Senate Bill 0180e1

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    CS for SB 180                            First Engrossed (ntc)



  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to trust funds; creating the

  3         Early Education and Child Care Trust Fund

  4         within the Executive Office of the Governor;

  5         providing for sources of moneys and purposes;

  6         providing for future review and termination or

  7         re-creation of the trust fund; providing a

  8         contingent effective date.

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10  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

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12         Section 1.  The Early Education and Child Care Trust

13  Fund is created in the State Treasury, to be administered by

14  the Executive Office of the Governor.  Funds shall be credited

15  to the trust fund as provided in SB 182 or similar

16  legislation, to be used for the purposes set forth therein.

17         Section 2.  Funding; Early Education and Child Care

18  Trust Fund.--

19         (1)  The intent of the Early Education and Child Care

20  Trust Fund is to ensure a seamless service delivery system for

21  all publicly funded early education and child care programs

22  operating in this state.

23         (2)  Funds budgeted for a district school board for the

24  prekindergarten early intervention program, the subsidized

25  child care program, and other state or locally funded

26  education and care programs for preschool children may be

27  transferred to the Early Education and Child Care Trust Fund

28  for implementation of the early education and child care

29  program in a given county.  Additional funds, including

30  state-appropriated incentive funds, may be placed in the trust

31  fund for purposes of this section.


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    CS for SB 180                            First Engrossed (ntc)



  1         (3)  All funds transferred to and retained in the trust

  2  fund shall be invested pursuant to section 18.125, Florida

  3  Statutes. Any interest accruing to the trust fund shall be for

  4  the benefit of counties providing an early education and child

  5  care program. Notwithstanding section 216.301, Florida

  6  Statutes, and pursuant to section 216.351, Florida Statutes,

  7  any undisbursed balance remaining in the trust fund and

  8  interest accruing to the trust fund not distributed at the end

  9  of the fiscal year shall remain in the trust fund and shall

10  increase the total funds available for the counties

11  implementing an early education and child care program.

12         (4)  The School Readiness Commission shall annually

13  distribute to the fiscal agent for each School Readiness

14  Coalition the funds that were transferred into the Early

15  Education and Child Care Trust Fund for the benefit of that

16  coalition. Additional funds and investment income from the

17  trust fund shall be distributed to the counties implementing

18  an early education and child care program based on achievement

19  of performance outcomes or need, or a combination thereof. The

20  School Readiness Commission shall provide incentives to

21  coalitions that serve more children in the early education and

22  child care program than participating programs were required

23  to serve in the previous year, if levels of program funding

24  did not decrease during the year.

25         (5)  State funds appropriated for the early education

26  and child care program may not be used for the construction of

27  new facilities, the transportation of students, or the

28  purchase of buses, but may be used for educational field trips

29  that enhance the curriculum.

30         Section 3.  It is the intent of the Legislature that

31  section 2 be compiled into section 402.265, Florida Statutes.


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    CS for SB 180                            First Engrossed (ntc)



  1         Section 4.  Pursuant to the provisions of section

  2  19(f)(2), Article III of the State Constitution, the Early

  3  Education and Child Care Trust Fund shall, unless terminated

  4  sooner, be terminated on July 1, 2002. Prior to its scheduled

  5  termination, the trust fund shall be reviewed as provided in

  6  section 215.3206(1) and (2), Florida Statutes.

  7         Section 5.  This act shall take effect July 1, 1998, if

  8  SB 182 or similar legislation is adopted in the same

  9  legislative session or an extension thereof.

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