Florida Senate - 2013 SB 366
By Senator Hukill
8-00387A-13 2013366__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to the State Poet Laureate; amending
3 s. 265.285, F.S.; assigning duties to the Florida
4 Council on Arts and Culture relating to the promotion
5 of poetry and recommendations for the appointment of
6 the State Poet Laureate; creating s. 265.2863, F.S.;
7 creating the honorary position of State Poet Laureate
8 within the Department of State; establishing
9 procedures for the acceptance of nominations, the
10 qualifications and recommendation of nominees, and the
11 appointment of the State Poet Laureate; providing
12 terms and the process for filling vacancies;
13 specifying that any former poet laureate becomes a
14 State Poet Laureate Emeritus or State Poet Laureate
15 Emerita; providing that the State Poet Laureate, the
16 State Poet Laureate Emeritus and the State Poet
17 Laureate Emerita shall serve without compensation;
18 authorizing the department to adopt rules; providing
19 an effective date.
20
21 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
22
23 Section 1. Present paragraph (g) of subsection (2) of
24 section 265.285, Florida Statutes, is redesignated as paragraph
25 (h), and a new paragraph (g) is added to that subsection, to
26 read:
27 265.285 Florida Council on Arts and Culture; membership,
28 duties.—
29 (2) The council shall:
30 (g) Promote the reading, writing, and appreciation of
31 poetry throughout the state and accept nominations and recommend
32 nominees for appointment as the State Poet Laureate under s.
33 265.2863.
34 Section 2. Section 265.2863, Florida Statutes, is created
35 to read:
36 265.2863 State Poet Laureate.—
37 (1) The honorary position of State Poet Laureate is created
38 within the Department of State.
39 (2)(a) The Florida Council on Arts and Culture, in
40 accordance with procedures adopted by the department, shall
41 accept nominations for appointment as the State Poet Laureate.
42 The council shall solicit nominations from a broad array of
43 literary sources and members of the public.
44 (b) The council shall recommend to the Secretary of State
45 at least two nominees for appointment as the State Poet
46 Laureate, each of whom must be:
47 1. A permanent resident of the state;
48 2. A public literary poet who has significant standing
49 inside and outside of the state; and
50 3. Willing and physically able to perform the duties of the
51 State Poet Laureate as prescribed by the department, which may
52 include, but are not limited to, engaging in outreach and
53 mentoring for the benefit of schools and communities throughout
54 the state and performing readings of his or her own poetry, as
55 requested.
56 (c) The Secretary of State shall, from among the nominees
57 recommended by the council, submit a nominee to the Governor.
58 The Governor shall appoint the State Poet Laureate.
59 (3) The State Poet Laureate shall serve a term of 4 years.
60 A vacancy shall be filled for the remainder of the unexpired
61 term in the same manner as the original appointment.
62 (4) Each of the state’s poets laureate appointed before the
63 effective date of this section and each State Poet Laureate
64 appointed under this section, upon the appointment of his or her
65 successor, shall be designated a State Poet Laureate Emeritus or
66 State Poet Laureate Emerita in recognition of his or her service
67 to the state.
68 (5) The State Poet Laureate and each State Poet Laureate
69 Emeritus or State Poet Laureate Emerita shall serve without
70 compensation.
71 (6) The department may adopt rules to administer this
72 section.
73 Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2013.