| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to the social status of African American |
| 3 | men and boys; creating the Commission on the Social Status |
| 4 | of African American Men and Boys; providing for the |
| 5 | appointment and qualification of members; providing for |
| 6 | the appointment of members to fill vacant positions; |
| 7 | requiring the commission to make a systematic study of |
| 8 | conditions affecting African American men and boys; |
| 9 | requiring the Office of the Attorney General to provide |
| 10 | administrative support; requiring the commission to submit |
| 11 | an annual report to the Governor and Legislature; |
| 12 | providing for reimbursement for per diem and travel |
| 13 | expenses; requiring the Attorney General to organize the |
| 14 | initial meeting of the commission; providing for the |
| 15 | expiration of the commission; providing an appropriation; |
| 16 | providing an effective date. |
| 17 |
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| 18 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 19 |
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| 20 | Section 1. Commission on the Social Status of African |
| 21 | American Men and Boys.-- |
| 22 | (1) The Commission on the Social Status of African |
| 23 | American Men and Boys is established in the Office of the |
| 24 | Attorney General and shall consist of 21 members appointed |
| 25 | within 30 days of the effective date of this act as follows: |
| 26 | (a) Two members of the Senate who are not members of the |
| 27 | same political party, appointed by the President of the Senate |
| 28 | with the advice of the minority leader of the Senate. |
| 29 | (b) Two members of the House of Representatives who are |
| 30 | not members of the same political party, appointed by the |
| 31 | Speaker of the House of Representatives with the advice of the |
| 32 | minority leader of the House of Representatives. |
| 33 | (c) The Secretary of Children and Family Services or his |
| 34 | or her designee. |
| 35 | (d) The director of the Mental Health Program Office |
| 36 | within the Department of Children and Family Services or his or |
| 37 | her designee. |
| 38 | (e) The Secretary of Health or his or her designee. |
| 39 | (f) The Commissioner of Education or his or her designee. |
| 40 | (g) The Secretary of Corrections or his or her designee. |
| 41 | (h) The Attorney General or his or her designee. |
| 42 | (i) The Secretary of Management Services or his or her |
| 43 | designee. |
| 44 | (j) The director of the Agency for Workforce Innovation or |
| 45 | his or her designee. |
| 46 | (k) A business person of African-American origin appointed |
| 47 | by the Governor. |
| 48 | (l) Two persons appointed by the President of the Senate |
| 49 | who are not members of the Legislature or employed by state |
| 50 | government. |
| 51 | (m) Two persons appointed by the Speaker of the House of |
| 52 | Representatives who are not members of the Legislature or |
| 53 | employed by state government. |
| 54 | (n) The deputy secretary for Medicaid in the Agency for |
| 55 | Health Care Administration or his or her designee. |
| 56 | (o) The director of the Office of Economic and Demographic |
| 57 | Research or his or her designee. |
| 58 | (p) The Secretary of Juvenile Justice or his or her |
| 59 | designee. |
| 60 | (q) The director of the Office of Program Policy Analysis |
| 61 | and Government Accountability or his or her designee. |
| 62 | (2) A member of the commission may be removed at any time |
| 63 | by the member's appointing authority who shall fill the vacancy |
| 64 | on the commission. |
| 65 | (3)(a) At the first meeting of the commission each year, |
| 66 | the members shall elect a chair and a vice chair. |
| 67 | (b) A vacancy in the office of chair or vice chair shall |
| 68 | be filled by vote of the remaining members. |
| 69 | (4)(a) The commission shall make a systematic study of the |
| 70 | conditions affecting African American men and boys, including, |
| 71 | but not limited to, the homicide rates, arrest and incarceration |
| 72 | rates, poverty, violence, drug abuse, death rates, disparate |
| 73 | annual income levels, school performance in all grade levels |
| 74 | including postsecondary levels, and health issues. |
| 75 | (b) The commission shall propose measures to alleviate and |
| 76 | correct the underlying causes of the conditions described in |
| 77 | paragraph (a). These measures may consist of changes to the law |
| 78 | or systematic changes that can be implemented without |
| 79 | legislative action. |
| 80 | (c) The commission may study other topics suggested by the |
| 81 | Legislature or as directed by the chair of the commission. |
| 82 | (d) The commission shall receive suggestions or comments |
| 83 | pertinent to the applicable issues from members of the |
| 84 | Legislature, governmental agencies, public and private |
| 85 | organizations, and private citizens. |
| 86 | (5) The Office of the Attorney General shall provide staff |
| 87 | and administrative support to the commission. |
| 88 | (6) The commission shall meet quarterly and at other times |
| 89 | at the call of the chair or as determined by a majority of |
| 90 | commission members. |
| 91 | (7) Ten of the members of the commission shall constitute |
| 92 | a quorum, and an affirmative vote of a majority of the members |
| 93 | present is required for final action. |
| 94 | (8) The commission shall issue its first annual report by |
| 95 | December 15, 2006, and by December 15 each following year, |
| 96 | stating the findings, conclusions, and recommendations of the |
| 97 | commission. The commission shall submit the report to the |
| 98 | Governor, the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House |
| 99 | of Representatives, and the chairpersons of the standing |
| 100 | committees of jurisdiction in each chamber. |
| 101 | (9) Members of the commission shall serve without |
| 102 | compensation, but members who are not government employees are |
| 103 | entitled to reimbursement for per diem and travel expenses as |
| 104 | provided in s. 112.061, Florida Statutes. |
| 105 | (10) Notwithstanding subsection (6), the Attorney General |
| 106 | shall: |
| 107 | (a) Within 60 days after the effective date of this act, |
| 108 | fix a date for the initial meeting of the commission. |
| 109 | (b) Notify each member of the commission of the time, |
| 110 | date, and place where the initial meeting will be held. |
| 111 | (c) Make any other arrangements concerning the initial |
| 112 | meeting of the commission. |
| 113 | (d) Serve as the presiding officer at the initial meeting |
| 114 | of the commission until a chair is elected. |
| 115 | (11) This section expires July 1, 2011, unless reenacted |
| 116 | by the Legislature. |
| 117 | Section 2. The sum of $50,000 is appropriated from the |
| 118 | General Revenue Fund to the Commission on the Social Status of |
| 119 | African American Men and Boys for the purpose of administering |
| 120 | section 1 of this act. |
| 121 | Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2005. |