Senate Bill sb0296c1

    Florida Senate - 2001                            CS for SB 296

    By the Committee on Governmental Oversight and Productivity;
    and Senator Carlton




    302-1582-01

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to marine biotechnology

  3         research, training, and industry development;

  4         establishing the Florida Marine Biotechnology

  5         Research, Training, and Development Program;

  6         providing legislative intent; providing program

  7         focus and long-term goals; providing for

  8         administration of the program; requiring

  9         appointment of a steering committee; providing

10         duties of the steering committee; providing an

11         appropriation; providing for disbursement of

12         funds; providing that ch. 287, F.S., applies to

13         this act; requiring an annual report to the

14         Legislature; providing for rules; providing for

15         future repeal; providing an effective date.

16

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

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19         Section 1.  (1)  There is hereby established the

20  Florida Marine Biotechnology Research, Training, and

21  Development Program, which will foster, establish, and enhance

22  partnerships among research scientists in Florida universities

23  and research laboratories and the marine biotechnology

24  industry for the purpose of promoting commerce, creating jobs,

25  and benefiting from potential commercial opportunities in

26  Florida.

27         (2)  The Florida Marine Biotechnology Research,

28  Training, and Development Program will support research using

29  modern techniques of cell and molecular biology in the

30  following areas:

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    Florida Senate - 2001                            CS for SB 296
    302-1582-01




  1         (a)  Aquaculture, focusing on cell and molecular

  2  techniques to improve size, growth rate, disease resistance,

  3  survivability, and reproductive yields of aquacultured

  4  organisms.

  5         (b)  Marine animal health, focusing on marine

  6  pathogens, diagnostics, treatments, drug delivery systems, and

  7  immunology, physiology, and pharmacology of both wild and

  8  cultured marine animals.

  9         (c)  Marine bioproducts, focusing on the discovery of

10  drugs, bioadhesives, biominerals, and other economically

11  important products, the development of new models and screens

12  for product discovery, the identification of new drug targets

13  and mechanisms-of-action of marine-derived drugs, the

14  development of sustainable production methods for marine

15  bioproducts, and the development of novel methods for marine

16  byproduct utilization.

17         (d)  Coastal human health risks, focusing on the

18  development of new diagnostic tools to assess seafood

19  pathogens and waterborne pathogens and pollutants.

20         (e)  Coastal habitat restoration, focusing on

21  remediation, and molecular and cellular approaches to strain

22  improvement, hybrid development, and production technology for

23  submerged and coastal aquatic vegetation.

24         (f)  Forensics and monitoring, focusing on bioforensics

25  for identification of threatened and endangered species,

26  seafood identification, evaluation of health risks, and

27  regulatory issues as related to economic fraud, and the

28  development of new biosensors.

29

30  The long-term goal of the program shall be the creation of

31  products and processes that will advance the marine

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    Florida Senate - 2001                            CS for SB 296
    302-1582-01




  1  biotechnology industry in Florida. This industry will create

  2  new, clean, high-technology businesses, provide high-paying

  3  jobs, and create employment opportunities that will keep

  4  Florida-trained students in Florida.

  5         (3)  The director of the Florida Marine Research

  6  Institute and the director of the Florida Sea Grant College

  7  Program shall jointly administer the program with input from a

  8  steering committee appointed jointly by both directors. The

  9  directors of the Florida Marine Research Institute and the

10  Florida Sea Grant College Program shall jointly make final

11  project funding decisions.

12         (4)  The steering committee shall be composed of one

13  member from each of the following: the University of Florida,

14  Florida Atlantic University, Florida State University, the

15  University of South Florida, the University of West Florida,

16  Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, the University

17  of Miami, Nova Southeastern University, Florida International

18  University, the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution, the

19  Mote Marine Laboratory, and BIOFlorida. The steering committee

20  shall:

21         (a)  Determine the research priorities that shall be

22  used to request project proposals.

23         (b)  Determine the criteria used to select and fund

24  projects, which must include project rationale, scientific

25  merit, potential applications, industrial sponsorship,

26  investigator qualifications, potential for partnerships, and

27  plans for technology transfer to industry and the public

28  sector.

29         (c)  Identify a scientific review committee to evaluate

30  and recommend projects for funding.

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    Florida Senate - 2001                            CS for SB 296
    302-1582-01




  1         (d)  Make recommendations to the directors of the

  2  Florida Marine Research Institute and the Florida Sea Grant

  3  College Program for projects to be funded based upon the

  4  recommendations of the scientific review committee.

  5         (5)(a)  Funds appropriated for this program shall be

  6  awarded to projects based on competition as determined by a

  7  scientific peer review process, which may include the advice

  8  of a nationwide panel of technical experts. All universities,

  9  public research laboratories, and private nonprofit research

10  laboratories in Florida shall be eligible to compete for

11  funding based on the submission of proposals and selection by

12  the competitive process. Projects that receive funding should

13  promote public and private partnerships when possible.

14         (b)  There is hereby appropriated from the General

15  Revenue Fund to the Florida Marine Research Institute for

16  fiscal year 2001-2002 a sum of $2 million for the first year

17  of the program.

18         (c)  Funds awarded to a project under this act shall be

19  spent over a period not to exceed 42 months for each project

20  and activity of the program. The Florida Marine Research

21  Institute and the Florida Sea Grant College Program shall

22  disburse all funds based on the competitive process defined by

23  this act and the steering committee. Projects funded within

24  the Florida Marine Research Institute shall receive funds

25  directly from the institute from this appropriation. Funds

26  awarded to universities and private nonprofit research

27  laboratories will be transferred by the Florida Marine

28  Research Institute by contract through the Florida Sea Grant

29  College Program. No more than $25,000 each shall be used by

30  the Florida Marine Research Institute and the Florida Sea

31  Grant College Program for technical administration of this

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    Florida Senate - 2001                            CS for SB 296
    302-1582-01




  1  program. Up to $16,000 may be used by the Florida Sea Grant

  2  College Program for the expenses of the peer review and

  3  technical panel expenses.

  4         (6)  The provisions of chapter 287, Florida Statutes,

  5  apply to this act.

  6         (7)  The directors of the Florida Marine Research

  7  Institute and the Florida Sea Grant College Program shall

  8  provide a joint report to the Legislature on program progress

  9  by July 1 of each year the program is funded.

10         (8)  The Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

11  shall adopt rules pursuant to sections 120.536(1) and 120.54,

12  Florida Statutes, to implement this act. The rules, at a

13  minimum, must address the solicitation of proposals, award of

14  grants, monitoring of grants, and dispute resolution.

15         (9)  This act shall be repealed on July 1, 2006, unless

16  otherwise reenacted by the Legislature.

17         Section 2.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2001.

18

19          STATEMENT OF SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES CONTAINED IN
                       COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
20                              SB 296

21

22  Provides that Ch. 287, F.S., applies to the Act. Removes the
    Florida Marine Research Institute member from the steering
23  committee. Adds a Florida International University
    representative to the steering committee.
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