House Bill hb0047e1

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                                            HB 47, First Engrossed



  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to community service; creating

  3         the Florida Volunteer and Community Service Act

  4         of 2001; providing legislative intent;

  5         authorizing the Executive Office of the

  6         Governor to establish policies and procedures

  7         which provide for the expenditure of funds to

  8         develop and facilitate initiatives that

  9         encourage and reward volunteerism; providing

10         purposes of the act; amending s. 14.29, F.S.;

11         expanding the purposes of a required report of

12         the Florida Commission on Community Service;

13         authorizing the commission to provide specified

14         assistance for the establishment and

15         implementation of programs pursuant to the

16         Florida Volunteer and Community Service Act of

17         2001; providing an effective date.

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

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21         Section 1.  Florida Volunteer and Community Service Act

22  of 2001.--

23         (1)  This act may be cited as the "Florida Volunteer

24  and Community Service Act of 2001."

25         (2)  It is the intent of the Legislature to promote the

26  development of better communities by fostering greater civic

27  responsibility through volunteerism and service to the

28  community.  Toward this end, the Executive Office of the

29  Governor may establish policies and procedures which provide

30  for the expenditure of funds to develop and facilitate

31  initiatives by public agencies, scholastic institutions,


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                                            HB 47, First Engrossed



  1  private institutions, and individuals that establish and

  2  implement programs that encourage and reward volunteerism.

  3         (3)  Initiatives and programs developed pursuant to

  4  this act shall have the following purposes and objectives:

  5         (a)  To place increased priority on citizen

  6  participation and volunteerism as a means of addressing the

  7  increasingly complex problems facing Florida's communities.

  8         (b)  To encourage local community leaders to implement

  9  strategies that expand civic participation based on the fact

10  that volunteers represent a valuable and much-needed asset

11  within communities.

12         (c)  To promote the concept and practice of corporate

13  citizenship, particularly in communities where such

14  initiatives are less developed.

15         (d)  To build the enthusiasm, dedication, and combined

16  expertise of individual citizens and public and private

17  systems to find new and creative ways to effectively use

18  volunteerism and community service as a strategy to meet the

19  challenges facing Florida's communities both now and in the

20  future.

21         (e)  To foster the alignment of community volunteer

22  resources with the goals of the state.

23         (f)  To implement policy and administrative changes

24  that encourage and enable individuals to participate in

25  volunteer and community service activities.

26         (g)  To encourage nonprofit agencies to interweave

27  volunteers into the fabric of their service delivery as a

28  means of increasing the effectiveness and efficiency of their

29  services.

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                                            HB 47, First Engrossed



  1         (h)  To support and promote volunteer service to all

  2  citizens as an effective means to address community needs and

  3  foster a collective commitment to lifelong community service.

  4         (i)  To recognize National Volunteer Week as a time to

  5  encourage all citizens of Florida to participate in local

  6  service projects.

  7         (j)  To recognize the value of individual volunteers

  8  and volunteer and service organizations and programs and to

  9  honor and celebrate the success of volunteers.

10         (k)  To encourage volunteer and service efforts to

11  point children in the right direction and to endow them with

12  the character and competence they need to achieve success in

13  life.  In order to accomplish this, the citizens of Florida

14  are encouraged to support America's Promise, the Alliance for

15  Youth, and Florida's Promise for Youth through volunteerism

16  and citizen service, to help ensure that children in Florida

17  have the following five fundamental resources in their lives:

18         1.  An ongoing relationship with a caring adult.

19         2.  Safe places with structured activities during

20  after-school hours.

21         3.  A healthy start.

22         4.  A marketable skill through effective education.

23         5.  An opportunity to give back through community

24  service.

25         Section 2.  Paragraph (c) of subsection (7) and

26  paragraph (c) of subsection (8) of section 14.29, Florida

27  Statutes, are amended to read:

28         14.29  Florida Commission on Community Service.--

29         (7)  The commission shall:

30         (c)  Prepare an annual report detailing its activities

31  during the preceding year and, to the extent possible, compile


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                                            HB 47, First Engrossed



  1  and synthesize any reports that it accepted on behalf of the

  2  Governor. The commission's report shall be presented to the

  3  Governor no later than January 15, with copies to the

  4  President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of

  5  Representatives. The report shall also include specific

  6  recommendations for any necessary legislative, administrative,

  7  or regulatory reform, and the commission's assessment of the

  8  state of volunteerism in Florida.

  9         (8)  The commission may:

10         (c)  Apply for and accept funds, grants, gifts, and

11  services from local, state, or federal government, or from any

12  of their agencies, or any other public or private source and

13  is authorized to use funds derived from these sources to

14  defray administrative costs, and implement programs as may be

15  necessary to carry out the commission's charge, and assist

16  agencies, institutions, and individuals in the implementation

17  of programs pursuant to the Florida Volunteer and Community

18  Service Act of 2001. The commission may also authorize

19  Volunteer Florida, Inc., the commission's nonprofit

20  direct-support organization, to assist in securing training,

21  technical assistance, and other support needed to accomplish

22  the intent and purposes of the Florida Volunteer and Community

23  Service Act of 2001.

24         Section 3.  This act shall take effect upon becoming a

25  law.

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