Florida Senate - 2013 CS for CS for SB 442 By the Committees on Governmental Oversight and Accountability; and Commerce and Tourism; and Senator Thompson 585-03461-13 2013442c2 1 A bill to be entitled 2 An act relating to the Black Cultural Tourism 3 Enhancement Commission; creating the commission within 4 the Department of State; directing the commission to 5 independently exercise its powers and duties; 6 requiring the department to provide administrative and 7 staff support services to the commission; providing 8 the powers and duties of the commission; providing for 9 the appointment and terms of commission members; 10 providing for the reimbursement of per diem and travel 11 expenses for commission members; authorizing the 12 commission to establish or designate a direct-support 13 organization for specified purposes; providing an 14 effective date. 15 16 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 17 18 Section 1. Black Cultural Tourism Enhancement Commission.— 19 (1) There is created the Black Cultural Tourism Enhancement 20 Commission. The commission shall be administratively housed 21 within the Department of State but shall independently exercise 22 the powers and duties specified in this section. The department 23 staff shall provide administrative and staff support services to 24 the commission. 25 (2) The commission shall: 26 (a) Provide financial and technical assistance to 27 facilities and events that have the potential to expand tourism, 28 create jobs, and stimulate economic development in the state 29 through the marketing of the state’s black cultural sites. 30 (b) Provide training and technical assistance for staff 31 members of the state’s black cultural sites in order to develop 32 tour guides and tour operators for the sites. 33 (c) Provide resources and technical assistance for 34 educators of the state related to the teaching of black history, 35 promote the state’s black cultural sites as historical venues, 36 and support tourism in the state through student tours of the 37 sites. 38 (d) Serve as a resource for the Florida Tourism Industry 39 Marketing Corporation in order to expand cultural tourism in the 40 state. 41 (3)(a) The commission is composed of 13 members who are 42 appointed in the following manner: 43 1. The Governor shall appoint three members, one of whom 44 represents an institution of higher learning, one of whom 45 represents the Florida African-American Heritage Preservation 46 Network, and one of whom represents business and civic interests 47 in the African-American community. 48 2. The President of the Senate shall appoint two members, 49 one of whom is involved in instructional design in a school 50 district or in an institution of higher learning and one of whom 51 is an employee of a museum of African-American history in this 52 state. 53 3. The Speaker of the House of Representatives shall 54 appoint two members, one of whom has a substantial history of 55 community service in the performing or visual arts in the 56 African-American community and one of whom is an employee of a 57 museum of African-American history in this state. 58 4. The Secretary of State shall appoint two members who are 59 directors of museums of African-American history or black 60 archives and research centers in this state. 61 5. The Commissioner of Education shall appoint two members 62 who are members of the Commissioner of Education’s African 63 American History Task Force. 64 6. The Florida Conference of Black State Legislators shall 65 appoint two members, one of whom is a representative of a 66 philanthropic foundation and one of whom is a member of the 67 clergy. 68 (b) A member of the commission shall be appointed for a 69 term of 4 years, except that at the time of the initial 70 appointment, two members appointed by the Governor, one member 71 appointed by the President of the Senate, one member appointed 72 by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, one member 73 appointed by the Secretary of State, and one member appointed by 74 the Commissioner of Education shall be appointed for a term of 2 75 years. A member may be appointed to a subsequent term. 76 (4) Members of the commission shall serve without 77 compensation but are entitled to reimbursement for per diem and 78 travel expenses as provided in s. 112.061, Florida Statutes. 79 (5) The commission may establish or designate a direct 80 support organization that may receive grants, bequests, and 81 other resources to support the state’s black cultural sites and 82 the functions of the commission. 83 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2013.