Senate Bill sb0606c1

    Florida Senate - 2004                            CS for SB 606

    By the Committee on Children and Families; and Senators Smith
    and Lynn




    300-2152-04

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to trust funds; creating the

  3         Child Advocacy Trust Fund within the Department

  4         of Children and Family Services; providing for

  5         sources of funds and purposes; specifying the

  6         use of collected funds; requiring the

  7         development of an allocation methodology for

  8         distributing funds deposited in the trust fund;

  9         providing for funds to establish children's

10         advocacy centers; providing for future

11         legislative review and termination or

12         re-creation of the trust fund; providing a

13         contingent effective date.

14  

15  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

16  

17         Section 1.  Child Advocacy Trust Fund.--

18         (1)(a)  The Child Advocacy Trust Fund is created within

19  the Department of Children and Family Services for the purpose

20  of receiving funds collected from the additional court cost

21  imposed in cases of certain crimes against minors under

22  section 938.10, Florida Statutes. Funds shall be appropriated

23  to the Department of Children and Family Services for the

24  specific purpose of funding children's advocacy centers. Funds

25  shall be disbursed to the Florida Network of Children's

26  Advocacy Centers, Inc., as established under section 39.3035,

27  Florida Statutes, for the purpose of providing community-based

28  services that augment, but that do not duplicate, services

29  provided by state agencies.

30         (b)  The Board of Directors of the Florida Network of

31  Children's Advocacy Centers, Inc., shall retain 10 percent of

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






    Florida Senate - 2004                            CS for SB 606
    300-2152-04




 1  all revenues collected to be used to match local

 2  contributions, at a rate not to exceed an equal match, in

 3  communities establishing children's advocacy centers. The

 4  board of directors may use up to 5 percent of the remaining

 5  funds to support the activities of the network office and must

 6  develop funding criteria and an allocation methodology that

 7  ensures an equitable distribution of remaining funds among

 8  network participants. The criteria and methodologies must take

 9  into account factors that include, but need not be limited to,

10  the center's accreditation status with respect to the National

11  Children's Alliance, the number of clients served, and the

12  population of the area being served by the children's advocacy

13  center.

14         (2)  Pursuant to Section 19(f)(2), Article III of the

15  State Constitution, the trust fund shall, unless terminated

16  sooner, be terminated on July 1, 2008. Before its scheduled

17  termination, the trust fund shall be reviewed as provided in

18  section 215.3206(1) and (2), Florida Statutes.

19         Section 2.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2004, if

20  Senate Bill 602 or similar legislation is adopted in the same

21  legislative session, or an extension thereof, and becomes law.

22  

23          STATEMENT OF SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES CONTAINED IN
                       COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
24                         Senate Bill 606

25                                 

26  Directs the use of collected funds for establishing children's
    advocacy centers at a rate not to exceed equal match to local
27  funding and authorizes up to five percent of the remaining
    funds to be used to support the network office.
28  

29  

30  

31  

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