HB 1725CS

CHAMBER ACTION



1The Committee on Appropriations recommends the following:
2
3     Committee Substitute
4     Remove the entire bill and insert:
5
6
A bill to be entitled
7An act relating to military families; amending s. 295.01,
8F.S.; revising certain requirements relating to
9scholarships for children of deceased veterans; amending
10s. 445.007, F.S.; providing for the appointment of a
11military representative to certain regional workforce
12boards; amending s. 464.009, F.S.; providing for licensure
13by endorsement of certain nurses licensed in another state
14that is a member of the Nurse Licensure Compact; amending
15s. 464.022, F.S.; providing that certain nurses relocating
16to this state may perform nursing services for a period of
17120 days after submitting application for licensure;
18amending s. 1002.39, F.S.; revising eligibility
19requirements for military dependents applying for a John
20M. McKay Scholarship; amending s. 1003.05, F.S.; directing
21the Department of Education to assist in the development
22of memoranda of agreement between school districts and
23military installations; creating s. 1008.221, F.S.;
24providing for alternate assessments for the grade 10 FCAT
25for certain military dependents; amending s. 1009.21,
26F.S.; classifying dependents of active duty members of the
27armed services and certain liaison officers and their
28spouses and dependent children as residents for tuition
29purposes; directing Workforce Florida, Inc., to establish
30an employment advocacy and assistance program targeting
31military spouses and dependents; directing the Florida
32Housing Finance Corporation to assess the housing needs of
33Florida's military families; requiring a report; providing
34an appropriation to fund the employment advocacy and
35assistance program; providing an effective date.
36
37Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
38
39     Section 1.  Subsection (1) of section 295.01, Florida
40Statutes, is amended to read:
41     295.01  Children of deceased or disabled veterans;
42education.--
43     (1)  It is hereby declared to be the policy of the state to
44provide educational opportunity at state expense for dependent
45children either of whose parents was a resident of the state at
46the time such parent entered the Armed Forces and:
47     (a)  Died while on active duty as a result of service-
48connected injuries, disease, or disability; in that service or
49from injuries sustained or disease contracted during a period of
50wartime service as defined in s. 1.01(14) or has died since or
51may hereafter die from diseases or disability resulting from
52such war service, or
53     (b)  Has been:
54     1.  Determined by the United States Department of Veterans
55Affairs or its predecessor to have a service-connected 100-
56percent total and permanent disability rating for compensation;,
57     2.  Determined to have a service-connected total and
58permanent disability rating of 100 percent and is in receipt of
59disability retirement pay from any branch of the United States
60Armed Services;, or
61     3.  Issued a valid identification card by the Department of
62Veterans' Affairs in accordance with s. 295.17,
63
64when the parents of such children have been bona fide residents
65of the state for 5 years next preceding their application for
66the benefits hereof, and subject to the rules, restrictions, and
67limitations hereof.
68     Section 2.  Subsection (1) of section 445.007, Florida
69Statutes, is amended to read:
70     445.007  Regional workforce boards; exemption from public
71meetings law.--
72     (1)  One regional workforce board shall be appointed in
73each designated service delivery area and shall serve as the
74local workforce investment board pursuant to Pub. L. No. 105-
75220. The membership of the board shall be consistent with Pub.
76L. No. 105-220, Title I, s. 117(b), and contain one
77representative from a nonpublic postsecondary educational
78institution that is an authorized individual training account
79provider within the region and confers certificates and
80diplomas, one representative from a nonpublic postsecondary
81educational institution that is an authorized individual
82training account provider within the region and confers degrees,
83and three representatives of organized labor. The board shall
84include one representative from a military installation if a
85military installation is located within the region. Individuals
86serving as members of regional workforce development boards or
87local WAGES coalitions, as of June 30, 2000, are eligible for
88appointment to regional workforce boards, pursuant to this
89section. It is the intent of the Legislature that, whenever
90possible and to the greatest extent practicable, membership of a
91regional workforce board include persons who are current or
92former recipients of welfare transition assistance as defined in
93s. 445.002(3) or workforce services as provided in s.
94445.009(1), or that such persons be included as ex officio
95members of the board or of committees organized by the board.
