HB 1587

1	A bill to be entitled
2	An act relating to the Commission for the Transportation
3	Disadvantaged; amending s. 427.012, F.S.; revising the
4	membership of the commission within the Department of
5	Transportation; revising the number of members of the
6	commission needed to constitute a quorum; requiring that
7	candidates for appointment to the commission meet certain
8	requirements for background screening; requiring that the
9	Department of Transportation report to the commission any
10	candidate who fails to meet the screening standards;
11	requiring that the costs of screening be borne by the
12	department or the candidate for appointment; providing for
13	the commission to appointment technical advisory
14	committees; providing an effective date.
15
16	Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
17
18	Section 1.  Subsections (1) and (4) of section 427.012,
19	Florida Statutes, are amended, present subsections (5), (6),
20	(7), and (8) of that section are redesignated as subsections
21	(6), (7), (9), and (10), respectively, and new subsections (5)
22	and (8) are added to that section, to read:
23	427.012  The Commission for the Transportation
24	Disadvantaged.--There is created the Commission for the
25	Transportation Disadvantaged in the Department of
26	Transportation.
27	(1)  The commission shall consist of the following members:
28	(a)  The Secretary of the Department of Transportation or
29	the secretary's designee.
30	(b)  The Secretary of the Department of Children and Family
31	Services or the secretary's designee.
32	(c)  The Commissioner of Education or the commissioner's
33	designee.
34	(d)  The director of Workforce Innovation or the director's
35	designee. The secretary of the Department of Labor and
36	Employment Security or the secretary's designee.
37	(e)  The executive director of the Department of Veterans'
38	Affairs or the executive director's designee.
39	(e)(f)  The Secretary of the Department of Elderly Affairs
40	or the secretary's designee.
41	(f)(g)  The Secretary director of the Agency for Health
42	Care Administration or the secretary's director's designee.
43	(g)(h)  A representative of the Florida Association of
44	Coordinated Transportation for Community Action, who shall serve
45	at the pleasure of that association.
46	(h)(i)  A representative of the Florida Public
47	Transportation Transit Association, who shall serve at the
48	pleasure of that association.
49	(i)(j)  A person over the age of 60 who uses paratransit
50	services. This is a member of a recognized statewide
51	organization representing elderly Floridians. Such person shall
52	be appointed by the Governor to represent elderly Floridians and
53	shall be appointed to serve a term of 4 years.
54	(j)(k)  A handicapped person with a disability who uses
55	paratransit services. This is a member of a recognized statewide
56	organization representing handicapped Floridians. Such person
57	shall be appointed by the Governor to represent disabled
58	handicapped Floridians and shall be appointed to serve a term of
59	4 years.
60	(k)  One representative of a metropolitan planning
61	organization who shall be appointed by the President of the
62	Senate to a term of 4 years.
63	(l)  One representative of a designated official planning
64	organization who shall be appointed by the Speaker of the House
65	of Representatives to a term of 4 years.
66	(m)  Seven members appointed for terms of 4 years each who
67	shall be from each of the seven districts of the Department of
68	Transportation. The Governor shall appoint four of the seven
69	members who shall be from urban department districts and the
70	Commissioner of Agriculture shall appoint three of the seven
71	members who shall be from rural department districts. Each
72	member is subject to confirmation by the Senate.
73	(l)  Two citizen advocate representatives who shall be
74	appointed by the Governor for a term of 4 years, one
75	representing rural citizens and one representing urban citizens.
76	(m)  A representative of the community transportation
77	coordinators. Such person shall be appointed by the Governor to
78	represent all community transportation coordinators and shall be
79	appointed to serve a term of 4 years.
80	(n)  One member of the Early Childhood Council. Such person
81	shall be appointed by the Governor to represent maternal and
82	child health care providers and shall be appointed to serve a
83	term of 4 years.
84	(o)  Two representatives of current private for-profit or
85	private not-for-profit transportation operators each of which
86	have a minimum of 5 years of continuous experience operating a
87	broad-based system of ambulatory and wheelchair/stretcher type
88	transportation, utilizing not less than 50 vehicles and
89	including dispatch and scheduling responsibilities. Such persons
90	shall be appointed by the Commissioner of Agriculture to serve a
91	term of 4 years.
92	(p)  Four representatives of current private for-profit or
93	private not-for-profit transportation operators, each of which
94	having a minimum of 5 years of continuous experience operating a
95	broad-based system of ambulatory and wheelchair or stretcher-
96	type transportation, utilizing not less than 50 vehicles, and
97	including dispatch and scheduling responsibilities. Such persons
98	shall be appointed by the Commissioner of Agriculture to serve a
99	term of 4 years.
100	(q)  Six citizens representing the nontransportation
101	business community of the state, three members appointed by the
102	President of the Senate and three members appointed by the
103	Speaker of the House of Representatives.
104	(4)  The commission shall meet at least quarterly, or more
105	frequently at the call of the chairperson. Seven Nine members of
106	the commission constitute a quorum, and a majority vote of the
107	members present is necessary for any action taken by the
108	commission.
109	(5)  Each candidate for appointment to the commission
110	shall, before accepting the appointment, undergo background
111	screening pursuant to s. 435.04 by filing with the Department of
112	Transportation a complete set of fingerprints taken by an
113	authorized law enforcement agency. These fingerprints shall be
114	submitted to the Department of Law Enforcement for state
115	processing, and that department shall in turn submit the
116	fingerprints to the Federal Bureau of Investigation for federal
117	processing. The Department of Transportation shall screen the
118	background results and report to the commission any candidate
119	who fails to meet level 2 screening standards pursuant to s.
120	435.04. Any candidate found through fingerprint processing to
121	have failed to meet level 2 screening standards pursuant to s.
122	435.04 may not be appointed as a member of the commission. The
123	cost of the background screening may be borne by the Department
124	of Transportation or the candidate for appointment to the
125	commission.
126	(8)  The commission may appoint technical advisory
127	committees to advise the commission on issues of importance to
128	the state and to regions of the state. A technical advisory
129	committee shall provide information, advice, and direction to
130	the commission on the coordination of services for the
131	transportation disadvantaged. The commission may establish the
132	size, composition, and focus of each committee created. A member
133	appointed to a technical advisory committee shall serve without
134	compensation and is not entitled to per diem or travel expenses.
135	Section 2.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2005.

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