The Florida Senate

216.136  Consensus estimating conferences; duties and principals.--

(1)  ECONOMIC ESTIMATING CONFERENCE.--

(a)  Duties.--

1.  The Economic Estimating Conference shall develop such official information with respect to the national and state economies as the conference determines is needed for the state planning and budgeting system. The basic, long-term forecasts which are a part of its official information shall be trend forecasts. However, the conference may include cycle forecasts as a part of its official information if the subject matter of the forecast warrants a cycle forecast and if such forecast is developed in a special impact session of the conference.

2.  Prior to the submission of the Governor's budget recommendations to the Legislature pursuant to s. 216.162, and again prior to each Regular Session of the Legislature, the Economic Estimating Conference shall evaluate and project the financial condition of the employee group health self-insurance plan. This analysis shall also consider any financial impact of the state's use of health maintenance organizations on the funding of the self-insurance plan. The conference shall indicate whether the current plan premium rates are sufficient to fund projected plan claims and other expenses during the fiscal year.

(b)  Principals.--The Executive Office of the Governor, the coordinator of the Office of Economic and Demographic Research, and professional staff of the Senate and House of Representatives who have forecasting expertise, or their designees, are the principals of the Economic Estimating Conference. The responsibility of presiding over sessions of the conference shall be rotated among the principals.

(2)  DEMOGRAPHIC ESTIMATING CONFERENCE.--

(a)  Duties.--The Demographic Estimating Conference shall develop such official information with respect to the population of the nation and state by age, race, and sex as the conference determines is needed for the state planning and budgeting system. The conference shall use the official population estimates provided under s. 186.901 in developing its official information.

(b)  Principals.--The Executive Office of the Governor, the coordinator of the Office of Economic and Demographic Research, and professional staff of the Senate and House of Representatives who have forecasting expertise, or their designees, are the principals of the Demographic Estimating Conference. The responsibility of presiding over sessions of the conference shall be rotated among the principals.

(3)  REVENUE ESTIMATING CONFERENCE.--

(a)  Duties.--The Revenue Estimating Conference shall develop such official information with respect to anticipated state and local government revenues as the conference determines is needed for the state planning and budgeting system. Any principal may request the conference to review and estimate revenues for any trust fund.

(b)  Principals.--The Executive Office of the Governor, the coordinator of the Office of Economic and Demographic Research, and professional staff of the Senate and House of Representatives who have forecasting expertise, or their designees, are the principals of the Revenue Estimating Conference. The responsibility of presiding over sessions of the conference shall be rotated among the principals.

(4)  EDUCATION ESTIMATING CONFERENCE.--

(a)  Duties.--The Education Estimating Conference shall develop such official information relating to the state public educational system, including forecasts of student enrollments, the number of students qualified for state financial aid programs and the appropriation required to fund the full award amounts for each program, fixed capital outlay needs, and Florida Education Finance Program formula needs, as the conference determines is needed for the state planning and budgeting system. The conference's initial projections of enrollments in public schools shall be forwarded by the conference to each school district no later than 2 months prior to the start of the regular session of the Legislature. Each school district may, in writing, request adjustments to the initial projections. Any adjustment request shall be submitted to the conference no later than 1 month prior to the start of the regular session of the Legislature and shall be considered by the principals of the conference. A school district may amend its adjustment request, in writing, during the first 3 weeks of the legislative session, and such amended adjustment request shall be considered by the principals of the conference. For any adjustment so requested, the district shall indicate and explain, using definitions adopted by the conference, the components of anticipated enrollment changes that correspond to continuation of current programs with workload changes; program improvement; program reduction or elimination; initiation of new programs; and any other information that may be needed by the Legislature. For public schools, the conference shall submit its full-time equivalent student consensus estimate to the Legislature no later than 1 month after the start of the regular session of the Legislature. No conference estimate may be changed without the agreement of the full conference.

(b)  Adjustments.--No later than 2 months prior to the start of the regular session of the Legislature, the conference shall forward to each eligible postsecondary education institution its initial projections of the number of students qualified for state financial aid programs and the appropriation required to fund those students at the full award amount. Each postsecondary education institution may request, in writing, adjustments to the initial projection. Any adjustment request must be submitted to the conference no later than 1 month prior to the start of the regular session of the Legislature and shall be considered by the principals of the conference. For any adjustment so requested, the postsecondary education institution shall indicate and explain, using definitions adopted by the conference, the components of anticipated changes that correspond to continuation of current programs with enrollment changes, program reduction or elimination, initiation of new programs, award amount increases or decreases, and any other information that is considered by the conference. The conference shall submit its consensus estimate to the Legislature no later than 1 month after the start of the regular session of the Legislature. No conference estimate may be changed without the agreement of the full conference.

