Florida Senate - 2015                                     SB 164
       
       
        
       By Senator Evers
       
       
       
       
       
       2-00188-15                                             2015164__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to the Crime Stoppers Trust Fund;
    3         amending s. 16.555, F.S.; authorizing a county that is
    4         awarded a grant from the trust fund to use such funds
    5         for the purchase and distribution of promotional
    6         items; making technical changes; providing an
    7         effective date.
    8          
    9  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   10  
   11         Section 1. Subsection (5) of section 16.555, Florida
   12  Statutes, is amended to read:
   13         16.555 Crime Stoppers Trust Fund; rulemaking.—
   14         (5)(a) The department shall be the disbursing authority for
   15  the distribution of funding to units of local government which
   16  apply, upon their application to the department for funding
   17  assistance.
   18         (b) Funds deposited in the trust fund pursuant to paragraph
   19  (4)(b) shall be disbursed as provided in this paragraph. A Any
   20  county may apply to the department under s. 938.06 for a grant
   21  from the funds collected in the judicial circuit in which the
   22  county is located under s. 938.06. A grant may be awarded only
   23  to counties that which are served by an official member of the
   24  Florida Association of Crime Stoppers and may only be used only
   25  to support Crime Stoppers and its their crime fighting programs.
   26  Only one such official member is shall be eligible for support
   27  within any county. In order To aid the department in determining
   28  eligibility, the secretary of the Florida Association of Crime
   29  Stoppers shall furnish the department with a schedule of
   30  authorized crime stoppers programs and shall update the schedule
   31  as necessary. The department shall award grants to eligible
   32  counties from available funds and shall distribute funds as
   33  equitably as possible, based on amounts collected within each
   34  county, if when more than one county is eligible within a
   35  judicial circuit.
   36         (c) A county that is awarded a grant under this section may
   37  use such funds to purchase and distribute promotional items to
   38  increase public awareness of, and to educate the public about,
   39  Crime Stoppers.
   40         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2015.