House Bill 0509e1

                                           HB 509, First Engrossed



  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to license plates; amending ss.

  3         320.08056 and 320.08058, F.S.; creating a

  4         Choose Life license plate; providing for the

  5         distribution of annual use fees received from

  6         the sale of such plates; providing certain

  7         limitations on the use of such funds; providing

  8         effective date.

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

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12         Section 1.  Paragraph (z) is added to subsection (4) of

13  section 320.08056, Florida Statutes, 1998 Supplement, to read:

14         320.08056  Specialty license plates.--

15         (4)  The following license plate annual use fees shall

16  be collected for the appropriate specialty license plates:

17         (z)  Choose Life license plate, $20.

18         Section 2.  Subsection (26) is added to section

19  320.08058, Florida Statutes, 1998 Supplement, to read:

20         320.08058  Specialty license plates.--

21         (26)  CHOOSE LIFE LICENSE PLATES.--

22         (a)  The department shall develop a Choose Life license

23  plate as provided in this section. The word "Florida" must

24  appear at the bottom of the plate, and the words "Choose Life"

25  must appear at the top of the plate.

26         (b)  The annual use fees shall be distributed annually

27  to each county in the ratio that the annual use fees collected

28  by each county bears to the total fees collected for the

29  plates within the state. Each county shall distribute the

30  funds to nongovernmental, not-for-profit agencies within the

31  county, which agencies' services are limited to counseling and


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






                                           HB 509, First Engrossed



  1  meeting the physical needs of pregnant women who are committed

  2  to placing their children for adoption. Funds may not be

  3  distributed to any agency that is involved or associated with

  4  abortion activities, including counseling for or referrals to

  5  abortion clinics, providing medical abortion-related

  6  procedures, or pro-abortion advertising, and funds may not be

  7  distributed to any agency that charges women for services

  8  received.

  9         1.  Agencies that receive the funds must use at least

10  70 percent of the funds to provide for the material needs of

11  pregnant women who are committed to placing their children for

12  adoption, including clothing, housing, medical care, food,

13  utilities, and transportation. Such funds may also be expended

14  on infants awaiting placement with adoptive parents.

15         2.  The remaining funds may be used for adoption,

16  counseling, training, or advertising, but may not be used for

17  administrative expenses, legal expenses, or capital

18  expenditures.

19         3.  Each agency that receives such funds must submit an

20  annual audit, prepared by a certified public accountant, to

21  the county. The county may conduct a consolidated audit in

22  lieu of the annual audit.  Any unused funds that exceed 10

23  percent of the funds received by an agency during its fiscal

24  year must be returned to the county, which shall distribute

25  them to other qualified agencies.

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

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