(c)  Principals.--The Associate Deputy Commissioner for Educational Management, the Executive Office of the Governor, the coordinator of the Office of Economic and Demographic Research, and professional staff of the Senate and House of Representatives who have forecasting expertise, or their designees, are the principals of the Education Estimating Conference. The Associate Deputy Commissioner for Educational Management or his or her designee shall preside over sessions of the conference.

(5)  CRIMINAL JUSTICE ESTIMATING CONFERENCE.--

(a)  Duties.--The Criminal Justice Estimating Conference shall develop such official information relating to the criminal justice system, including forecasts of prison admissions by offense categories specified in Rule 3.701, Florida Rules of Criminal Procedure, as the conference determines is needed for the state planning and budgeting system.

(b)  Principals.--The Executive Office of the Governor, the coordinator of the Office of Economic and Demographic Research, and professional staff, who have forecasting expertise, from the Senate, the House of Representatives, and the Supreme Court, or their designees, are the principals of the Criminal Justice Estimating Conference. The principal representing the Executive Office of the Governor shall preside over sessions of the conference.

(6)  SOCIAL SERVICES ESTIMATING CONFERENCE.--

(a)  Duties.--

1.  The Social Services Estimating Conference shall develop such official information relating to the social services system of the state, including forecasts of social services caseloads, as the conference determines is needed for the state planning and budgeting system. Such official information shall include, but not be limited to, subsidized child care caseloads mandated by the Family Support Act of 1988.

2.  In addition, the Social Services Estimating Conference shall develop estimates and forecasts of the unduplicated count of children eligible for subsidized child care as defined in s. 402.3015(1). These estimates and forecasts shall not include children enrolled in the prekindergarten early intervention program established in s. 230.2305.

3.  The Department of Children and Family Services and the Department of Education shall provide information on caseloads and waiting lists for the subsidized child care and prekindergarten early intervention programs requested by the Social Services Estimating Conference or individual conference principals, in a timely manner.

(b)  Principals.--The Executive Office of the Governor, the coordinator of the Office of Economic and Demographic Research, and professional staff, who have forecasting expertise, from the Department of Children and Family Services, the Senate, and the House of Representatives, or their designees, are the principals of the Social Services Estimating Conference. The principal representing the Executive Office of the Governor shall preside over sessions of the conference.

(7)  TRANSPORTATION ESTIMATING CONFERENCE.--

(a)  Duties.--The Transportation Estimating Conference shall develop such official budget information relating to transportation planning and budgeting as is determined by the conference principals to be needed for the state planning and budgeting system. This information shall include estimates of transportation cost indices and other budget-related estimates. This conference shall not address estimates of transportation revenues.

(b)  Principals.--The Executive Office of the Governor, the coordinator of the Office of Economic and Demographic Research, and professional staff with budgeting expertise from the Department of Transportation, the Senate, and the House of Representatives are the principals of the Transportation Estimating Conference. The principal representing the Executive Office of the Governor shall preside over sessions of the conference.

(8)  CHILD WELFARE SYSTEM ESTIMATING CONFERENCE.--

(a)  Duties.--The Child Welfare System Estimating Conference shall develop such official information relating to the child welfare system of the state, including forecasts of child welfare caseloads, as the conference determines is needed for the state planning and budgeting system. Such official information may include, but is not limited to:

1.  Estimates and projections of the number of initial and additional reports of child abuse, abandonment, or neglect made to the central abuse hotline maintained by the Department of Children and Family Services as established in s. 39.201(4). Projections may take into account other factors that may influence the number of future reports to the abuse hotline.

2.  Estimates and projections of the number of children who are alleged to be victims of child abuse, abandonment, or neglect and are in need of emergency shelter, foster care, residential group care, adoptive services, or other appropriate care.

In addition, the conference shall develop other official information relating to the child welfare system of the state which the conference determines is needed for the state planning and budgeting system. The Department of Children and Family Services shall provide information on the child welfare system requested by the Child Welfare System Estimating Conference, or individual conference principals, in a timely manner.

