The Florida Senate

Florida Unique Abilities Partner Program House Bill 7003, Persons with Disabilities, passed both the House and Senate during the first week of the 2016 Legislative Session. The legislation creates the Florida Unique Abilities Partner Program to recognize business entities that employ individuals who have a disability as well as entities that establish or contribute to organizations that support the independence of individuals who have a disability. The Senate version of the legislation, Senate Bill 388, was authored Senator Nancy Detert (R-Venice).

Financial Literacy Program House Bill 7003, Persons with Disabilities, passed both the House and Senate during the first week of the 2016 Legislative Session. The legislation creates a financial literacy program for individuals with developmental disabilities to provide education, outreach, and resources to include financial education, financial and health benefit programs and services, job training and employment opportunities, and information on the impact of earnings and assets on eligibility for federal and state programs to individuals with unique abilities and their families. The Senate version of the legislation, Senate Bill 376, was authored by Senator Dorothy Hukill (R-Port Orange).

State Employment Options for People with Unique Abilities House Bill 7003, Persons with Disabilities, passed both the House and Senate during the first week of the 2016 Legislative Session. The legislation creates the Employment First Act requiring an interagency cooperative agreement, among specified state agencies and organizations, to ensure a long-term commitment to improve employment for individuals who have a disability. The Senate version of the legislation, Senate Bill 7010, was authored by the Senate Committee on Governmental Oversight and Accountability, chaired by Senator Jeremy Ring (D-Margate).

Early Steps/Early Intervention Services for Children with Unique Abilities Senate Bill 7053 by the Senate Committee on Children, Families and Elder Affairs, chaired by Senator Eleanor Sobel (D-Hollywood), creates performance standards and accountability measures for the Early Steps Program. The legislation will also improve early identification, expand eligibility, implement statewide planning, provide for better coordination of available resources, and establish procedures for children to successfully transition to school district services when they age out of the Early Steps program.

PreK-12 and Postsecondary Education Options for Students with Unique Abilities Senate Bill 672, Education Options, by Senator Don Gaetz (R-Niceville) passed both the House and Senate during the first week of the 2016 Legislation Session. The legislation codifies educational choice programs for students with intellectual disabilities funded by the Florida Legislature in the 2015-16 General Appropriations Act (GAA). The Personal Learning Scholarship Account (PLSA) Program was created during the 2014 Legislative Session to provide K-12 students, who are Florida residents and who have a disability, the option to apply for scholarship funds that can be used for authorized instructional materials, curriculum, specialized services, enrollment and tuition, assessment fees, Florida Prepaid College Program contributions, and contracted services by a public school or school district. The program was expanded in the 2015-16 GAA, for one year only, to include additional students on the autism spectrum, students with muscular dystrophy, and three and four year old children who meet certain criteria. SB 672 codifies this expansion in state law, permanently expanding the pool of students eligible to apply for a PLSA. The legislation also establishes a process through which postsecondary institutions in Florida can voluntarily seek approval to offer a Florida Postsecondary Comprehensive Transition Program (FPCTP) for students with intellectual disabilities. The bill creates a Florida Center for Students with Unique Abilities for statewide coordination of information, and sets requirements for students to enroll in a FPCTP and receive state financial assistance in the form of a FPCTP Scholarship.

Vocational Rehabilitation Performance Improvement Plan Senate Bill 962, Vocational Rehabilitation, by Senator Don Gaetz (R-Niceville) requires the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation to develop and implement a performance improvement plan to achieve specified goals and annually submit a performance report to the Governor and presiding officers of the Florida Legislature. The legislation directs administrative efforts toward improving the state Vocational Rehabilitation program by establishing measurable metrics that focus on outcomes related to employment, independence, and other meaningful measures of success.

Senate Bill 7030 - Postsecondary Education for Students with Disabilities creates a process through which postsecondary institutions in Florida can voluntarily seek approval to offer a Florida Postsecondary Comprehensive Transition Program for students with intellectual disabilities. The legislation creates the Florida Center for Students with Unique Abilities for statewide coordination of information regarding programs and services for students with disabilities and their parents. The legislation will also provide scholarship funds to assist eligible students with the cost of attendance.

Senate Bill 206 (Included in SB 7022)- Financial Literacy Program for Individuals with Developmental Disabilities creates the Financial Literacy Program for Individuals with Developmental Disabilities within the Department of Financial Services. The program will provide resources related to financial education, financial and health benefit programs and services, job training and employment opportunities, and the impact of earnings and assets on federal and state programs.

Senate Bill 7022 – Individuals with Disabilities enhances state employment options for people with disabilities by requiring each agency to establish annual goals that ensure full utilization of underrepresented groups in the agency's workforce, including individuals who have a disability. The legislation also requires state agencies to annually report progress toward increasing employment of individuals who have a disability.

Senate Bill 602 - Students with Disabilities
expands the pool of students eligible to apply for a Personal Learning Scholarship Account to include all students on the autism spectrum. The legislation also makes changes to allow parents the flexibility to plan ahead and receive the scholarship funds before the beginning of the school year.

Senate Bill 642 - Individuals with Disabilities creates the Florida Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act, implementing the federal ABLE Act of 2014, which provides a mechanism for certain individuals with disabilities to save funds needed for future services and care without losing their eligibility for state and federal benefits. The Senate also passed Senate Bills 644 and 646, which were needed to implement Senate Bill 642.

Senate Bill 1246 (Included in SB 7022)- Individuals with Disabilities creates the Florida Unique Abilities Partner program to designate businesses that provide employment opportunities or other support for people with disabilities as Florida Unique Abilities Program Partners.