House Bill 0579
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Florida House of Representatives - 2000 HB 579
By Representative Sanderson
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to offsite learning grants;
3 creating s. 229.604, F.S.; establishing the
4 Florida Offsite Learning Grant Program to
5 provide funding to enable nonprofit and
6 community-based organizations to provide
7 learning opportunities for public school
8 students in nontraditional settings; providing
9 a grant application and review process;
10 requiring the Commissioner of Education to
11 annually appoint a review panel to review and
12 rank grant applications; providing for the
13 review panel to be reimbursed for travel and
14 expenses; providing for the award of grants;
15 providing for funding of the program; requiring
16 an annual report and postaudit of each grant
17 recipient; providing for the adoption of rules;
18 providing an effective date.
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20 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
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22 Section 1. Section 229.604, Florida Statutes, is
23 created to read:
24 229.604 Florida Offsite Learning Grants.--There is
25 created the Florida Offsite Learning Grant Program to be
26 administered by the Department of Education to provide funds
27 to enable nonprofit and community-based organizations,
28 including math, science, art, and environmental facilities, to
29 provide learning opportunities for public school students in
30 nontraditional settings.
31 (1) GRANT APPLICATION; REVIEW.--
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Florida House of Representatives - 2000 HB 579
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1 (a) Nonprofit and community-based organizations may
2 apply to the Commissioner of Education for a Florida Offsite
3 Learning Grant, and shall provide such information as the
4 commissioner requires.
5 (b) The commissioner shall annually appoint a review
6 panel to assist in the grant application review process by
7 reviewing grant applications, ranking applicants, and
8 providing to the commissioner information regarding the
9 relative merits of the applicants and recommended funding
10 levels of each applicant. The department shall, by rule,
11 establish criteria for reviewing grant applications to ensure
12 compliance with applicable federal and state laws relating to
13 discrimination and conflicts of interest. The panel shall
14 provide a forum for public comment prior to making a
15 recommendation regarding the award of any grant. Members of
16 the panel shall serve for 1-year terms and shall not receive
17 any compensation for their services, but shall be reimbursed
18 for travel and expenses incurred in the performance of their
19 duties as provided in s. 112.061.
20 (2) AWARD OF GRANTS; FUNDING.--
21 (a) Based on the recommendations of the review panel,
22 the commissioner shall annually include in the department's
23 legislative budget request a recommendation for funding for
24 the Florida Offsite Learning Grant Program. The recommendation
25 shall include the panel's ranking of applicants and
26 recommended funding levels for each.
27 (b) Upon appropriation by the Legislature of funds for
28 the Florida Offsite Learning Grant Program, the department
29 shall execute a contract with each organization for which
30 funding is included in the General Appropriations Act which
31 contains requirements relative to the program, the projected
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Florida House of Representatives - 2000 HB 579
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1 operating income and expenses, and other provisions deemed
2 necessary by the department for the administration of the
3 program.
4 (c) An organization that is awarded a Florida Offsite
5 Learning Grant may not receive any funding through the Public
6 Education Capital Outlay and Debt Service Trust Fund, the
7 School Infrastructure Thrift (SIT) Program funds, or any other
8 source of public capital outlay funding for public schools.
9 (3) ANNUAL REPORT.--Each recipient organization must
10 submit an annual report to the department detailing the
11 expenditure of the funds and the educational components of the
12 program, and such other information as the department
13 requires, according to rules of the department.
14 (4) AUDITS.--Each organization shall cause an annual
15 postaudit or independent attestation of its financial
16 accounts, as specified in s. 216.349, conducted by an
17 independent certified public accountant. The annual audit
18 report must be submitted to the department for review. The
19 department may require and receive from the recipient
20 institution, or from its independent auditor, any detail or
21 supplemental data relative to the operation of such
22 institution.
23 (5) RULES.--The Department of Education shall adopt
24 rules necessary to implement the provisions of this section
25 pursuant to ss. 120.536(1) and 120.54.
26 Section 2. This act shall take effect upon becoming a
27 law.
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Florida House of Representatives - 2000 HB 579
228-212-00
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2 HOUSE SUMMARY
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Creates the Florida Offsite Learning Grant Program to
4 provide funding to enable nonprofit and community-based
organizations to provide learning opportunities for
5 public school students in nontraditional settings.
Provides a grant application and review process. Requires
6 the Commissioner of Education to annually appoint a
review panel to review and rank grant applications.
7 Provides for the review panel to be reimbursed for travel
and expenses. Provides for the award of grants. Provides
8 for funding of the program. Requires an annual report and
postaudit of each grant recipient. Provides for the
9 adoption of rules.
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