(b)  Principals.--The Executive Office of the Governor, the coordinator of the Office of Economic and Demographic Research, and professional staff who have forecasting expertise from the Department of Children and Family Services, the Senate, and the House of Representatives, or their designees, are the principals of the Child Welfare System Estimating Conference. The principal representing the Executive Office of the Governor shall preside over sessions of the conference.

(9)  JUVENILE JUSTICE ESTIMATING CONFERENCE.--

(a)  Duties.--The Juvenile Justice Estimating Conference shall develop such official information relating to the juvenile justice system of the state as is determined by the conference principals to be needed for the state planning and budgeting system. This information shall include, but is not limited to: estimates of juvenile delinquency caseloads and workloads; estimates for secure, nonsecure, and home juvenile detention placements; estimates of workloads in the juvenile sections in the offices of the state attorneys and public defenders; estimates of mental health and substance abuse treatment relating to juveniles; and such other information as is determined by the conference principals to be needed for the state planning and budgeting system.

(b)  Principals.--The Executive Office of the Governor, the Office of Economic and Demographic Research, and professional staff who have forecasting expertise from the Department of Juvenile Justice, the Department of Children and Family Services Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Mental Health Program Office, the Department of Law Enforcement, the Senate Appropriations Committee staff, the House of Representatives Appropriations Committee staff, or their designees, are the principals of the Juvenile Justice Estimating Conference. The responsibility of presiding over sessions of the conference shall be rotated among the principals. To facilitate policy and legislative recommendations, the conference may call upon professional staff of the Juvenile Justice Accountability Board and appropriate legislative staff.

(10)  OCCUPATIONAL FORECASTING CONFERENCE.--

(a)  Duties.--The Occupational Forecasting Conference shall develop such official information on the workforce development system planning process as it relates to the personnel needs of current, new, and emerging industries as the conference determines is needed by the state planning and budgeting system. Such information must include at least: short-term and long-term forecasts of employment demand for high-skills/high-wage jobs by occupation and industry; relative wage forecasts among those occupations; and estimates of the supply of trained and qualified individuals available for employment in those occupations.

(b)  Principals.--The Commissioner of Education, the Executive Office of the Governor, the director of the Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development, the Secretary of Labor, and the coordinator of the Office of Economic and Demographic Research, or their designees, are the principals of the Occupational Forecasting Conference. The Commissioner of Education, or the commissioner's designee, shall preside over the sessions of the conference.

(11)  SCHOOL READINESS PROGRAM ESTIMATING CONFERENCE.--

(a)  Duties.--

1.  The School Readiness Program Estimating Conference shall develop such estimates and forecasts of the number of individuals eligible for school readiness programs in accordance with the standards of eligibility established by state or federal statute or administrative rule as the conference determines are needed to support the state planning, budgeting, and appropriations processes.

2.  In addition, the School Readiness Program Estimating Conference shall estimate the unduplicated count of children who are eligible for services under the school readiness program.

3.  The Florida Partnership for School Readiness shall provide information on needs and waiting lists for school readiness program services requested by the School Readiness Program Estimating Conference or individual conference principals in a timely manner.

(b)  Principals.--The Executive Office of the Governor, the Director of Economic and Demographic Research, and professional staff who have forecasting expertise from the Florida Partnership for School Readiness, the Department of Children and Family Services, the Department of Education, the Senate, and the House of Representatives, or their designees, are the principals of the School Readiness Program Estimating Conference. The principal representing the Executive Office of the Governor shall preside over sessions of the conference.

History.--s. 4, ch. 85-26; s. 1, ch. 87-234; s. 3, ch. 88-384; s. 2, ch. 89-531; s. 25, ch. 90-306; s. 18, ch. 91-57; s. 11, ch. 91-109; s. 20, ch. 91-282; s. 1, ch. 93-84; s. 15, ch. 93-230; s. 63, ch. 94-209; s. 1512, ch. 95-147; s. 61, ch. 95-228; s. 20, ch. 96-320; s. 4, ch. 96-404; s. 10, ch. 98-136; s. 131, ch. 98-403; s. 45, ch. 98-421; s. 87, ch. 99-2; s. 23, ch. 99-8; s. 1, ch. 99-206; s. 3, ch. 99-357.