| 1 | The Committee on Commerce recommends the following: |
| 2 |
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| 3 | Committee Substitute |
| 4 | Remove the entire bill and insert: |
| 5 | A bill to be entitled |
| 6 | An act relating to public libraries; amending s. 257.191, |
| 7 | F.S.; revising provisions relating to public library |
| 8 | construction grants; authorizing the Division of Library |
| 9 | and Information Services to accept and administer certain |
| 10 | funds for purposes of certain grants; providing for |
| 11 | eligibility for grant funding; providing for the adoption |
| 12 | of rules; providing for effect contingent upon certain |
| 13 | appropriations; limiting grants in the same fiscal year; |
| 14 | providing an effective date. |
| 15 |
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| 16 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 17 |
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| 18 | Section 1. Section 257.191, Florida Statutes, is amended |
| 19 | to read: |
| 20 | 257.191 Public library construction grants.-- |
| 21 | (1) The Division of Library and Information Services may |
| 22 | accept and administer library construction moneys appropriated |
| 23 | to it and shall allocate such appropriation to municipal, |
| 24 | county, and regional libraries in the form of public library |
| 25 | construction grants on a matching basis. The local matching |
| 26 | portion shall be no less than the grant amount, on a dollar-for- |
| 27 | dollar basis, up to the maximum grant amount, unless the |
| 28 | matching requirement is waived by s. 288.06561. Initiation of a |
| 29 | library construction project 12 months or less prior to the |
| 30 | grant award under this section shall not affect the eligibility |
| 31 | of an applicant to receive a public library construction grant. |
| 32 | (2)(a) The Division of Library and Information Services |
| 33 | may accept and administer moneys appropriated to it for small |
| 34 | county public library construction grants. The purpose of the |
| 35 | grants is to assist counties and municipalities that have been |
| 36 | designated rural communities in accordance with ss. |
| 37 | 288.0656(2)(b) and 288.06561 to construct, expand, or renovate |
| 38 | public library facilities to meet the requirement of 0.6 square |
| 39 | feet per capita of total library floor space. |
| 40 | (b) To be eligible to compete for funds under this |
| 41 | subsection, a county or municipality shall: |
| 42 | 1. Comply with the definition of rural community as |
| 43 | provided in s. 288.0656(2)(b). |
| 44 | 2. Have less than 0.6 square feet per capita of total |
| 45 | library floor space. |
| 46 | 3. Certify that the county or municipality will |
| 47 | appropriate and expend sufficient funds to operate the completed |
| 48 | library facility. |
| 49 | 4. Not apply if a grant has been awarded under the public |
| 50 | library construction grant program provided in subsection (1) |
| 51 | for the same fiscal year. |
| 52 | (c) The implementation of the provisions of the small |
| 53 | county public library construction grants under this subsection |
| 54 | shall be contingent upon specific appropriations provided to the |
| 55 | Department of State for funding of these grants. |
| 56 | (3) A public library shall not receive grant funding from |
| 57 | the public library construction grant program provided in |
| 58 | subsection (1) and the small county public library construction |
| 59 | grant program provided in subsection (2) during the same fiscal |
| 60 | year. |
| 61 | (4) The division shall adopt rules for the administration |
| 62 | of public library construction grants. For the purposes of this |
| 63 | section, s. 257.21 does not apply. |
| 64 | Section 2. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law. |