Senate Bill sb0360c2
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Florida Senate - 2002 CS for CS for SB 360
By the Committees on Appropriations; Children and Families;
and Senators Dawson and Holzendorf
309-2271-02
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to the care of children;
3 amending s. 39.5085, F.S., relating to the
4 Relative Caregiver Program; revising
5 eligibility guidelines; amending s. 239.117,
6 F.S., relating to workforce development
7 postsecondary student fees; exempting from the
8 payment of specified fees otherwise eligible
9 students for whom the state is paying a
10 relative caregiver payment; amending s. 240.35,
11 F.S.; exempting certain children who are in the
12 custody of a relative at the time of reaching
13 age 18 from payment of all undergraduate
14 student fees; amending s. 411.01, F.S.;
15 revising eligibility criteria for participation
16 in the school readiness program; providing an
17 effective date.
18
19 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
20
21 Section 1. Paragraph (a) of subsection (2) of section
22 39.5085, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
23 39.5085 Relative Caregiver Program.--
24 (2)(a) The Department of Children and Family Services
25 shall establish and operate the Relative Caregiver Program
26 pursuant to eligibility guidelines established in this section
27 as further implemented by rule of the department. The Relative
28 Caregiver Program shall, within the limits of available
29 funding, provide financial assistance to:
30 1. Relatives who are within the fifth degree by blood
31 or marriage to the parent or stepparent of a child and who are
1
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Florida Senate - 2002 CS for CS for SB 360
309-2271-02
1 caring full-time for that dependent child in the role of
2 substitute parent as a result of a court's determination of
3 child abuse, neglect, or abandonment and subsequent placement
4 with the relative pursuant to this chapter.
5 2. Relatives who are within the fifth degree by blood
6 or marriage to the parent or stepparent of a child and who are
7 caring full-time for that dependent child, and a dependent
8 half-brother or half-sister of that dependent child, in the
9 role of substitute parent as a result of a court's
10 determination of child abuse, neglect, or abandonment and
11 subsequent placement with the relative pursuant to this
12 chapter.
13
14 Such placement may be either court-ordered temporary legal
15 custody to the relative under protective supervision of the
16 department pursuant to s. 39.521(1)(b)3., or court-ordered
17 placement in the home of a relative as a permanency option
18 pursuant to s. 39.622. The Relative Caregiver Program shall
19 offer financial assistance to caregivers who are relatives and
20 who would be unable to serve in that capacity without the
21 relative caregiver payment because of financial burden, thus
22 exposing the child to the trauma of placement in a shelter or
23 in foster care.
24 Section 2. Paragraph (c) of subsection (4) of section
25 239.117, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
26 239.117 Workforce development postsecondary student
27 fees.--
28 (4) The following students are exempt from the payment
29 of registration, matriculation, and laboratory fees:
30 (c) A student for whom the state is paying a foster
31 care board payment pursuant to s. 409.145(3) or pursuant to
2
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Florida Senate - 2002 CS for CS for SB 360
309-2271-02
1 parts II and III of chapter 39, for whom the permanency
2 planning goal pursuant to part III of chapter 39 is long-term
3 foster care or independent living, who is or was at the time
4 he or she reached 18 years of age in the custody of a
5 relative, under s. 39.5085 or who is adopted from the
6 Department of Children and Family Services after May 5, 1997.
7 Such exemption includes fees associated with enrollment in
8 vocational-preparatory instruction and completion of the
9 college-level communication and computation skills testing
10 program. Such exemption is shall be available to any student
11 who was in the custody of a relative under s. 39.5085 at the
12 time he or she reached 18 years of age or was adopted from the
13 Department of Children and Family Services after May 5, 1997;
14 however, the exemption remains shall be valid for no more than
15 4 years after the date of graduation from high school.
16 Section 3. Paragraph (a) of subsection (2) of section
17 240.35, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
18 240.35 Student fees.--Unless otherwise provided, the
19 provisions of this section apply only to fees charged for
20 college credit instruction leading to an associate in arts
21 degree, an associate in applied science degree, or an
22 associate in science degree and noncollege credit
23 college-preparatory courses defined in s. 239.105.
24 (2)(a) Any student for whom the state is paying a
25 foster care board payment pursuant to s. 409.145(3) or parts
26 II and III of chapter 39, for whom the permanency planning
27 goal pursuant to part III of chapter 39 is long-term foster
28 care or independent living, who is or was at the time he or
29 she reached 18 years of age in the custody of a relative under
30 s. 39.5085, or who is adopted from the Department of Children
31 and Family Services after May 5, 1997, shall be exempt from
3
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Florida Senate - 2002 CS for CS for SB 360
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1 the payment of all undergraduate fees, including fees
2 associated with enrollment in college-preparatory instruction
3 or completion of the college-level communication and
4 computation skills testing program. Before a fee exemption can
5 be given, the student shall have applied for and been denied
6 financial aid, pursuant to s. 240.404, which would have
7 provided, at a minimum, payment of all student fees. Such
8 exemption shall be available to any student who was in the
9 custody of a relative under s. 39.5085 at the time he or she
10 reached 18 years of age or was adopted from the Department of
11 Children and Family Services after May 5, 1997; however, the
12 exemption shall be valid for no more than 4 years after the
13 date of graduation from high school.
14 Section 4. Paragraph (a) of subsection (6) of section
15 411.01, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
16 411.01 Florida Partnership for School Readiness;
17 school readiness coalitions.--
18 (6) PROGRAM ELIGIBILITY.--The school readiness program
19 shall be established for children under the age of
20 kindergarten eligibility. Priority for participation in the
21 school readiness program shall be given to children who meet
22 one or more of the following criteria:
23 (a) Children under the age of kindergarten eligibility
24 who are:
25 1. Children determined to be at risk of abuse,
26 neglect, or exploitation and who are currently clients of the
27 Family Safety Program Office of the Department of Children and
28 Family Services.
29 2. Children at risk of welfare dependency, including
30 economically disadvantaged children, children of participants
31
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Florida Senate - 2002 CS for CS for SB 360
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1 in the welfare transition program, children of migrant
2 farmworkers, and children of teen parents.
3 3. Children of working families whose family income
4 does not exceed 150 percent of the federal poverty level.
5 4. Children for whom the state is paying a relative
6 caregiver payment under s. 39.5085.
7
8 An "economically disadvantaged" child means a child whose
9 family income is below 150 percent of the federal poverty
10 level. Notwithstanding any change in a family's economic
11 status, but subject to additional family contributions in
12 accordance with the sliding fee scale, a child who meets the
13 eligibility requirements upon initial registration for the
14 program shall be considered eligible until the child reaches
15 kindergarten age.
16 Section 5. This act shall take effect July 1, 2002.
17
18 STATEMENT OF SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES CONTAINED IN
COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
19 CS/SB 360
20
21 Clarifies that the Relative Caregiver Program may provide
assistance to certain relatives who are caring full time for
22 that dependent child and a dependent half-brother or
half-sister as a result of a court's determination of child
23 abuse or neglect and placement with a relative.
24 Removes language exempting certain children who are in the
custody of a relative at the time of reaching 18 years of age
25 from paying all university undergraduate student fees.
26 Removes the requirement to contract for a study of families
headed by grandparents raising grandchildren and other
27 relative caregivers.
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