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





                                                  SENATE AMENDMENT

    Bill No. HB 1365

    Amendment No.    

                            CHAMBER ACTION
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11  Senator Casas moved the following amendment:

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13         Senate Amendment (with title amendment) 

14         Delete everything after the enacting clause

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16  and insert:

17         Section 1.  (1)  The Aquatic Plant Control Trust Fund

18  within the Department of Environmental Protection, FLAIR

19  number 37-2-030 which is to be terminated pursuant to Section

20  19(f), Article III of the State Constitution on November 4,

21  2000, is re-created and renamed the "Invasive Plant Control

22  Trust Fund."

23         (2)  All current balances of the trust fund are carried

24  forward and all current sources and uses of the trust fund are

25  continued.

26         Section 2.  Paragraph (a) of subsection (1) of section

27  206.606, Florida Statutes, 1998 Supplement, is amended to

28  read:

29         206.606  Distribution of certain proceeds.--

30         (1)  Moneys collected pursuant to ss. 206.41(1)(g) and

31  206.87(1)(e) shall be deposited in the Fuel Tax Collection

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                                                  SENATE AMENDMENT

    Bill No. HB 1365

    Amendment No.    





 1  Trust Fund.  Such moneys, after deducting the service charges

 2  imposed by s. 215.20, the refunds granted pursuant to s.

 3  206.41, and the administrative costs incurred by the

 4  department in collecting, administering, enforcing, and

 5  distributing the tax, which administrative costs may not

 6  exceed 2 percent of collections, shall be distributed monthly

 7  to the State Transportation Trust Fund, except that:

 8         (a)  $7.55 million shall be transferred to the

 9  Department of Environmental Protection in each fiscal year.

10  The transfers must be made in equal monthly amounts beginning

11  on July 1 of each fiscal year.  $1.25 million of the amount

12  transferred shall be deposited annually in the Marine

13  Resources Conservation Trust Fund and must be used by the

14  department to fund special projects to provide recreational

15  channel marking, public launching facilities, and other

16  boating-related activities. The department shall annually

17  determine where unmet needs exist for boating-related

18  activities, and may fund such activities in counties where,

19  due to the number of vessel registrations, insufficient

20  financial resources are available to meet total water resource

21  needs.  The remaining proceeds of the annual transfer shall be

22  deposited in the Invasive Aquatic Plant Control Trust Fund and

23  must be used for aquatic plant management, including

24  nonchemical control of aquatic weeds, research into

25  nonchemical controls, and enforcement activities.  Beginning

26  in fiscal year 1993-1994, the department shall allocate at

27  least $1 million of such funds to the eradication of

28  melaleuca.

29         Section 3.  Paragraphs (c) and (e) of subsection (1) of

30  section 327.28, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:

31         327.28  Marine Resources Conservation Trust Fund;

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                                                  SENATE AMENDMENT

    Bill No. HB 1365

    Amendment No.    





 1  vessel registration funds; appropriation and distribution.--

 2         (1)  Except as otherwise specified and less any

 3  administrative costs, all funds collected from the

 4  registration of vessels through the Department of Highway

 5  Safety and Motor Vehicles and the tax collectors of the state

 6  shall be deposited in the Marine Resources Conservation Trust

 7  Fund for recreational channel marking; public launching

 8  facilities; law enforcement and quality control programs;

 9  aquatic weed control; manatee protection, recovery, rescue,

10  rehabilitation, and release; and marine mammal protection and

11  recovery. The funds collected pursuant to s. 327.25(1) shall

12  be transferred as follows:

13         (c)  Two dollars from each noncommercial vessel

14  registration fee, except that for class A-1 vessels, shall be

15  transferred to the Invasive Aquatic Plant Control Trust Fund

16  for aquatic weed research and control.

17         (e)  Forty percent of the registration fees from

18  commercial vessels shall be transferred to the Invasive

19  Aquatic Plant Control Trust Fund for aquatic plant research

20  and control.

21         Section 4.  Section 369.252, Florida Statutes, is

22  amended to read:

23         369.252  Invasive exotic plant control on public

24  lands.--The department shall establish a program to:

25         (1)  Achieve eradication or maintenance control of

26  invasive exotic plants on public lands when the scientific

27  data indicate that they are detrimental to the state's natural

28  environment or when the Commissioner of Agriculture finds that

29  such plants or specific populations thereof are a threat to

30  the agricultural productivity of the state;

31         (2)  Assist state and local government agencies in the

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                                                  SENATE AMENDMENT

    Bill No. HB 1365

    Amendment No.    





 1  development and implementation of coordinated management plans

 2  for the eradication or maintenance control of invasive exotic

 3  plant species on public lands;

 4         (3)  Contract, or enter into agreements, with entities

 5  in the State University System or other governmental or

 6  private sector entities for research concerning control

 7  agents; production and growth of biological control agents;

 8  and development of workable methods for the eradication or

 9  maintenance control of invasive exotic plants on public lands;

10  and

11         (4)  Use funds in the Invasive Aquatic Plant Control

12  Trust Fund as authorized by the Legislature for carrying out

13  activities under this section on public lands.

14         Section 5.  This act shall take effect November 4,

15  2000.

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18  ================ T I T L E   A M E N D M E N T ===============

19  And the title is amended as follows:

20         Delete everything before the enacting clause

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22  and insert:

23                      A bill to be entitled

24         An act re-creating the Aquatic Plant Control

25         Trust Fund of the Department of Environmental

26         Protection and renaming the trust fund;

27         carrying forward current balances and

28         continuing current sources and uses thereof;

29         amending ss. 206.606, 327.28, 369.252, F.S.;

30         conforming provisions to the change in name;

31         providing an effective date.

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                                                  SENATE AMENDMENT

    Bill No. HB 1365

    Amendment No.    





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 2         WHEREAS, the Legislature wishes to extend the life of

 3  the Aquatic Plant Control Trust Fund, which is otherwise

 4  scheduled to be terminated pursuant to constitutional mandate,

 5  and

 6         WHEREAS, the Legislature has reviewed the trust fund

 7  before its scheduled termination date and has found that it

 8  continues to meet an important public purpose, and

 9         WHEREAS, the Legislature finds that the existing public

10  policy concerning the trust fund sets adequate parameters for

11  its use, NOW, THEREFORE,

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