HB 0455

1	A bill to be entitled
2	An act relating to the Florida Faith-Based Initiative;
3	establishing the Florida Faith-Based Initiative; creating
4	the Florida Families Faith-Based Institute and providing
5	for administration by the University of South Florida;
6	providing a definition; providing duties; prohibiting
7	imposition of fees for certain purposes; requiring a
8	report; providing for open records and meetings; providing
9	an effective date.
10
11	Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
12
13	Section 1.  Florida Faith-Based Initiative.--
14	(1)  CREATION.--The Florida Families Faith-Based Institute
15	is created at and shall be administered by the University of
16	South Florida. The Legislature determines that public policy
17	dictates that the Florida Families Faith-Based Institute operate
18	in the most open and accessible manner consistent with its
19	public purpose. To this end, the Legislature specifically
20	declares that the Florida Families Faith-Based Institute is
21	subject to the provisions of chapter 119, Florida Statutes,
22	relating to public records and those provisions of chapter 286,
23	Florida Statutes, relating to public meetings and records.
24	(2)  DEFINITION.--"Faith-based organization" means an
25	organization that is owned by, operated by, or affiliated with a
26	religious entity and whose primary purpose is providing social
27	services and assistance to individuals in need of its services,
28	without regard to the race or religion of the person in need of
29	such services.
30	(3)  DUTIES.--The Florida Families Faith-Based Institute
31	shall:
32	(a)  Examine barriers to state-funded or federally funded
33	provision of services by faith-based organizations.
34	(b)  Provide programmatic and managerial training and
35	technical assistance to faith-based organizations seeking or
36	using state or federal funds to provide services. Such training
37	and technical assistance shall focus on critical areas of faith-
38	based social services management, including community asset-
39	based program development, research-based "best program
40	practices," resource development for nonstate funding sources,
41	and financial management and budgeting.
42	(c)  Establish a statewide resource center and
43	clearinghouse for information related to technical assistance
44	and training resources for faith-based and community-based
45	organizations.
46	(d)  Serve, as required, as a fiscal intermediary for
47	faith-based and community-based organizations receiving state
48	funding.
49	(e)  To the maximum extent possible, leverage state funding
50	for the initiative with any federal funding that the initiative
51	may receive to support similar faith-based activities.
52	(f)  Provide specific goals and objective criteria to
53	measure, evaluate, and document the quality and cost of services
54	provided by faith-based organizations with state or federal
55	funds.
56	(g)  Serve as liaison to the Centers for Faith-Based and
57	Community Initiatives established within the United States
58	Department of Justice, United States Department of Health and
59	Human Services, United States Department of Education, United
60	States Department of Labor, and United States Department of
61	Housing and Urban Development to work in tandem with the White
62	House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives.
63
64	The Florida Families Faith-Based Institute shall perform its
65	duties without imposing fees on faith-based organizations
66	receiving its assistance.
67	(4)  REPORT.--By January 1 of each year, the institute
68	shall submit to the Governor, the President of the Senate, and
69	the Speaker of the House of Representatives an annual report
70	that shall describe the activities of the institute in
71	fulfilling its duties, describe expenditures of funds by the
72	institute, and recommend to the President of the Senate and the
73	Speaker of the House of Representatives changes to the Florida
74	Statutes necessary to fulfill its purposes and duties.
75	Section 2.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2005.

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