proceeds to nonprofit |
| 43 | organizations for direct services and programs for individuals |
| 44 | with autism and related disabilities and their families. |
| 45 | Consideration for participation in such services and programs |
| 46 | shall be given to applicants who are children or adults with |
| 47 | autism and related disabilities and their families and shall |
| 48 | include those who are on the Agency for Persons with |
| 49 | Disabilities waiting lists for services. Achievement and |
| 50 | Rehabilitation Centers, Inc., shall also establish an Autism |
| 51 | License Plate Fund. Moneys in the fund shall be used by the |
| 52 | grant council as provided in this paragraph. All funds received |
| 53 | under this subsection must be used in this state. |
| 54 | (c) Achievement and Rehabilitation Centers, Inc., may |
| 55 | retain all proceeds from the annual use fee up to $85,000 until |
| 56 | all documented startup costs for developing and establishing the |
| 57 | plate have been recovered. Thereafter, the proceeds from the |
| 58 | annual use fee shall be used as follows: |
| 59 | 1. Up to 10 percent of the proceeds from the annual use |
| 60 | fee may be used for the administration of the Autism License |
| 61 | Plate Fund, the Autism Services Grant Council, and related |
| 62 | matters. |
| 63 | 2. Funds may be used as necessary for annual audit or |
| 64 | compliance affidavit costs. |
| 65 | 3. Thirty-five percent of the proceeds from the annual use |
| 66 | fee shall be used to establish and operate programs to support |
| 67 | individuals with autism and related disabilities and their |
| 68 | families through direct services, evaluation, training, and |
| 69 | awareness in the state. |
| 70 | 4. The Center for Autism and Related Disabilities at the |
| 71 | University of Miami shall receive 15 percent of the proceeds |
| 72 | from the annual use fee for distribution, as determined |
| 73 | appropriate by the director of that center, to the seven |
| 74 | regional autism centers created under s. 1004.55. The regional |
| 75 | centers shall use the proceeds to support the services they |
| 76 | provide. |
| 77 | 5. The remaining proceeds from the annual use fee shall be |
| 78 | available to the Autism Services Grant Council for grants to |
| 79 | nonprofit organizations to operate direct services programs for |
| 80 | individuals with autism and related disabilities and their |
| 81 | families and for marketing the Autism license plate. All grant |
| 82 | recipients, including Achievement and Rehabilitation Centers, |
| 83 | Inc., and the Center for Autism and Related Disabilities, shall |
| 84 | be required to provide to the Autism Services Grant Council an |
| 85 | annual program and financial report regarding the use of grant |
| 86 | funds. Such reports shall be made available to the public. |
| 87 | (d) Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, |
| 88 | the first $10,000 in proceeds generated from voluntary |
| 89 | contributions to the Autism License Plate Fund authorized in ss. |
| 90 | 320.02 and 322.08 shall be retained by the department to offset |
| 91 | the department's implementation costs. |
| 92 | Section 3. Paragraph (h) is added to subsection (15) of |
| 93 | section 320.02, Florida Statutes, to read: |
| 94 | 320.02 Registration required; application for |
| 95 | registration; forms.-- |
| 96 | (15) |
| 97 | (h) The application form for motor vehicle registration |
| 98 | and renewal of registration must include language permitting a |
| 99 | voluntary contribution of $5 to the Autism License Plate Fund |
| 100 | administered by Achievement and Rehabilitation Centers, Inc. |
| 101 | Except as provided in s. 320.08058(69)(d), such contributions |
| 102 | must be transferred by the department each month to Achievement |
| 103 | and Rehabilitation Centers, Inc., for benefit of the Autism |
| 104 | License Plate Fund to be used as provided in s. 320.08058(69). |
| 105 |
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| 106 | For the purpose of applying the service charge provided in s. |
| 107 | 215.20, contributions received under this subsection are not |
| 108 | income of a revenue nature. |
| 109 | Section 4. Subsection (6) of section 322.08, Florida |
| 110 | Statutes, is amended to read: |
| 111 | 322.08 Application for license.-- |
| 112 | (6) The application form for a driver's license or |
| 113 | duplicate thereof shall include language permitting the |
| 114 | following: |
| 115 | (a) A voluntary contribution of $1 per applicant, which |
| 116 | contribution shall be deposited into the Health Care Trust Fund |
| 117 | for organ and tissue donor education and for maintaining the |
| 118 | organ and tissue donor registry. |
| 119 | (b) A voluntary contribution of $1 per applicant, which |
| 120 | contribution shall be distributed to the Florida Council of the |
| 121 | Blind. |
| 122 | (c) A voluntary contribution of $2 per applicant, which |
| 123 | shall be distributed to the Hearing Research Institute, |
| 124 | Incorporated. |
| 125 | (d) A voluntary contribution of $1 per applicant, which |
| 126 | shall be distributed to the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation |
| 127 | International. |
| 128 | (e) A voluntary contribution of $1 per applicant, which |
| 129 | shall be distributed to the Children's Hearing Help Fund. |
| 130 | (f) A voluntary contribution of $1 per applicant, which |
| 131 | shall be distributed to Family First, a nonprofit organization. |
| 132 | (g) A voluntary contribution of $5 per applicant, which, |
| 133 | except as provided in s. 320.08058(69)(d), shall be distributed |
| 134 | to the Autism License Plate Fund administered by Achievement and |
| 135 | Rehabilitation Centers, Inc., to be used as provided in s. |
| 136 | 320.08058(69). |
| 137 |
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| 138 | A statement providing an explanation of the purpose of the trust |
| 139 | funds shall also be included. For the purpose of applying the |
| 140 | service charge provided in s. 215.20, contributions received |
| 141 | under paragraphs (b), (c), (d), (e), and (f), and (g) and under |
| 142 | s. 322.18(9)(a) are not income of a revenue nature. |
| 143 | Section 5. This act shall take effect July 1, 2009. |