96The importance of minority and gender representation shall be
97considered when making appointments to the board. If the
98regional workforce board enters into a contract with an
99organization or individual represented on the board of
100directors, the contract must be approved by a two-thirds vote of
101the entire board, and the board member who could benefit
102financially from the transaction must abstain from voting on the
103contract. A board member must disclose any such conflict in a
104manner that is consistent with the procedures outlined in s.
105112.3143.
106     Section 3.  Present subsections (3), (4), and (5) of
107section 464.009, Florida Statutes, are redesignated as
108subsections (4), (5), and (6), respectively, and a new
109subsection (3) is added to that section to read:
110     464.009  Licensure by endorsement.--
111     (3)  An applicant for licensure by endorsement who is
112relocating to this state pursuant to his or her military-
113connected spouse's official military orders and who is licensed
114in another state that is a member of the Nurse Licensure Compact
115shall be deemed to have satisfied the requirements of subsection
116(1) and shall be issued a license by endorsement upon submission
117of the appropriate application and fees and completion of the
118criminal background check required under subsection(4).
119     Section 4.  Subsection (8) of section 464.022, Florida
120Statutes, is amended to read:
121     464.022  Exceptions.--No provision of this part shall be
122construed to prohibit:
123     (8)  Any nurse currently licensed in another state or
124territory of the United States from performing nursing services
125in this state for a period of 60 days after furnishing to the
126employer satisfactory evidence of current licensure in another
127state or territory and having submitted proper application and
128fees to the board for licensure prior to employment. If the
129nurse licensed in another state or territory is relocating to
130this state pursuant to his or her military-connected spouse's
131official military orders, this period shall be 120 days after
132furnishing to the employer satisfactory evidence of current
133licensure in another state or territory and having submitted
134proper application and fees to the board for licensure prior to
135employment. The board may extend this time for administrative
136purposes when necessary.
137     Section 5.  Subsection (2) of section 1002.39, Florida
138Statutes, is amended to read:
139     1002.39  The John M. McKay Scholarships for Students with
140Disabilities Program.--There is established a program that is
141separate and distinct from the Opportunity Scholarship Program
142and is named the John M. McKay Scholarships for Students with
143Disabilities Program, pursuant to this section.
144     (2)  SCHOLARSHIP ELIGIBILITY.--The parent of a public
145school student with a disability who is dissatisfied with the
146student's progress may request and receive from the state a John
147M. McKay Scholarship for the child to enroll in and attend a
148private school in accordance with this section if:
149     (a)  By assigned school attendance area or by special
150assignment, the student has spent the prior school year in
151attendance at a Florida public school. Prior school year in
152attendance means that the student was enrolled and reported by a
153school district for funding during the preceding October and
154February Florida Education Finance Program surveys in
155kindergarten through grade 12. However, this paragraph does not
156apply to a dependent child of a member of the United States
157Armed Forces who transfers to a school in this state from out of
158state or from a foreign country pursuant to a parent's permanent
159change of station orders.
160     (b)  The parent has obtained acceptance for admission of
161the student to a private school that is eligible for the program
162under subsection (4) and has notified the school district of the
163request for a scholarship at least 60 days prior to the date of
164the first scholarship payment. The parental notification must be
165through a communication directly to the district or through the
166Department of Education to the district in a manner that creates
167a written or electronic record of the notification and the date
168of receipt of the notification.
169
170This section does not apply to a student who is enrolled in a
171school operating for the purpose of providing educational
172services to youth in Department of Juvenile Justice commitment
173programs. For purposes of continuity of educational choice, the
174scholarship shall remain in force until the student returns to a
175public school or graduates from high school. However, at any
176time, the student's parent may remove the student from the
177private school and place the student in another private school
178that is eligible for the program under subsection (4) or in a
179public school as provided in subsection (3).
180     Section 6.  Subsection (2) of section 1003.05, Florida
181Statutes, is amended to read:
182     1003.05  Assistance to transitioning students from military
183families.--
184     (2)  The Department of Education shall facilitate the
185development and implementation of memoranda of agreement between
186school districts and military installations which address
187strategies for assisting military students in the transition to
188Florida schools. identify its efforts and strategies for
189assisting military-connected students in transitioning to the
190Florida school system, including the identification of
191acceptable equivalence for curriculum and graduation
192requirements, and report its findings to the Governor, the
193President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of
194Representatives by October 1, 2003.
