House Bill 0837

    Florida House of Representatives - 1999                 HB 837

        By Representative Sorensen






  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to natural disaster relief;

  3         providing relief to the Monroe County School

  4         District for certain declared natural

  5         disasters; holding the school district harmless

  6         with respect to its 1998-1999 FEFP

  7         appropriation; providing an appropriation to

  8         cover the costs of certain expenses related to

  9         recovery efforts; providing an effective date.

10

11         WHEREAS, Monroe County suffered three natural disasters

12  in 1998, the Groundhog Day tornadoes in February, Hurricane

13  Georges in September, and Tropical Storm Mitch in November,

14  each of which was declared a natural disaster by the President

15  of the United States, and

16         WHEREAS, the Monroe County district schools serve

17  children and adults throughout the county, and

18         WHEREAS, the Monroe County district schools have

19  endured damages to the physical plant facilities expected to

20  exceed $10 million, and

21         WHEREAS, the Monroe County district schools are

22  currently anticipating a loss of 350 to 400 students from the

23  student enrollment estimate approved by the Legislature for

24  the 1998-1999 school year, and

25         WHEREAS, this loss of students translates into the

26  potential loss of $1.5 million to $2.5 million from the

27  current year's operating budget, and

28         WHEREAS, no school district is in a position to

29  maintain services and recovery efforts from such natural

30  disasters without some financial relief and assistance, NOW,

31  THEREFORE,

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






    Florida House of Representatives - 1999                 HB 837

    729-102B-99






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

  2

  3         Section 1.  The Monroe County School District shall be

  4  held harmless with respect to its FEFP appropriation for

  5  fiscal year 1998-1999, notwithstanding any change in estimated

  6  enrollment in the district for that fiscal year resulting from

  7  the three natural disasters that affected Monroe County in

  8  1998, which were presidentially declared natural disasters and

  9  which consisted of the Groundhog Day tornadoes in February,

10  Hurricane Georges in September, and Tropical Storm Mitch in

11  November of that year.

12         Section 2.  There is hereby appropriated from the

13  General Revenue Fund to the Monroe County School District an

14  amount sufficient to cover expenses resulting from insurance

15  deductibles, insurance depreciation, payment for items not

16  covered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and other

17  demonstrated losses such as instructional materials and

18  overtime personnel costs required of recovery efforts

19  necessitated by the natural disasters listed in section 1 that

20  affected Monroe County in 1998.

21         Section 3.  This act shall take effect upon becoming a

22  law.

23

24            *****************************************

25                          HOUSE SUMMARY

26
      Provides relief to the Monroe County School District for
27    natural disasters that affected Monroe County in 1998.
      Holds the school district harmless with respect to its
28    1998-1999 FEFP appropriation and provides an
      appropriation to cover the costs of certain expenses
29    related to recovery efforts. See bill for details.

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