| 1 | The Military & Veteran Affairs Committee recommends the |
| 2 | following: |
| 3 |
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| 4 | Council/Committee Substitute |
| 5 | Remove the entire bill and insert: |
| 6 | A bill to be entitled |
| 7 | An act relating to installations honoring military |
| 8 | veterans and their families; creating the "Ellwood |
| 9 | Robinson 'Bob' Pipping, Jr., Memorial Act"; providing a |
| 10 | popular name; providing purpose; authorizing the |
| 11 | Department of Transportation to enter into contract with a |
| 12 | not-for-profit group or organization for the installation |
| 13 | of plaques, markers, monuments, memorials, or various |
| 14 | retired military equipment at rest stops; providing for a |
| 15 | committee to approve proposals for the contracts; |
| 16 | providing for membership and terms of members of the |
| 17 | committee; requiring approval by said committee for such |
| 18 | contracts; providing conditions for approval; providing |
| 19 | that the group or organization shall be responsible for |
| 20 | costs; requiring that the group or organization provide a |
| 21 | bond to secure certain costs; providing an effective date. |
| 22 |
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| 23 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 24 |
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| 25 | Section 1. This act may be cited as the "Ellwood Robinson |
| 26 | 'Bob' Pipping, Jr., Memorial Act." |
| 27 | Section 2. The purpose of this act is to create an |
| 28 | environment in which the state's residents and visitors may be |
| 29 | reminded of the accomplishments made by Florida's military |
| 30 | veterans in past conflicts and the continuing sacrifices made by |
| 31 | those veterans and their families to protect the freedoms |
| 32 | Americans enjoy today. |
| 33 | Section 3. The Department of Transportation is authorized |
| 34 | to enter into contract with any not-for-profit group or |
| 35 | organization that has been operating for not less than 3 years |
| 36 | for the installation of monuments and memorials honoring |
| 37 | Florida's military veterans at highway rest areas around the |
| 38 | state pursuant to the provisions of this section. |
| 39 | (1) Proposals for contracts under this act must be |
| 40 | approved by a committee composed of the secretary of the |
| 41 | Department of Transportation or the secretary's designee, the |
| 42 | executive director of the Department of Veterans' Affairs or the |
| 43 | executive director's designee, and three members of the Florida |
| 44 | Commission on Veterans' Affairs appointed by the chair of the |
| 45 | commission. Appointed members of the committee shall be |
| 46 | appointed for terms of not longer than 2 years and may be |
| 47 | reappointed to the committee. All appointed members' terms shall |
| 48 | expire on January 31 of each even-numbered year. |
| 49 | (2) Installations may consist of monuments, memorials, |
| 50 | plaques, markers, or various retired military equipment and must |
| 51 | honor the accomplishments of military veterans and the |
| 52 | sacrifices made by them and their families. |
| 53 | (3) The group or organization making the proposal shall be |
| 54 | responsible for all costs of the monument and its installation. |
| 55 | (4) The group or organization making the proposal shall |
| 56 | provide a 10-year bond securing the cost of removal of the |
| 57 | monument and any modifications made to the site as part of the |
| 58 | placement of the monument should the Department of |
| 59 | Transportation determine it necessary to remove or relocate the |
| 60 | monument. Such removal or relocation shall be approved by the |
| 61 | committee described in subsection (1). Prior to expiration, the |
| 62 | bond shall be renewed for another 10-year period if the memorial |
| 63 | is to remain in place. |
| 64 | Section 4. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law. |