Senate Bill sb1216c1

    Florida Senate - 2003                           CS for SB 1216

    By the Committee on Children and Families; and Senator Bennett





    300-1889-03

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to domestic violence centers;

  3         amending ss. 39.903 and 39.905, F.S.; removing

  4         a requirement that the Department of Children

  5         and Family Services approve or reject

  6         applications for funding received from domestic

  7         violence centers; requiring the statewide

  8         association under contract with the department

  9         to provide technical assistance to certified

10         domestic violence centers and to administer and

11         evaluate the services provided by the centers;

12         requiring the association to approve or reject

13         applications for funding; requiring that funds

14         be distributed to certified domestic violence

15         centers according to a formula approved by the

16         department; providing requirements for

17         contracts between the statewide association and

18         certified domestic violence centers; providing

19         an effective date.

20  

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

22  

23         Section 1.  Paragraph (c) of subsection (1) and

24  subsection (7) of section 39.903, Florida Statutes, are

25  amended to read:

26         39.903  Duties and functions of the department with

27  respect to domestic violence.--

28         (1)  The department shall:

29         (c)  Receive and approve or reject applications for

30  certification of domestic violence centers., and receive and

31  approve or reject applications for funding of domestic

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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.






    Florida Senate - 2003                           CS for SB 1216
    300-1889-03




 1  violence centers. When approving funding for a newly certified

 2  domestic violence center, the department shall make every

 3  effort to minimize any adverse economic impact on existing

 4  certified centers or services provided within the same

 5  district. In order to minimize duplication of services, the

 6  department shall make every effort to encourage subcontracting

 7  relationships with existing centers within the district. If

 8  any of the required services are exempted from certification

 9  by the department under s. 39.905(1)(c), the center shall not

10  receive funding for those services.

11         (7)  The department shall contract with a statewide

12  association whose primary purpose is to represent and provide

13  technical assistance to certified domestic violence centers.

14  This association shall implement, administer, and evaluate all

15  services provided by the certified centers. The association

16  shall receive and approve or reject applications for funding

17  of certified domestic violence centers. When approving funding

18  for a newly certified domestic violence center, the

19  association shall make every effort to minimize any adverse

20  economic impact on existing certified centers or services

21  provided within the same service area. In order to minimize

22  duplication of services, the association shall make every

23  effort to encourage subcontracting relationships with existing

24  centers within the same service area. In distributing funds

25  allocated by the Legislature for certified domestic violence

26  centers, the association shall use a formula approved by the

27  department as specified in s. 39.905(7)(a). receive 2 percent

28  of the Domestic Violence Trust Fund for this purpose.

29         Section 2.  Subsection (7) of section 39.905, Florida

30  Statutes, is amended to read:

31         39.905  Domestic violence centers.--

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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.






    Florida Senate - 2003                           CS for SB 1216
    300-1889-03




 1         (7)(a)  All funds collected and appropriated to the

 2  domestic violence program for certified domestic violence

 3  centers shall be distributed annually by the department to

 4  each district according to an allocation formula approved

 5  determined by the department.  In developing the formula, the

 6  factors of department shall consider population, the a rural

 7  characteristics and geographical area factor, and the

 8  incidence of domestic violence shall be considered.

 9         (b)  A contract between the statewide association a

10  district and a certified domestic violence center shall

11  contain provisions assuring the availability and geographic

12  accessibility of services throughout the district. For this

13  purpose, a center may distribute funds through subcontracts or

14  to center satellites, provided such arrangements and any

15  subcontracts are approved by the statewide association

16  district.

17         Section 3.  This act shall take effect January 1, 2004.

18  

19          STATEMENT OF SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES CONTAINED IN
                       COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
20                         Senate Bill 1216

21                                 

22  Shifts the responsibility for receiving and approving or
    rejecting the domestic violence centers' applications for
23  funding from the department to the association (or Florida
    Coalition Against Domestic Violence), including the
24  consideration of funding of newly created centers.

25  Changes the references to department's role in contracting
    with the domestic violence centers to the association's role.
26  
    Adds implementation of services to the required
27  responsibilities of the association.

28  

29  

30  

31  

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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.