House Bill 1745

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







    Florida House of Representatives - 1999                HB 1745

        By Representative Wiles






  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to serving people who have

  3         disabilities; creating the Office of Disability

  4         Coordination within the Executive Office of the

  5         Governor; providing for an advisory board;

  6         providing for a working group; establishing

  7         terms of office and officers; providing for

  8         staff; allowing the executive director to

  9         employ consultants and enter into contracts;

10         providing for rules, rights, and benefits

11         applicable to office staff; providing duties of

12         the office; requiring entities serving people

13         who have disabilities to give the office access

14         to certain data; requiring the office to make

15         certain data available to interested parties;

16         requiring the office to produce an annual

17         report and transmit it to the Executive Office

18         of the Governor, to legislative leaders, and to

19         entities that deal with people who have

20         disabilities; requiring a review and a report;

21         providing appropriations; providing an

22         effective date.

23

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

25

26         Section 1.  Section 14.275, Florida Statutes, is

27  created to read:

28         14.275  Office of Disability Coordination.--

29         (1)  There is created within the Executive Office of

30  the Governor the Office of Disability Coordination.

31

                                  1

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






    Florida House of Representatives - 1999                HB 1745

    589-131B-99






  1         (a)  The office shall have an advisory board that

  2  includes the:

  3         1.  Commissioner of Education;

  4         2.  Secretary of Children and Family Services;

  5         3.  Secretary of Juvenile Justice;

  6         4.  Secretary of Labor and Employment Security;

  7         5.  Director of Health Care Administration;

  8         6.  Secretary of Corrections;

  9         7.  Secretary of Veterans Affairs;

10         8.  Secretary of Elderly Affairs; and

11         9.  Secretary of Health.

12         (b)  Each member of the advisory board shall appoint

13  members of his or her staff to act as a working group for the

14  advisory board. The working group shall meet at least monthly

15  and comply with paragraphs (c) through (g), with the exception

16  of the requirements pertaining to the number of meetings.

17         (c)  Each member of the advisory board shall perform

18  the duties of a member of the advisory board as additional

19  duties required of that member in his or her other official

20  capacity.

21         (d)  The term of office of each advisory member

22  corresponds to the respective member's period of service in

23  his or her official capacity.

24         (e)  The members of the advisory board shall elect a

25  chairperson and a vice-chairperson from the membership of the

26  advisory board. The chairperson and vice-chairperson shall be

27  elected to serve 1-year term and may be reelected.

28         (f)  A majority of the advisory board constitutes a

29  quorum for the conduct of business. The advisory board shall

30  meet at least four times a year, and the chairperson may call

31

                                  2

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






    Florida House of Representatives - 1999                HB 1745

    589-131B-99






  1  meetings as often as necessary to transact business or as

  2  directed by the advisory board.

  3         (g)  If a member of the advisory board ceases to be an

  4  officer of the agency that he or she represents, the member

  5  must resign immediately from the advisory board, and the

  6  resulting vacancy must be filled by the deputy or the newly

  7  appointed head of the agency.

  8         (h)1.  The advisory board shall employ and set the

  9  compensation for an executive director. The executive director

10  shall employ and set the compensation for a person who has

11  expertise in information management systems who shall serve at

12  the pleasure of the board. The executive director may employ

13  and set the compensation of additional professional,

14  technical, legal, or clerical staff as needed. With the

15  consent of the advisory board, the executive director may

16  employ consultants and enter into contracts on behalf of the

17  advisory board.

18         2.  The Office of the Governor shall provide staff,

19  which may come from the agencies represented on the advisory

20  board, to provide support and services to the Office of

21  Disability Coordination full-time or part-time, to the extent

22  required by the advisory board.

23         3.  The staff of the office shall be governed by the

24  same rules as are legislative personnel and shall receive the

25  same rights and benefits, including membership in the Florida

26  Retirement System. The office shall make employer

27  contributions for this purpose.

28         4.  The Office of Legislative Services shall assist the

29  office in obtaining office space and equipment for office

30  staff.

31

                                  3

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






    Florida House of Representatives - 1999                HB 1745

    589-131B-99






  1         (2)  The Office of Disability Coordination shall work

  2  with all entities that deal with people who have disabilities,

  3  who have physical or mental impairments that substantially

  4  limit one or more major life activities, who have a record of

  5  such impairments, or who are regarded as having such

  6  impairments to:

  7         (a)  Collect and provide information concerning

  8  individuals who are being served and those who are on waiting

  9  lists for services and information concerning the demographics

10  of state residents who have disabilities;

11         (b)  Streamline intake for clients;

12         (c)  Consolidate, coordinate, and reduce regulatory

13  functions;

14         (d)  Eliminate duplications in service;

15         (e)  Maximize federal funding;

16         (f)  Collect and disseminate information relating to

17  budget items that are requested by the entities on behalf of

18  people who have disabilities;

