Senate Bill 2208c2
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Florida Senate - 2000 CS for CS for SB 2208
By the Committees on Fiscal Policy; Governmental Oversight and
Productivity; and Senators Cowin and Mitchell
309-2225-00
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to adoption benefits for state
3 and water management district employees;
4 creating s. 110.152, F.S.; providing a monetary
5 benefit for a state employee who adopts a
6 special-needs child; providing a monetary
7 benefit for a state employee who adopts a child
8 not defined as a special-needs child; defining
9 the term "special-needs child" for purposes of
10 the act; providing procedure; providing for
11 eligibility for parental leave; providing
12 conditions of such leave; authorizing the
13 Department of Management Services to adopt
14 rules; providing an appropriation; providing an
15 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 110.152, Florida Statutes, is
20 created to read:
21 110.152 Adoption benefits for state or water
22 management district employees; parental leave.--
23 (1)(a) Any employee of the state or of a water
24 management district who adopts a special-needs child, as
25 defined in paragraph (b), is eligible to receive a monetary
26 benefit in the amount of $10,000 per child, $5,000 of which is
27 payable in equal monthly installments over a 2-year period.
28 Any employee of the state or of a water management district
29 who adopts a child, other than a special-needs child as
30 defined in paragraph (b), shall be eligible to receive a
31 monetary benefit in the amount of $5,000 per child, $2,000 of
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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
Florida Senate - 2000 CS for CS for SB 2208
309-2225-00
1 which is payable in equal monthly installments over a 2-year
2 period.
3 (b) For purposes of this section, a "special-needs
4 child" is a child whose permanent custody has been awarded to
5 the Department of Children and Family Services or to a
6 Florida-licensed child-placing agency and who is not likely to
7 be adopted because he or she is:
8 1. Eight years of age or older.
9 2. A person with a developmental disability.
10 3. A person with a physical or emotional handicap.
11 4. Of a minority race or of a racially mixed heritage.
12 5. A member of a sibling group of any age, provided
13 that two or more members of a sibling group remain together
14 for the purposes of adoption.
15 (2) An employee of the state or of a water management
16 district who adopts a special-needs child must apply to his or
17 her agency head to obtain the monetary benefit provided in
18 subsection (1). Applications must be on forms approved by the
19 department and must include a certified copy of the final
20 order of adoption naming the applicant as the adoptive parent.
21 (3) Nothing in this section shall affect the right of
22 any state employee who adopts a special-needs child to receive
23 financial aid for adoption expenses pursuant to s. 409.166 or
24 any other statute that provides financial incentives for the
25 adoption of children.
26 (4) Any employee of the state or of a water management
27 district who has a child placed in the custody of the employee
28 for adoption, and who continues to resides in the same
29 household as the child placed for adoption, shall be granted
30 parental leave for a period not to exceed 6 months as provided
31 in s. 110.221.
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Florida Senate - 2000 CS for CS for SB 2208
309-2225-00
1 Section 2. The Department of Management Services may
2 adopt rules to administer the provisions of this act.
3 Section 3. The sum of $140,000 in appropriated from
4 nonrecurring general revenue to the Department of Management
5 Services for the purpose of administering the provisions of
6 this act during the 2000-2001 fiscal year.
7 Section 4. This act shall take effect October 1, 2000,
8 and shall apply to adoptions finalized on and after that date.
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10 STATEMENT OF SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES CONTAINED IN
COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
11 CS/SB 2208
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13 Provides a monetary benefit of $5,000 for a state employee or
water management district employee who adopts a child not
14 defined as a special-needs child.
15 Authorizes the Department of Management Services to adopt
rules.
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Appropriates $140,000 from the General Revenue Fund to the
17 Department of Management Services to implement the provisions
of the act.
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