195     Section 7.  Section 1008.221, Florida Statutes, is created
196to read:
197     1008.221  Dependent children of military personnel
198transferring to Florida schools; equivalencies for standardized
199tests.--A dependent child of a member of the United States Armed
200Forces who enters a public school at the 12th grade from out of
201state or from a foreign country and provides satisfactory proof
202of attaining a score on an approved alternative assessment that
203is concordant to a passing score on the grade 10 FCAT shall
204satisfy the assessment requirement for a standard high school
205diploma as provided in s. 1003.43(5)(a). For purposes of this
206section, approved alternative assessments are the SAT and ACT.
207     Section 8.  Paragraph (b) of subsection (10) of section
2081009.21, Florida Statutes, is amended, and paragraph (k) is
209added to said subsection, to read:
210     1009.21  Determination of resident status for tuition
211purposes.--Students shall be classified as residents or
212nonresidents for the purpose of assessing tuition in community
213colleges and state universities.
214     (10)  The following persons shall be classified as
215residents for tuition purposes:
216     (b)  Active duty members of the Armed Services of the
217United States and their spouses and dependents attending a
218public community college or state university within 50 miles of
219the military establishment where they are stationed, if such
220military establishment is within a county contiguous to Florida.
221     (k)  Active duty members of a foreign nation's military who
222are serving as liaison officers and are residing or stationed in
223this state, and their spouses and dependent children, attending
224a community college or state university within 50 miles of the
225military establishment where the foreign liaison officer is
226stationed.
227     Section 9.  (1)  The Legislature finds that military
228families are faced with a variety of challenges, including
229frequent relocations, recurring deployments, lengthy periods of
230separation, and heightened anxiety and uncertainty during
231periods of conflict. A military spouse's ability to gain job
232skills and maintain a career contributes to the financial well-
233being of the family, spouse satisfaction with military life, and
234military retention and readiness. Military spouses are often
235required to terminate their employment in order to support their
236spouse's highly mobile military commitment. The unemployment
237rate for military spouses is approximately four times the
238civilian unemployment rate, and military spouse earnings are
239significantly lower than those of their comparably educated
240civilian peers.  Recognizing the employment challenges faced by
241military spouses and the importance of military families to our
242communities and economy, the Legislature declares its intent to
243establish an employment advocacy and assistance program to serve
244Florida's military families.
245     (2)  Workforce Florida, Inc., shall establish an employment
246advocacy and assistance program targeting military spouses and
247dependents. This program shall deliver employment assistance
248services through military family employment advocates colocated
249within selected one-stop career centers. Persons eligible for
250assistance through this program shall include spouses and
251dependents of active-duty military personnel, Florida National
252Guard members, and military reservists.
253     (3)  Military family employment advocates are responsible
254for providing the following services and activities:
255     (a)  Coordination of employment assistance services through
256military base family support centers, Florida's one-stop career
257centers, and veteran-support organizations.
258     (b)  Training to one-stop career center managers and staff
259on the unique employment needs and skills of military family
260members.
261     (c)  Promoting and marketing the benefits of employing
262military family members to prospective employers.
263     (d)  Assisting employment-seeking military family members
264through job counseling, job search and placement services, the
265dissemination of information on educational and training
266programs, and the availability of support services.
267     (e)  Other employment assistance services Workforce
268Florida, Inc., deems necessary.
269     (4)  Workforce Florida, Inc., may enter into agreements
270with public and private entities to provide services authorized
271under this section.
272     Section 10.  The Florida Housing Finance Corporation shall
273undertake an assessment of the needs of active duty military
274personnel and their families living in Florida for affordable
275housing. The needs assessment shall provide information on the
276population characteristics of the service personnel and their
277families having total gross incomes of up to 80 percent of the
278local area's median income who are living off base, including,
279but not limited to, the number of households by family size,
280income, and current tenancy; the condition of existing housing;
281and the availability of homeowner and rental housing that is
282affordable to these service personnel and their families. The
283corporation shall report its findings and recommendations to the
284Governor, the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House
285of Representatives, the Senate Minority Leader, and the House
286Minority Leader by December 31, 2004.
287     Section 11.  A recurring sum of $200,000 from the General
288Revenue Fund and four positions are hereby appropriated to the
289Agency for Workforce Innovation for staffing and administrative
290support for the employment advocacy and assistance program
291established in section 9 of this act.
292     Section 12.  This act shall take effect upon becoming a
293law.


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