Senate Bill sb1466
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Florida Senate - 2004 SB 1466
By Senator Lynn
7-981B-04
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to the administration of public
3 assistance eligibility programs; directing the
4 Department of Children and Family Services to
5 competitively bid the eligibility determination
6 activities of certain public assistance
7 programs; providing for implementation in two
8 districts by a specified date; allowing current
9 employees the opportunity to present an offer
10 to continue to perform eligibility
11 determination services; directing the
12 department to assist the employees, if
13 requested; authorizing the department to use
14 state funds to compensate consultants who help
15 current employees prepare a bid response;
16 requiring prior approval from the Technology
17 Review Workgroup before certain changes are
18 made; requiring an assessment prior to
19 implementation beyond the two districts;
20 specifying elements to be included in the
21 assessment; requiring reports to the Governor
22 and Legislature by specified dates; directing
23 the Governor to direct the department regarding
24 further implementation unless countermanded by
25 the Legislature; requiring semiannual reports
26 if implementation is continued beyond June 30,
27 2005; providing an effective date.
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29 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
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Florida Senate - 2004 SB 1466
7-981B-04
1 Section 1. (1) The Department of Children and Family
2 Services shall competitively bid the services of one or more
3 providers to perform the eligibility determination activities
4 related to food stamps, Medicaid, Temporary Assistance for
5 Needy Families-Cash Assistance, and other public assistance
6 programs under its jurisdiction. The competitively procured
7 services shall initially be performed in one predominantly
8 rural district and one predominantly urban district. The
9 services contract or contracts for the two selected districts
10 must be implemented by September 30, 2004.
11 (2) The competitive bid process shall afford the
12 department employees currently performing eligibility
13 determination services the opportunity to submit an offer to
14 continue to perform the services. The bid process shall
15 provide the employees a reasonable opportunity to organize
16 prior to the beginning of the formal competitive process. The
17 department shall provide the employees with reasonable legal,
18 procurement, and fiscal expertise as requested by the
19 employees. Notwithstanding section 287.057, Florida Statutes,
20 the employees may select consultants to assist in preparing
21 the offer. The department may use state funds to compensate
22 consultants whose services are limited exclusively to
23 assistance rendered to the employees in preparing a response
24 to the bid solicitation.
25 (3) The Technology Review Workgroup must give prior
26 written approval before any technological change proposed for
27 the FLORIDA System as part of a competitively procured
28 contract is implemented.
29 (4) Prior to contracting for the performance of
30 eligibility services in any additional district, the
31 department shall assess the quality of the services delivered
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Florida Senate - 2004 SB 1466
7-981B-04
1 in the one rural and one urban districts. The department's
2 assessment shall include, but need not be limited to, an
3 evaluation of the following elements, by eligibility program,
4 as compared to baseline data from the eligibility program
5 before the services were privately performed:
6 (a) Error rates;
7 (b) Timeliness of eligibility determination;
8 (c) Customer satisfaction; and
9 (d) Costs associated with operation of the eligibility
10 program.
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12 In addition, the assessment must determine whether any
13 technological changes implemented have resulted in
14 improvements in program efficiency.
15 (5)(a) Upon completing the assessment, the department
16 shall prepare a report of its findings. The initial status
17 report shall describe the implementation of the contracted
18 eligibility services in the two districts and must be
19 submitted by December 30, 2004. A final report, including an
20 evaluation of all elements listed in subsection (4) and, if
21 recommended, a plan for future implementation, including a
22 timeframe and proposed roll-out schedule by district, must be
23 submitted by January 30, 2005. The reports shall be submitted
24 to the Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker
25 of the House of Representatives.
26 (b) Based on the results in the reports, the Governor
27 shall direct the department regarding implementing the
28 privately performed eligibility determinations in additional
29 districts unless countermanded by the Legislature.
30 (c) If implementation is continued beyond June 30,
31 2005, reports addressing, at a minimum, the elements in
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Florida Senate - 2004 SB 1466
7-981B-04
1 subsection (4) must be submitted to the Governor and
2 Legislature semiannually, beginning January 1, 2006, until
3 privately performed eligibility determinations have either
4 ceased or been in place statewide for 3 years.
5 Section 2. This act shall take effect upon becoming a
6 law.
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9 SENATE SUMMARY
10 Directs the Department of Children and Family Services to
competitively bid the eligibility determination
11 activities of certain public assistance programs.
Provides for initially implementing the project in two
12 districts. Allows current employees the opportunity to
present an offer to continue performing eligibility
13 determination services. Directs the department to assist
the employees, if requested. Authorizes the department to
14 use state funds to compensate consultants who help the
employees prepare a bid response. Requires prior approval
15 from the Technology Review Workgroup before certain
changes are made. Requires an assessment prior to
16 implementing the project beyond the two districts.
Specifies the elements to be included in the assessment.
17 Requires reports to the Governor and Legislature by
specified dates. Directs the Governor to direct the
18 department regarding further implementation unless
countermanded by the Legislature. Requires semiannual
19 reports if implementation is continued beyond June 30,
2005.
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