House Bill 0453

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    Florida House of Representatives - 1999                 HB 453

        By Representatives Kilmer and Casey






  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to trust funds; creating s.

  3         395.607, F.S.; creating the Rural Hospital

  4         Capital Improvement Trust Fund within the

  5         Department of Health; providing an annual

  6         appropriation for a specified period and

  7         providing for quarterly distribution thereof

  8         over that period for specified purposes;

  9         providing for reimbursement or deduction and

10         subsequent redistribution of amounts used for

11         unauthorized purposes; providing applicability

12         to new rural hospitals during a fiscal year;

13         providing rulemaking authority; providing for

14         future review and termination or re-creation of

15         the trust fund; providing an effective date.

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

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19         Section 1.  Section 395.607, Florida Statutes, is

20  created to read:

21         395.607  Rural Hospital Capital Improvement Trust

22  Fund.--

23         (1)  The Rural Hospital Capital Improvement Trust Fund

24  is hereby created within the department.

25         (2)  The sum of $14 million shall be appropriated from

26  the General Revenue Fund to the trust fund annually for 10

27  years and shall be distributed equally, on a quarterly basis,

28  over that 10-year period to all rural hospitals regulated

29  under this part. For purposes of this section, "rural

30  hospital" means any hospital or health education center

31  defined in s. 395.602(2). Funds distributed under this

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    Florida House of Representatives - 1999                 HB 453

    718-106-99






  1  subsection shall be made in equal payments at the end of each

  2  quarter during the fiscal year, and the amount to be

  3  distributed each quarter shall be based on general revenue

  4  receipts deposited into the trust fund for that quarter.

  5         (3)  The purpose of the trust fund is to provide funds

  6  for acquiring, repairing, improving, and upgrading systems,

  7  facilities, and equipment for rural hospitals, and the

  8  department shall ensure that the funds provided are used

  9  solely for such purposes. A rural hospital provided funds

10  under this section must reimburse the trust fund for the total

11  amount of any funds used for a purpose not authorized by this

12  section or have such amount deducted from a future

13  distribution, and such reimbursed or deducted funds shall be

14  distributed equally at the time of such reimbursement or

15  deduction to the other rural hospitals provided funds under

16  this section at that time.

17         (4)  For any fiscal year, distributions from the trust

18  fund may be made only to a hospital that was defined as a

19  rural hospital prior to July 1 of that fiscal year. Any

20  additional hospital that is defined as a rural hospital on or

21  after July 1 of the applicable fiscal year is not eligible for

22  funds under this section for that fiscal year unless

23  additional funds are appropriated that fiscal year

24  specifically to the trust fund in an amount necessary to

25  prevent any rural hospital that is eligible for a distribution

26  for that fiscal year from incurring a reduction in payments

27  because of the eligibility of the additional rural hospital

28  for a distribution.

29         (5)  The department has authority to adopt rules

30  pursuant to ss. 120.54 and 120.536(1) to implement and enforce

31  the provisions of this section.

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    Florida House of Representatives - 1999                 HB 453

    718-106-99






  1         (6)  Pursuant to the provisions of s. 19(f)(2), Art.

  2  III of the State Constitution, the trust fund shall, unless

  3  terminated sooner, be terminated on July 1, 2003.  Prior to

  4  its scheduled termination, the trust fund shall be reviewed as

  5  provided in s. 215.3206(1) and (2).

  6         Section 2.  This act shall take effect July 1, 1999.

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  9                          HOUSE SUMMARY

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      Creates the Rural Hospital Capital Improvement Trust Fund
11    within the Department of Health. Provides an annual
      appropriation for a specified period and provides for
12    quarterly distribution thereof over that period for
      specified purposes. Provides for reimbursement or
13    deduction and subsequent redistribution of amounts used
      for unauthorized purposes. Provides applicability to new
14    rural hospitals during a fiscal year. Provides rulemaking
      authority. Provides for future review and termination or
15    re-creation of the trust fund.

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