Senate Bill 0814

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.



    Florida Senate - 1998                                   SB 814

    By Senators Dyer, Latvala, Williams, Brown-Waite, Diaz-Balart
    and Forman




    14-780A-98

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to public records; creating s.

  3         252.943, F.S.; providing an exemption from

  4         public records for information provided by a

  5         stationary source subject to the Accidental

  6         Release Prevention Program under the federal

  7         Clean Air Act; providing an expiration date;

  8         providing a finding of public necessity;

  9         providing a contingent effective date.

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

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13         Section 1.  Section 252.943, Florida Statutes, is

14  created to read:

15         252.943  Public records.--

16         (1)  Whenever Section 112(r) of the federal Clean Air

17  Act authorizes a stationary source subject to Section

18  112(r)(7) to exclude trade secret information from its Risk

19  Management Plan, the owner or operator shall furnish the

20  information so excluded to the State Hazardous Materials

21  Emergency Response Commission upon request. Such information

22  is confidential and exempt from the provisions of s.

23  119.07(1). The commission shall not disclose such information

24  except under a final determination by the Administrator of the

25  U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that such information is

26  not entitled to trade secret protection, or pursuant to an

27  order of court. This exemption is subject to the Open

28  Government Sunset Review Act in accordance with s. 119.15, and

29  expires on October 2, 2003, unless reviewed and reenacted by

30  the Legislature.

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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.






    Florida Senate - 1998                                   SB 814
    14-780A-98




  1         (2)  Whenever Section 112(r) of the federal Clean Air

  2  Act authorizes an owner or operator of a stationary source

  3  subject to Section 112(r)(7) to elect to withhold from

  4  disclosure specific information, such information is

  5  confidential and exempt from the provisions of s. 119.07(1).

  6  This exemption is subject to the Open Government Sunset Review

  7  Act in accordance with s. 119.15, and expires on October 2,

  8  2003, unless reviewed and reenacted by the Legislature.

  9         (3)  Any information that is provided to the Department

10  of Community Affairs, or its agent, in the process of

11  conducting an inspection, audit, or investigation which is

12  authorized under Section 112(r) for exemption from the

13  provisions of s. 119.07(1), is confidential and exempt from s.

14  119.07(1). This exemption is subject to the Open Government

15  Sunset Review Act in accordance with s. 119.15, and expires on

16  October 2, 2003, unless reviewed and reenacted by the

17  Legislature.

18         (4)  The Department of Community Affairs, the State

19  Hazardous Materials Emergency Response Commission, and any

20  local emergency planning committee may fulfill requests for

21  public records under s. 119.07 for information electronically

22  submitted under this part or the Section 112(r)(7) Accidental

23  Release Prevention Program to the U.S. Environmental

24  Protection Agency's centralized database by referral to such

25  database or other reasonably accessible data collection

26  points. Upon request, the department, the commission, or the

27  committees shall furnish copies of public records not

28  available through electronic data collection points, and may

29  elect to furnish copies of public records which are available

30  through electronic data collection points. The department, the

31  commission, or the committees may charge a fee of up to $1 per

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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.






    Florida Senate - 1998                                   SB 814
    14-780A-98




  1  page, per person, per year for over 10 pages of materials

  2  copied.

  3         Section 2.  The Legislature finds that it is a public

  4  necessity that information provided by a stationary source

  5  subject to the Accidental Release Prevention Program under the

  6  federal Clean Air Act be held confidential in order to protect

  7  legitimate property rights associated with trade secrets while

  8  allowing state officials to review and oversee Risk Management

  9  Plans. Furthermore, the Legislature finds that disclosure of

10  the information is likely to cause substantial harm to the

11  competitive position of a stationary source.

12         Section 3.  This act shall take effect on the effective

13  date of SB    or similar legislation, relating to clean air,

14  and shall not take effect if that legislation does not become

15  a law.

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18                          SENATE SUMMARY

19    Provides an exemption from public records disclosure
      requirements for information provided by a stationary
20    source subject to the Accidental Release Prevention
      Program under the federal Clean Air Act. Provides a
21    finding of public necessity and an expiration date.

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