Senate Bill 0422
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
Florida Senate - 1998 SB 422
By Senator Meadows
30-541-98 See HB
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to creation of the Florida
3 Community Outreach Partnership Act; directing
4 the Secretary of Community Affairs to carry out
5 a demonstration program to determine the
6 feasibility of facilitating partnerships
7 between state universities and communities to
8 solve urban problems; authorizing grants to
9 state universities to establish Florida
10 Community Outreach Partnership Centers;
11 providing responsibilities of such centers;
12 providing selection criteria for grant
13 recipients; providing requirements regarding
14 the state and nonstate share of grants;
15 providing for a state advisory council and
16 state clearinghouse; specifying use of funds
17 made available for this program; requiring
18 reports; providing an effective date.
19
20 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
21
22 Section 1. Florida Community Outreach Partnership
23 Act.--
24 (1) SHORT TITLE.--This section may be cited as the
25 "Florida Community Outreach Partnership Act."
26 (2) PURPOSE.--The Secretary of Community Affairs shall
27 carry out, in accordance with this section, a 5-year
28 demonstration program to determine the feasibility of
29 facilitating partnerships between institutions of higher
30 education and communities to solve urban problems through
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Florida Senate - 1998 SB 422
30-541-98 See HB
1 technical assistance, applied and practical research, and
2 outreach.
3 (3) GRANT PROGRAM.--
4 (a) The secretary is authorized to make grants to
5 state universities to assist in establishing or carrying out
6 the purpose specified in subsection (2), in order to address
7 critical needs in the state associated with urban problems.
8 This is consistent with the strategic plan for the state as
9 outlined in A Strategic Plan for Florida: 1992-1996 and,
10 specifically, the Department of Community Affairs' Agency
11 Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years 1996-1997 through 2001-2002.
12 The critical needs identified by the state are: enabling
13 Florida's families to be self-sufficient; improving education
14 through partnerships with communities; ensuring public safety
15 for our people; safeguarding our quality of life; and making
16 government work for Florida.
17 (b) Grants under this section shall be used to
18 establish and operate Florida Community Outreach Partnership
19 Centers that shall:
20 1. Conduct competent and qualified applied research
21 and investigations on practical problems in large and small
22 cities.
23 2. Facilitate partnerships, technical assistance, and
24 outreach activities between institutions of higher education,
25 local communities, and local governments to address urban
26 problems.
27 (c) Applied research, technical assistance, and
28 outreach activities assisted under this section shall focus on
29 problems associated with housing, economic development,
30 neighborhood revitalization, infrastructure, health care, job
31 training, education, crime prevention, planning, community
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Florida Senate - 1998 SB 422
30-541-98 See HB
1 organizing, and other areas deemed appropriate by the
2 secretary.
3 (4) APPLICATION.--Any state university may submit an
4 application for a grant under this section in such form and
5 containing such information as the secretary may require by
6 rule.
7 (5) SELECTION CRITERIA.--
8 (a) The secretary shall select recipients of grants
9 under this section on the basis of the following criteria:
10 1. The demonstrated applied research and outreach
11 resources available to the applicant for carrying out the
12 purposes of this section.
13 2. The capability of the applicant to provide
14 leadership in solving community problems and in making state
15 contributions to solving long-term and immediate urban
16 problems.
17 3. The demonstrated commitment of the applicant to
18 supporting urban applied research and outreach programs by
19 providing matching contributions from other sources.
20 4. The demonstrated ability of the applicant to
21 disseminate results of research and successful strategies
22 developed through outreach activities to other centers and
23 communities served through the demonstration program.
24 5. The projects and activities that the applicant
25 proposes to carry our under the grant.
26 6. The effectiveness of the applicant's strategy to
27 provide outreach activities to communities.
28 7. The extent of need in the communities to be served
29 by the center.
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Florida Senate - 1998 SB 422
30-541-98 See HB
1 8. The incorporation in the application of an
2 evaluation design that will measure tangible outcomes, both
3 qualitative and quantitative.
4 9. Other criteria deemed appropriate by the secretary.
5 (b) The secretary shall give preference to state
6 universities that undertake applied research and outreach
7 activities by bringing together knowledge and expertise in the
8 various social science and technical disciplines that relate
9 to urban problems.
