House Bill hb1741e1

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                                          HB 1741, First Engrossed



  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to children and family services

  3         and to criminal justice programs; amending s.

  4         414.045, F.S.; adding another category of

  5         families eligible for cash assistance, for

  6         federal reporting purposes; creating s.

  7         409.1674, F.S.; providing legislative intent;

  8         establishing the community partnership matching

  9         grant program to be operated by the Department

10         of Children and Family Services to encourage

11         local participation in community-based care for

12         child welfare; providing conditions for

13         obtaining grants; providing that funding is

14         subject to legislative appropriation of

15         nonrecurring

16         temporary-assistance-for-needy-families funds;

17         amending ss. 938.01, 943.25, F.S.; providing

18         for deposit of certain court-cost proceeds into

19         the Department of Law Enforcement Operating

20         Trust Fund; prescribing authorized uses of

21         assets in such fund; transferring the criminal

22         justice program of the Department of Community

23         Affairs to the Department of Law Enforcement;

24         providing for the latter department to adopt

25         rules relating to the program; transferring the

26         Prevention of Domestic and Sexual Violence

27         Program from the Department of Community

28         Affairs to the Department of Children and

29         Family Services; providing for funding the

30         program; providing an effective date.

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                                          HB 1741, First Engrossed



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

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  3         Section 1.  Subsection (1) of section 414.045, Florida

  4  Statutes, is amended to read:

  5         414.045  Cash assistance program.--Cash assistance

  6  families include any families receiving cash assistance

  7  payments from the state program for temporary assistance for

  8  needy families as defined in federal law, whether such funds

  9  are from federal funds, state funds, or commingled federal and

10  state funds. Cash assistance families may also include

11  families receiving cash assistance through a program defined

12  as a separate state program.

13         (1)  For reporting purposes, families receiving cash

14  assistance shall be grouped into in the following categories.

15  The department may develop additional groupings in order to

16  comply with federal reporting requirements, to comply with the

17  data-reporting needs of the board of directors of Workforce

18  Florida, Inc., or to better inform the public of program

19  progress. Program reporting data shall include, but not

20  necessarily be limited to, the following groupings:

21         (a)  Work-eligible cases.--Work-eligible cases shall

22  include:

23         1.  Families containing an adult or a teen head of

24  household, as defined by federal law. These cases are

25  generally subject to the work activity requirements provided

26  in s. 445.024 and the time limitations on benefits provided in

27  s. 414.105.

28         2.  Families with a parent where the parent's needs

29  have been removed from the case due to sanction or

30  disqualification shall be considered work-eligible cases to

31  the extent that such cases are considered in the calculation


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                                          HB 1741, First Engrossed



  1  of federal participation rates or would be counted in such

  2  calculation in future months.

  3         3.  Families participating in transition assistance

  4  programs.

  5         4.  Families otherwise eligible for temporary cash

  6  assistance that receive diversion services, a severance

  7  payment, or participate in the relocation program.

  8         (b)  Child-only cases.--Child-only cases include cases

  9  that do not have an adult or teen head of household as defined

10  in federal law. Such cases include:

11         1.  Child-only families with Children in the care of

12  caretaker relatives where the caretaker relatives choose to

13  have their needs excluded in the calculation of the amount of

14  cash assistance.

15         2.  Families in the Relative Caregiver Program as

16  provided in s. 39.5085.

17         3.  Families in which the only parent in a

18  single-parent family or both parents in a two-parent family

19  receive supplemental security income (SSI) benefits under

20  Title XVI of the Social Security Act, as amended. To the

21  extent permitted by federal law, individuals receiving SSI

22  shall be excluded as household members in determining the

23  amount of cash assistance, and such cases shall not be

24  considered families containing an adult. Parents or caretaker

25  relatives who are excluded from the cash assistance group due

26  to receipt of SSI may choose to participate in work

27  activities. An individual who volunteers to participate in

28  work activity but whose ability to participate in work

29  activities is limited shall be assigned to work activities

30  consistent with such limitations. An individual who volunteers

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                                          HB 1741, First Engrossed



  1  to participate in a work activity may receive child care or

  2  support services consistent with such participation.

  3         4.  Families where the only parent in a single-parent

  4  family or both parents in a two-parent family are not eligible

  5  for cash assistance due to immigration status or other

  6  limitation requirements of federal law. To the extent required

  7  by federal law, such cases shall not be considered families

  8  containing an adult.