19         (g)  Coordinate outcomes and accountability measures;

20         (h)  Coordinate the implementation of state and federal

21  policies;

22         (i)  Serve as a clearinghouse for legislative requests

23  for funding and proposed policy changes;

24         (j)  Periodically convene agencies that serve people

25  who have disabilities, for the purpose of reviewing the

26  agencies' missions, services, activities, and funding

27  capabilities;

28         (k)  Encourage research on the effectiveness of

29  programs and propose pilot projects aimed at improving the

30  services of all member agencies;

31

                                  4

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






    Florida House of Representatives - 1999                HB 1745

    589-131B-99






  1         (l)  Identify areas in which needed services are not

  2  being provided; and

  3         (m)  Identify groups of people who have disabilities

  4  and are not being served or are not being served adequately.

  5         (3)(a)  The Office of Disability Coordination shall

  6  develop and maintain a continuing program of information

  7  management, the purpose of which is to compile, maintain, and

  8  disseminate information concerning met and unmet needs of,

  9  providers of services to, and costs and availability of

10  services for, people who have disabilities.

11         (b)  All entities that serve people who have

12  disabilities must give direct access to all of the data they

13  maintain on people who have disabilities to the Office of

14  Disability Coordination by October 1, 1999. The Office of

15  Disability Coordination should not maintain or duplicate data

16  currently maintained by any other entity.

17         (c)  The Office of Disability Coordination shall make

18  the information collected under paragraph (b) available to

19  interested parties.

20         (d)  The Office of Disability Coordination must not

21  make public any otherwise confidential information that could

22  identify an individual. The office shall assure that the

23  purpose of obtaining information is to evaluate and improve

24  programs in all areas which serve people who have

25  disabilities.

26         (e)  The Office of Disability Coordination may notify

27  the Governor and the Legislature of any agency's noncompliance

28  with its duties under this section. The Governor may

29  disqualify or suspend a noncompliant agency's ability to

30  receive grants, awards, or funding.

31

                                  5

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






    Florida House of Representatives - 1999                HB 1745

    589-131B-99






  1         (4)(a)  By December 1, 2000, and thereafter by December

  2  1 of each year, the Office of Disability Coordination shall

  3  produce a report that documents the progress made in the

  4  activities described in subsection (2). Each advisory board

  5  member shall provide information for the report which relates

  6  to his or her agency. The report must also describe the

  7  barriers that prevent full collaboration among entities that

  8  serve people who have disabilities. Recommendations as to what

  9  measures are needed to achieve full coordination of services

10  to people who have disabilities, as well as recommendations

11  concerning how to better serve such people, must be included

12  in the report. Copies of the report must be transmitted

13  electronically or in writing to the Executive Office of the

14  Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the

15  House of Representatives, as well as to other interested

16  parties upon request.

17         (b)  Before the 2001 Regular Session of the

18  Legislature, the Office of Program Policy Analysis and

19  Governmental Accountability shall conduct a review of, and

20  prepare a report on, the Office of Disability Coordination.

21  The review must be comprehensive and, at a minimum, must

22  specifically determine:

23         1.  The progress made toward achieving the established

24  outcomes;

25         2.  The circumstances contributing to the Office of

26  Disability Coordination's ability to achieve, not to achieve,

27  or to exceed its established outcomes; and

28         3.  Whether it would be sound public policy to continue

29  or discontinue the Office of Disability Coordination, and the

30  consequences of discontinuation.

31

                                  6

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






    Florida House of Representatives - 1999                HB 1745

    589-131B-99






  1         Section 2.  There is appropriated from the General

  2  Revenue Fund to the Executive Office of the Governor for

  3  fiscal year 1999-2000:

  4         (a)  The sum of $250,000, to be used for startup

  5  expenses of the Office of Disability Coordination, including,

  6  but not limited to, the cost of hardware, software, and office

  7  equipment.

  8         (b)  The sum of $350,000, to be used for the operating

  9  costs of the Office of Disability Coordination, including, but

10  not limited to, salaries, benefits, and travel expenses.

11         Section 3.  This act shall take effect July 1, 1999.

12

13            *****************************************

14                          SENATE SUMMARY

15    Creates the Office of Disability Coordination within the
      Executive Office of the Governor. Provides for an
16    advisory board. Provides for a working group. Establishes
      terms of office and officers. Provides for staff,
17    including an executive director, an expert in information
      management, and additional staff as needed. Allows the
18    executive director to employ consultants and enter into
      contracts. Provides for rules, rights, and benefits
19    applicable to the office staff. Provides duties of the
      office. Requires entities serving people who have
20    disabilities to give the office access to certain data.
      Requires the office to make certain data available to
21    interested parties. Requires the office to produce an
      annual report and transmit it to the Executive Office of
22    the Governor, to legislative leaders, and to entities
      that deal with people who have disabilities.
23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

31

                                  7