10 (6) STATE SHARES.--The state share of a grant under
11 this section shall not be more than:
12 (a) Fifty percent of the cost of establishing and
13 operating a center's applied research activities; and
14 (b) Ninety percent of the cost of establishing and
15 operating a center's outreach activities and technical
16 assistance.
17 (7) NONSTATE SHARES.--The nonstate share of a grant
18 may include cash, or the value of noncash contributions deemed
19 appropriate by the secretary.
20 (8) RESPONSIBILITIES.--A center established under this
21 section shall:
22 (a) Employ the applied research and outreach resources
23 of its sponsoring institutions of higher education to solve
24 specific urban problems identified by communities served by
25 the center.
26 (b) Establish outreach activities in areas identified
27 in the grant application as the communities to be served.
28 (c) Establish a community advisory committee comprised
29 of representatives of local institutions and residents of the
30 communities to be served to assist in identifying local needs
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Florida Senate - 1998 SB 422
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1 and advise on the development and implementation of strategies
2 to address those issues.
3 (d) Coordinate outreach activities in communities to
4 be served by the center.
5 (e) Facilitate public service projects in the
6 communities served by the center.
7 (f) Act as a clearinghouse for the dissemination of
8 information.
9 (g) Develop instructional programs, convene
10 conferences, and provide training for local community leaders,
11 when appropriate.
12 (h) Exchange information with other centers.
13 (i) Design and implement a process to evaluate and
14 measure program effectiveness.
15 (9) STATE ADVISORY COUNCIL.--
16 (a) The secretary shall establish a state advisory
17 council to:
18 1. Disseminate the results of research and outreach
19 activities carried out under this section.
20 2. Act as a clearinghouse between grant recipients and
21 other institutions of higher education.
22 3. Review and evaluate programs carried out by grant
23 recipients.
24 (b) The council shall be composed of 12 members to be
25 appointed by the secretary as follows:
26 1. Three representatives of state and local
27 government.
28 2. Three representatives of state universities that
29 receive grants under this section.
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Florida Senate - 1998 SB 422
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1 3. Three individuals or representatives of
2 organizations that possess significant expertise in urban
3 issues.
4 4. Three representatives from community advisory
5 committees created pursuant to this section.
6 (c) A vacancy in the membership of the council shall
7 be filled in the manner in which the original appointment was
8 made.
9 (d) Members of the council shall serve without pay.
10 (e) The council shall elect a member to serve as
11 chairperson of the council.
12 (f) The council shall meet at least biannually and at
13 such other times as the chairperson may designate.
14 (10) STATE CLEARINGHOUSE.--The secretary shall
15 establish a state clearinghouse to disseminate information
16 resulting from the research and successful outreach activities
17 developed through the centers to grant recipients and other
18 interested institutions of higher education.
19 (11) USE OF FUNDS.--The sums set aside for the
20 Department of Community Affairs for the purpose of
21 implementing this section shall be available to:
22 (a) Enable centers to carry out applied research,
23 outreach activities, and technical assistance.
24 (b) Establish and operate the state clearinghouse
25 established under subsection (10).
26 (12) REPORTS.--The secretary shall submit an annual
27 report to the committees on community affairs in the House of
28 Representatives and the Senate. The report shall contain a
29 summary of the activities carried out under this section
30 during the preceding fiscal year, and findings and conclusions
31 drawn from such activities.
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Florida Senate - 1998 SB 422
30-541-98 See HB
1 Section 2. This act shall take effect upon becoming a
2 law.
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5 LEGISLATIVE SUMMARY
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Creates the Florida Community Outreach Partnership Act.
7 Directs the Secretary of Community Affairs to carry out a
demonstration program to determine the feasibility of
8 facilitating partnerships between state universities and
communities to solve urban problems. Authorizes grants
9 to state universities to establish Florida Community
Outreach Partnership Centers, and provides
10 responsibilities of such centers. Provides selection
criteria for grant recipients. Provides requirements
11 regarding the state and nonstate share of grants.
Provides for a state advisory council and state
12 clearinghouse. Specifies use of funds made available for
this program. Requires reports.
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