The Florida Senate

216.136  Consensus estimating conferences; duties and principals.--

(1)  ECONOMIC ESTIMATING CONFERENCE.--

(a)  Duties.--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.

(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 and private educational system, including forecasts of student enrollments, the number of students qualified for state financial aid programs and for the William L. Boyd, IV, Florida Resident Access Grant Program 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 Commissioner of Education, 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 Commissioner of Education 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:

1.  Develop such official information relating to the criminal justice system, including forecasts of prison admissions and population and of supervised felony offender admissions and population, as the conference determines is needed for the state planning and budgeting system.

2.  Develop such official information relating to the number of eligible discharges and the projected number of civil commitments for determining space needs pursuant to the civil proceedings provided under part V of chapter 394.

(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, utilization, and expenditures, as the conference determines is needed for the state planning and budgeting system. Such official information shall include, but not be limited to, cash assistance and Medicaid caseloads.

2.  The Social Services Estimating Conference shall develop information relating to the Florida Kidcare program, including, but not limited to, outreach impacts, enrollment, caseload, utilization, and expenditure information that the conference determines is needed to plan for and project future budgets and the drawdown of federal matching funds. The agencies required to collect and analyze Florida Kidcare program data under s. 409.8134 shall be participants in the Social Services Estimating Conference for purposes of developing information relating to the Florida Kidcare program.

(b)  Principals.--The Executive Office of the Governor, the coordinator of the Office of Economic and Demographic Research, professional staff who have forecasting expertise from the Department of Children and Family Services, the Agency for Health Care Administration, 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)  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.

(8)  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 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Program Offices, 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 the appropriate legislative staff.

(9)  WORKFORCE ESTIMATING CONFERENCE.--

(a)  Duties.--

1.  The Workforce Estimating 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, using quantitative and qualitative research methods, must include at least: short-term and long-term forecasts of employment demand for jobs by occupation and industry; entry and average wage forecasts among those occupations; and estimates of the supply of trained and qualified individuals available or potentially available for employment in those occupations, with special focus upon those occupations and industries which require high skills and have high entry wages and experienced wage levels. In the development of workforce estimates, the conference shall use, to the fullest extent possible, local occupational and workforce forecasts and estimates.

2.  The Workforce Estimating Conference shall review data concerning the local and regional demands for short-term and long-term employment in High-Skills/High-Wage Program jobs, as well as other jobs, which data is generated through surveys conducted as part of the state's Internet-based job matching and labor market information system authorized under s. 445.011 The conference shall consider such data in developing its forecasts for statewide employment demand, including reviewing the local and regional data for common trends and conditions among localities or regions which may warrant inclusion of a particular occupation on the statewide occupational forecasting list developed by the conference. Based upon its review of such survey data, the conference shall also make recommendations semiannually to Workforce Florida, Inc., on additions or deletions to lists of locally targeted occupations approved by Workforce Florida, Inc.

3.  During each legislative session, and at other times if necessary, the Workforce Estimating Conference shall meet as the Workforce Impact Conference for the purpose of determining the effects of legislation related to the state's workforce and economic development efforts introduced prior to and during such legislative session. In addition to the designated principals of the impact conference, nonprincipal participants of the impact conference shall include a representative of the Florida Chamber of Commerce and other interested parties. The impact conference shall use both quantitative and qualitative research methods to determine the impact of introduced legislation related to workforce and economic development issues.

4.  Notwithstanding subparagraph 3., the Workforce Estimating Conference, for the purposes described in subparagraph 1., shall meet no less than 2 times in a calendar year. The first meeting shall be held in February and the second meeting shall be held in August. Other meetings may be scheduled as needed.

(b)  Principals.--The Commissioner of Education, the Executive Office of the Governor, the director of the Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development, the director of the Agency for Workforce Innovation, the executive director of the Commission for Independent Education, the Chancellor of the State University System, the chair of Workforce Florida, Inc., the coordinator of the Office of Economic and Demographic Research, or their designees, and professional staff from the Senate and the House of Representatives who have forecasting and substantive expertise, are the principals of the Workforce Estimating Conference. In addition to the designated principals of the conference, nonprincipal participants of the conference shall include a representative of the Florida Chamber of Commerce and other interested parties. The principal representing the Executive Office of the Governor shall preside over the sessions of the conference.

(10)  SCHOOL READINESS PROGRAM ESTIMATING CONFERENCE.--

(a)  Duties.--

1.  The School Readiness Program Estimating Conference shall develop estimates and forecasts of the unduplicated count of children eligible for school readiness programs in accordance with the standards of eligibility established in s. 411.01(6) as the conference determines are needed to support the state planning, budgeting, and appropriations processes.

2.  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 Agency for Workforce Innovation, 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.

(11)  SELF-INSURANCE ESTIMATING CONFERENCE.--

(a)  Duties.--The Self-Insurance Estimating Conference shall develop such official information on self-insurance related issues as the conference determines is needed by 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 staff directors of the committees of the Senate and the House of Representatives which have primary responsibility for legislation dealing with taxation, or their designees, are the principals of the Self-Insurance Estimating Conference. The responsibility of presiding over sessions of the conference shall be rotated among the principals.

(12)  FLORIDA RETIREMENT SYSTEM ACTUARIAL ASSUMPTION CONFERENCE.--

(a)  Duties.--The Florida Retirement System Actuarial Assumption Conference shall develop official information with respect to the economic and noneconomic assumptions and funding methods of the Florida Retirement System necessary to perform the system actuarial study undertaken pursuant to s. 121.031(3). Such information shall include: an analysis of the actuarial assumptions and actuarial methods used in the study and a determination of whether changes to the assumptions or methods need to be made due to experience changes or revised future forecasts.

(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 Florida Retirement System Actuarial Assumption Conference. The Executive Office of the Governor shall have the responsibility of presiding over the sessions of the conference. The State Board of Administration and the Division of Retirement shall be participants in 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; s. 4, ch. 2000-135; ss. 43, 78, ch. 2000-139; s. 58, ch. 2000-165; s. 2, ch. 2000-200; s. 1, ch. 2000-253; s. 16, ch. 2000-371; s. 5, ch. 2001-56; s. 22, ch. 2001-170; s. 3, ch. 2001-185; s. 6, ch. 2002-390; s. 7, ch. 2004-33; s. 7, ch. 2004-41.