HOUSE AMENDMENT
Bill No. HB 325
   
1 CHAMBER ACTION
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Senate House
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12          Representative Bean 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.