  9         5.  To the extent permitted by federal law and subject

10  to appropriations, special needs children who have been

11  adopted pursuant to s. 409.166 and whose adopting family

12  qualifies as a needy family under the state program for

13  temporary assistance for needy families. Notwithstanding any

14  provision to the contrary in s. 414.075, s. 414.085, or s.

15  414.095, a family shall be considered a needy family if:

16         a.  The family is determined by the department to have

17  an income below 200 percent of the federal poverty level;

18         b.  The family meets the requirements of s. 414.095(2)

19  and (3) related to residence, citizenship, or eligible

20  noncitizen status; and

21         c.  The family provides any information that may be

22  necessary to meet federal reporting requirements specified

23  under Part A of Title IV of the Social Security Act.

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25  Families described in subparagraph 1., subparagraph 2., or

26  subparagraph 3. may receive child care assistance or other

27  supports or services so that the children may continue to be

28  cared for in their own homes or the homes of relatives. Such

29  assistance or services may be funded from the temporary

30  assistance for needy families block grant to the extent

31  permitted under federal law and to the extent funds have been


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                                          HB 1741, First Engrossed



  1  provided in the General Appropriations Act permitted by

  2  appropriation of funds.

  3         Section 2.  Section 409.1674, Florida Statutes, is

  4  created to read:

  5         409.1674  It is the intent of the Legislature to

  6  improve services and local participation in community-based

  7  care initiatives by fostering community support and providing

  8  enhanced prevention and in-home services, thereby reducing the

  9  risk otherwise faced by lead agencies. There is established a

10  community partnership matching grant program to be operated by

11  the Department of Children and Family Services for the purpose

12  of encouraging local participation in community-based care for

13  child welfare. Any children's services council or other local

14  government entity that makes a financial commitment to a

15  community-based care lead agency is eligible for a grant upon

16  proof that the children's services council or local government

17  entity has provided the selected lead agency at least $825,000

18  in start-up funds, from any local resources otherwise

19  available to it. The total amount of local contribution may be

20  matched on a two-for-one basis up to a maximum amount of $2

21  million per council. Awarded matching grant funds may be used

22  for any prevention or in-home services provided by the

23  children's services council or other local government entity

24  that meets temporary-assistance-for-needy-families'

25  eligibility requirements and can be reasonably expected to

26  reduce the number of children entering the child welfare

27  system. To ensure necessary flexibility for the development,

28  start-up, and ongoing operation of community-based care

29  initiatives, the notice period required for any budget action

30  authorized by the provisions of s. 20.19(5)(b), is waived for

31  the family safety program; however, the Department of Children


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                                          HB 1741, First Engrossed



  1  and Family Services must provide copies of all such actions to

  2  the Executive Office of the Governor and Legislature within 72

  3  hours of their occurrence. Funding available for the matching

  4  grant program is subject to legislative appropriation of

  5  nonrecurring temporary-assistance-for-needy-families funds

  6  provided for the purpose. This sections expires July 1, 2002.

  7         Section 3.  Subsection (1) of section 938.01, Florida

  8  Statutes, is amended to read:

  9         938.01  Additional Court Cost Clearing Trust Fund.--

10         (1)  All courts created by Art. V of the State

11  Constitution shall, in addition to any fine or other penalty,

12  assess $3 as a court cost against every person convicted for

13  violation of a state penal or criminal statute or convicted

14  for violation of a municipal or county ordinance. Any person

15  whose adjudication is withheld pursuant to the provisions of

16  s. 318.14(9) or (10) shall also be assessed such cost. In

17  addition, $3 from every bond estreature or forfeited bail bond

18  related to such penal statutes or penal ordinances shall be

19  forwarded to the Treasurer as described in this subsection.

20  However, no such assessment may be made against any person

21  convicted for violation of any state statute, municipal

22  ordinance, or county ordinance relating to the parking of

23  vehicles.

