House Bill 0071

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    Florida House of Representatives - 2000                  HB 71

        By Representative Lacasa






  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to the county public hospital

  3         surtax; amending s. 212.055, F.S.; revising

  4         provisions that require the counties authorized

  5         to levy the surtax to annually appropriate a

  6         specified minimum amount for operation,

  7         administration, and maintenance of the county

  8         public general hospital; providing an effective

  9         date.

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11         WHEREAS, the Miami-Dade County Public Health Trust

12  receives revenue from a half-penny sales tax surcharge which

13  yields in excess of $120 million a year, and

14         WHEREAS, the Miami-Dade County government matches at

15  least 80 percent of these revenues, and

16         WHEREAS, the Miami-Dade County Public Health Trust has

17  accumulated a reserve of over $250 million, and

18         WHEREAS, Miami-Dade County is faced with the fourth

19  most heavily congested roadways in the nation, and

20         WHEREAS, Miami-Dade County will put a measure before

21  the voters that would allow for a penny sales tax for

22  transportation infrastructure improvements, and

23         WHEREAS, the contributions made by Miami-Dade County to

24  the Public Health Trust can and should be used to resolve the

25  immediate problems faced by the county, NOW, THEREFORE,

26

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

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29         Section 1.  Paragraph (d) of subsection (5) of section

30  212.055, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:

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    Florida House of Representatives - 2000                  HB 71

    574-159-00






  1         212.055  Discretionary sales surtaxes; legislative

  2  intent; authorization and use of proceeds.--It is the

  3  legislative intent that any authorization for imposition of a

  4  discretionary sales surtax shall be published in the Florida

  5  Statutes as a subsection of this section, irrespective of the

  6  duration of the levy.  Each enactment shall specify the types

  7  of counties authorized to levy; the rate or rates which may be

  8  imposed; the maximum length of time the surtax may be imposed,

  9  if any; the procedure which must be followed to secure voter

10  approval, if required; the purpose for which the proceeds may

11  be expended; and such other requirements as the Legislature

12  may provide.  Taxable transactions and administrative

13  procedures shall be as provided in s. 212.054.

14         (5)  COUNTY PUBLIC HOSPITAL SURTAX.--Any county as

15  defined in s. 125.011(1) may levy the surtax authorized in

16  this subsection pursuant to an ordinance either approved by

17  extraordinary vote of the county commission or conditioned to

18  take effect only upon approval by a majority vote of the

19  electors of the county voting in a referendum.  In a county as

20  defined in s. 125.011(1), for the purposes of this subsection,

21  "county public general hospital" means a general hospital as

22  defined in s. 395.002 which is owned, operated, maintained, or

23  governed by the county or its agency, authority, or public

24  health trust.

25         (d)  The county may shall continue to contribute each

26  year up to at least 80 percent of that percentage of the total

27  county budget appropriated for the operation, administration,

28  and maintenance of the county public general hospital from the

29  county's general revenues in the fiscal year of the county

30  ending September 30, 1991.

31         Section 2.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2000.

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    Florida House of Representatives - 2000                  HB 71

    574-159-00






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  2                          HOUSE SUMMARY

  3
      Provides discretion to the counties authorized to levy
  4    the county public hospital surtax to annually appropriate
      less than 80 percent of the base-year percentage of the
  5    total county budget appropriated for operation,
      administration, and maintenance of the county public
  6    general hospital. Current law requires annual
      appropriation of at least 80 percent of such base-year
  7    percentage.

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