HOUSE AMENDMENT Bill No. HB 325
1	CHAMBER ACTION
2	Senate House
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12	Representative Garcia offered the following:
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14	Amendment (with title amendment)
15	Between line(s) 114 and 115, insert:
16	Section 3. Section 257.17, Florida Statutes, is amended to
17	read:
18	257.17 Operating grants.--A political subdivision that has
19	been designated by a county or municipalityas the single
20	library administrative unit is eligible to receive from the
21	state an annual operating grant of not more than 25 percent of
22	all local funds expended by that political subdivision during
23	the second preceding fiscal year for the operation and
24	maintenance of a library, under the following conditions:
25	(1) Eligible political subdivisions include:
26	(a) A county that establishes or maintains a library or
27	that gives or receives free library service by contract with a
28	municipality or nonprofit library corporation or association
29	within such county;
30	(b) A county that joins with one or more counties to
31	establish or maintain a library or contracts with another
32	county, a special district, a special tax district, or one or
33	more municipalities in another county to receive free library
34	service;
35	(c) A special district or special tax district that
36	establishes or maintains a library and provides free library
37	service; or
38	(d) A municipality with a population of 200,000 or more
39	that establishes or maintains a library or thatand gives or
40	receives free library service by contract with a nonprofit
41	library corporation or association within the municipality.
42	(2) The library established or maintained by such
43	political subdivision shall:
44	(a) Be operated under a single administrative head who is
45	an employee of the single library administrative unit and who
46	has completed a library education program accredited by the
47	American Library Association. The single administrative head
48	shall have at least 2 years of full-time paid professional
49	experience, after completing the library education program, in a
50	public library that is open to the public for a minimum of 40
51	hours per week.and
52	(b) Expend its funds centrally.;
53	(b) Have an operating budget of at least $20,000 per year
54	from local sources; and
55	(c) Provide reciprocal borrowing, and other library
56	services pursuant to interlocal agreement,Give free library
57	service to all residents of all political subdivisions within
58	the county which receive operating grants from the stateof the
59	county or residents of the special district or special tax
60	district.
61	(d) Have at least one library or branch library open for
62	40 or more hours per week.
63	(e) Have a long-range plan, an annual plan of service, and
64	an annual budget.
65	(f) Engage in joint planning for coordination of library
66	services within the county or counties that receive operating
67	grants from the state.
68	(3) Any political subdivision establishing public library
69	service for the first time shall submit a certified copy of its
70	appropriation for library service, and its eligibility to
71	receive an operating grant shall be based upon such
72	appropriation.
73	(4)(a) A municipality with a population of 200,000 or more
74	that establishes or maintains a library is eligible to receive
75	from the state an annual operating grant of not more than 25
76	percent of all local funds expended by that municipality during
77	the second preceding fiscal year for the operation and
78	maintenance of a library, under the following conditions:
79	1. The municipal library is operated under a single
80	administrative head and expends its funds centrally;
81	2. The municipal library has an operating budget of at
82	least $20,000 per year from local sources; and
83	3. The municipal library provides free library service to
84	all residents of the municipality.
85	(b) This subsection is repealed on July 1, 2002.
86	Section 4. Section 257.22, Florida Statutes, is amended to
87	read:
88	257.22 Division of Library and Information Services;
89	allocation of funds.--Any moneys that may be appropriated for
90	use by a county, a municipality, a special district, or a
91	special tax district for the maintenance of a library or library
92	service shall be administered and allocated by the Division of
93	Library and Information Services in the manner prescribed by
94	law. On or before December 1 of each year, the division shall
95	certify to the Comptroller the amount to be paid to each county,
96	municipality, special district, or special tax district, and the
97	Comptroller shall issue warrants to the eligible political
98	subdivisionsrespective boards of county commissioners or chief
99	municipal executive authorities for the amount so allocated.
100	Section 5. Section 257.23, Florida Statutes, is amended to
101	read:
102	257.23 Application for grant.--
103	(1) The board of county commissioners of any county, the
104	chief executive officer of a municipality, or the governing body
105	of a special district or a special tax districtdesiring to
106	receive a grant under the provisions of ss. 257.14-257.25 shall
107	apply therefor to the Division of Library and Information
108	Services on or before October 1 of each year on a form to be
109	provided by the division. In The application, whichshall be
110	signed by the chair of the board of county commissioners and
111	attested by the clerk of the circuit court or the appropriate
112	officer in a charter county, by the chief executive officer of a
113	municipality and attested by the clerk of the municipality, or
114	by the chair of the governing body and attested by the chief
115	financial officer of a special district or a special tax
116	district. The county, municipality, special district, or special
117	tax districtthe board of county commissionersshall agree to
118	observe the standards established by the division as authorized
119	in s. 257.15. On or before December 1 each year, the applicant
120	shall certify the annual tax income and the rate of tax or the
121	annual appropriation for the free library or free library
122	service, and shall furnish such other pertinent information as
123	the division may require.
124	(2) The chief municipal executive authority of any
125	municipality desiring to receive a grant under the provisions of
126	ss. 257.14-257.25 shall apply therefor to the Division of
127	Library and Information Services on or before October 1 of each
128	year on a form to be provided by the division. In the
129	application, which shall be signed by the chief municipal
130	executive officer and attested by the clerk of the circuit
131	court, the chief municipal executive authority shall agree to
132	observe the standards established by the division as authorized
133	in s. 257.15, shall certify the annual tax income and the rate
134	of tax or the annual appropriation for the free library, and
135	shall furnish such other pertinent information as the division
136	may require.
137	Section 6. Section 257.19, Florida Statutes, is repealed.
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139	================= T I T L E A M E N D M E N T =================
140	Remove line(s) 16, and insert:
141	amending s. 257.17, F.S.; authorizing municipalities to
142	receive operating grants; establishing minimum standards
143	for receipt of funds; removing minimum population
144	requirement for municipalities to be eligible to receive
145	funds; amending s. 257.22, F.S.; permitting eligible
146	political subdivisions to receive warrants; amending s.
147	257.23, F.S.; requiring certification of annual tax income
148	by a specified date; clarifying authority with regard to
149	applications for grants; repealing s. 257.19, F.S.,
150	relating to library construction grants; providing for
151	severability; providing an effective date.