24         (a)  All such costs collected by the courts shall be

25  remitted to the Department of Revenue, in accordance with

26  administrative rules adopted by the executive director of the

27  Department of Revenue, for deposit in the Additional Court

28  Cost Clearing Trust Fund and shall be earmarked to the

29  Department of Law Enforcement and the Department of Community

30  Affairs for distribution as follows:

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                                          HB 1741, First Engrossed



  1         1.  Two dollars and seventy-five cents of each $3

  2  assessment shall be deposited in the Criminal Justice

  3  Standards and Training Trust Fund, and the remaining 25 cents

  4  of each such assessment shall be deposited into the Department

  5  of Law Enforcement Operating Trust Fund and shall be disbursed

  6  to the Bureau of Public Safety Management of the Department of

  7  Law Enforcement Community Affairs.

  8         2.  Ninety-two percent of the money distributed to the

  9  Additional Court Cost Clearing Trust Fund pursuant to s.

10  318.21 shall be earmarked to the Department of Law Enforcement

11  for deposit in the Criminal Justice Standards and Training

12  Trust Fund, and 8 percent of such money shall be deposited

13  into the Department of Law Enforcement Operating Trust Fund

14  and shall be disbursed to the Bureau of Public Safety

15  Management of the Department of Law Enforcement Community

16  Affairs.

17         (b)  The funds deposited in the Criminal Justice

18  Standards and Training Trust Fund and the Department of Law

19  Enforcement Operating Trust Fund may be invested. Any interest

20  earned from investing such funds and any unencumbered funds

21  remaining at the end of the budget cycle shall remain in the

22  respective trust fund until the following year.

23         (c)  All funds in the Criminal Justice Standards and

24  Training Trust Fund earmarked to the Department of Law

25  Enforcement shall be disbursed only in compliance with s.

26  943.25(9).

27         Section 4.  Subsection (1) of section 943.25, Florida

28  Statutes, is amended to read:

29         943.25  Criminal justice trust funds; source of funds;

30  use of funds.--

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                                          HB 1741, First Engrossed



  1         (1)  The Department of Law Enforcement Community

  2  Affairs may approve, for disbursement from the Department of

  3  Law Enforcement its Operating Trust Fund, those appropriated

  4  sums necessary and required by the state for grant matching,

  5  implementing, administering, evaluating, and qualifying for

  6  such federal funds. Disbursements from the trust fund for the

  7  purpose of supplanting state general revenue funds may not be

  8  made without specific legislative appropriation.

  9         Section 5.  The criminal justice program of the

10  Department of Community Affairs is transferred to the

11  Department of Law Enforcement by a type two transfer, as

12  defined in section 20.06, Florida Statutes. The criminal

13  justice program so transferred is composed of the Byrne State

14  and Local Law Enforcement Assistance Program, local law

15  enforcement block grants, the Drug-Free Communities Program,

16  residential substance-abuse treatment of state prisoners, the

17  bulletproof vest program, the Guantanamo Bay Refugee and

18  Entrant Assistance Program, the national criminal history

19  improvement program, and the Violent Offender Incarceration

20  and Truth-in-Sentencing Program.

21         Section 6.  The Department of Law Enforcement may adopt

22  rules necessary for the operation of the criminal justice

23  program.

24         Section 7.  (1)  The Prevention of Domestic and Sexual

25  Violence Program is transferred from the Department of

26  Community Affairs to the Department of Children and Family

27  Services by a type two transfer, as defined in section 20.06,

28  Florida Statutes. The Domestic and Sexual Violence Program so

29  transferred is composed of the Governor's Task Force on

30  Domestic and Sexual Violence and the Violence Against Women

31  Program.


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                                          HB 1741, First Engrossed



  1         (2)  From the funds deposited into the Department of

  2  Law Enforcement Operating Trust Fund pursuant to section

  3  938.01(1)(a)1. and 2., Florida Statutes, the Department of Law

  4  Enforcement shall transfer funds to the Department of Children

  5  and Family Services to be used as matching funds for the

  6  administration of the Prevention of Domestic and Sexual

  7  Violence Program transferred from the Department of Community

  8  Affairs. The amount of the transfer for fiscal year 2001-2002

  9  shall be determined by the Governor's Office of Planning and

10  Budgeting in consultation with the Department of Community

11  Affairs, the Department of Law Enforcement, and the Department

12  of Children and Family Services and shall be based on the

13  historic use of these funds and current needs of the

14  Prevention of Domestic and Sexual Violence Program. In

15  subsequent years, the transfer of funds shall be based on the

16  amount appropriated.

17         Section 8.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2001.

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