Senate Bill 0406c1
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
Florida Senate - 2000 CS for SB 406
By the Committee on Comprehensive Planning, Local and Military
Affairs; and Senators Hargrett, Latvala, Holzendorf, Childers,
Laurent and Meek
316-1778-00
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to community development;
3 creating the Community and Faith-based
4 Organizations initiative within the Institute
5 on Urban Policy and Commerce at Florida
6 Agricultural and Mechanical University;
7 providing for the initiative to promote
8 community development through partnerships with
9 community and faith-based organizations;
10 specifying the activities to be conducted by
11 the initiative; providing for financial
12 assistance to community and faith-based
13 organizations; creating the Community and
14 Library Technology Access Partnership;
15 requiring the Institute on Urban Policy and
16 Commerce at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical
17 University to administer the initiative and the
18 Division of Library and Information Services of
19 the Department of State to administer the
20 Community and Library Technology Access
21 Partnership; authorizing certain activities and
22 uses of funds; providing appropriations;
23 providing an effective date.
24
25 WHEREAS, many community and faith-based organizations
26 are providing a new focus on economic uplift in Florida's poor
27 and most vulnerable neighborhoods, and
28 WHEREAS, these nonprofit organizations have local
29 experts who serve in leadership roles by assisting individuals
30 to move from dependency to self-sufficiency and restoring the
31
1
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
Florida Senate - 2000 CS for SB 406
316-1778-00
1 lives of residents in Florida's most distressed communities,
2 and
3 WHEREAS, crime, drug addiction, teenage pregnancy,
4 homelessness, and juvenile delinquency, the most notable
5 indicators of a distressed community, are being addressed by
6 small, and sometimes unrecognized, community and faith-based
7 organizations, and
8 WHEREAS, the leadership and expertise of these
9 organizations should not be ignored, and
10 WHEREAS, a recognized effort to empower community and
11 faith-based organizations, encourage community revitalization,
12 and implement educational reform will assist those who reside
13 in inner cities and distressed rural communities to gain their
14 share of the state's resources, and
15 WHEREAS, residents of low income communities lack
16 access to technology, the internet, and computer literacy
17 needed to succeed in Florida's emerging information based
18 economy, and
19 WHEREAS, Florida public libraries eligible for e-rate
20 discounts have the capacity to partner effectively with
21 community and faith-based organizations and agencies to
22 provide technology access and training to assist in closing
23 the digital divide, NOW, THEREFORE,
24
25 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
26
27 Section 1. Community and Faith-based Organizations
28 Initiative; Community and Library Technology Access
29 Partnership.--
30 (1) CREATION.--There is created the Community and
31 Faith-based Organizations Initiative which shall be
2
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
Florida Senate - 2000 CS for SB 406
316-1778-00
1 administered by the Institute on Urban Policy and Commerce at
2 Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University and the
3 Community and Library Technology Access Partnership which
4 shall be administered by the Division of Library and
5 Information Services of the Department of State.
6 (2) INTENT.--The purpose of the initiative is to
7 promote community development in low-income communities
8 through partnerships with not-for-profit community and
9 faith-based organizations. The purpose of the partnership is
10 to encourage public libraries eligible for e-rate discounted
11 telecommunications services to partner with community and
12 faith-based organizations to provide technology access and
13 training to assist other state efforts to close the digital
14 divide.
15 (3) AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES.--
16 (a) Authorized activities of the initiative.--The
17 Institute on Urban Policy and Commerce at Florida Agricultural
18 and Mechanical University may conduct the following activities
19 as part of the Community and Faith-based Organizations
20 Initiative:
21 1. Create and operate training programs to enhance the
22 professional skills of individuals in community and
23 faith-based organizations.
24 2. Create and operate a program to select and place
25 students and recent graduates from business and related
26 professional schools as interns with community and faith-based
27 organizations for a period not to exceed 1 year, and provide
28 stipends for such interns.
29 3. Organize an annual conference for community and
30 faith-based organizations to discuss and share information on
31
3
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
Florida Senate - 2000 CS for SB 406
316-1778-00
1 best practices regarding issues relevant to the creation,
2 operation, and sustainability of these organizations.
3 4. Provide funding for the development of materials
4 for courses on topics in the area of community development,
5 and for research on economic, operational, and policy issues
6 relating to community development.
7 5. Provide financial assistance to community and
8 faith-based organizations through small grants for
9 partnerships with universities and the operation of programs
10 to build strong communities and future community development
11 leaders.
12 (b) Authorized activities of the partnership.--The
13 Division of Library and Information Services of the Department
14 of State may conduct the following activities as part of the
15 Community and Library Technology Access Partnership:
16 1. Provide funding for e-rate eligible public
17 libraries to provide technology access and training to
18 community and faith-based organization:
19 2. Provide a method of assessment and outcome
20 measurement for e-rate eligible public libraries to assess
21 progress in closing the digital divide and in training for
22 individuals to succeed in the emerging information economy.
23 (4) FUNDING.--There is appropriated from the General
24 Revenue Fund in fiscal year 2000-2001 the amount of $2.5
25 million to the Institute on Urban Policy and Commerce at
26 Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University to administer
27 the Community and Faith-based Organizations Initiative. There
28 is appropriated from the General Revenue Fund in fiscal year
29 2000-2001 the amount of $0.5 million to the Division of
30 Library and Information Services to provide Community and
31 Library Technology Access Partnership grants to e-rate
4
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
Florida Senate - 2000 CS for SB 406
316-1778-00
1 eligible public libraries. Funding shall not be used for
2 religious or sectarian purposes.
3 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2000.
4
5 STATEMENT OF SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES CONTAINED IN
COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
6 SB 406
7
8 Authorizes the Division of Library and Information Services of
the Department of State to administer the Community and
9 Library Technology Access Partnership for the purpose of
providing technology access and training to community and
10 faith-based organizations.
11 Appropriates $0.5 million from the General Revenue Fund to the
Division of Library and Information Services for the 2000-2001
12 fiscal year. Reduces from $3 million to $2.5 million, the
appropriation for the Faith-based Communities and
13 Organizations Initiative.
14 Funding appropriated by the CS may not be used for sectarian
or religious purposes.
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
5