Senate Bill sb2636

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    Florida Senate - 2006                                  SB 2636

    By Senator Posey





    24-43A-06

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to the Space Florida Act;

  3         amending s. 331.368, F.S.; revising the purpose

  4         of the institute; providing for the institute

  5         to serve as a multi-university center for

  6         research and technology development; requiring

  7         the institute to submit a plan to the Board of

  8         Governors for its operation; authorizing the

  9         institute to leverage certain funding; revising

10         membership of the Board of the Florida Space

11         Research Institute; providing for the board to

12         invite participation of Embry Riddle

13         Aeronautical University; deleting a requirement

14         for the board to select a lead university;

15         deleting a requirement to comanage with the

16         National Aeronautics and Space Administration

17         the operation of the Space Experiment Research

18         and Processing Laboratory; providing for

19         comanagement of the Space Life Sciences Lab at

20         the John F. Kennedy Space Center; revising a

21         requirement that the board develop certain

22         initiatives to include space exploration;

23         revising a requirement that the board

24         coordinate and conduct research in certain

25         fields to include space exploration; providing

26         appropriations; providing effective dates.

27  

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

29  

30         Section 1.  Subsections (1), (2), and (7) of section

31  331.368, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:

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    Florida Senate - 2006                                  SB 2636
    24-43A-06




 1         331.368  Florida Space Research Institute.--

 2         (1)  There is created the Florida Space Research

 3  Institute, the purpose of which is to serve as an

 4  industry-driven center for research, leveraging the state's

 5  resources in a collaborative effort to support Florida's space

 6  industry and its expansion, diversification, and transition to

 7  commercialization.

 8         (a)  The institute shall submit a plan to the Board of

 9  Governors before June 30, 2006, for its operation as a

10  multi-university center for space-focused research and

11  technology development, consistent with the emerging needs of

12  government and commercial space programs.

13         (b)  The institute may leverage annual funding from the

14  National Aeronautics and Space Administration for grants to

15  Florida academic institutions and industry for the purpose of

16  growing and diversifying the state's role in space research

17  and sponsoring education and training projects that will

18  support future needs in the state for an aerospace workforce.

19         (2)  The institute shall operate as a public/private

20  partnership under the direction of a board composed of:

21         (a)  A representative of the Florida Space Authority.

22         (b)  A representative of Enterprise Florida, Inc.

23         (c)  A representative of the Florida Aviation Aerospace

24  Alliance.

25         (d)  A representative of the Florida Space Business

26  Roundtable.

27         (d)(e)  Additional private-sector representatives from

28  the space industry selected collaboratively by the core

29  members specified in paragraphs (a)-(c)(d). The additional

30  space industry representatives under this paragraph must

31  comprise the majority of members of the board and must be from

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    Florida Senate - 2006                                  SB 2636
    24-43A-06




 1  geographic regions throughout the state. Each private-sector

 2  representative shall be appointed to a term of 3 years.

 3         (e)(f)  At least two representatives from the

 4  educational community who are selected collaboratively by the

 5  core members specified in paragraphs (a)-(c)(d) and who are

 6  engaged in research or instruction related to the space

 7  industry. One representative must be from a community college,

 8  and one representative must be from a public or private

 9  university. Each educational representative shall be appointed

10  to a term of 2 years.

11         (f)(g)  Additional ex officio, nonvoting

12  representatives selected collaboratively by the core members.

13         (7)  The board of the Florida Space Research Institute

14  shall:

15         (a)  Set the strategic direction for the space-related

16  research priorities of the state and its space-related

17  businesses, the scope of research projects for the institute,

18  and the timeframes for completion.

19         (b)  Invite the participation of public and private

20  academic institutions, including, but not limited to, the

21  University of Central Florida, the University of Florida, the

22  University of South Florida, Florida State University, Florida

23  Institute of Technology, Embry Riddle Aeronautical University,

24  and the University of Miami.

25         (c)  Select a lead university to:

26         1.  Serve as coordinator of research for the institute;

27         2.  Support the institute's development of a statewide

28  space research agenda and programs; and

29         3.  Develop, and update as necessary, a report

30  recommending ways that the state's public and private

31  

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    Florida Senate - 2006                                  SB 2636
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 1  universities can work in partnership to support the state's

 2  space-industry requirements.

 3         (c)(d)  Establish a partnership with the state

 4  Workforce Development Board, or its successor entity, under

 5  which the institute coordinates the workforce-training

 6  requirements identified by the space industry and supports

 7  development of workforce-training initiatives to meet such

 8  requirements, using training providers approved by the board

 9  or its successor entity.

10         (d)(e)  Comanage, with the National Aeronautics and

11  Space Administration and subject to the terms of an agreement

12  with NASA, operation of the a Space Life Sciences Lab at

13  Experiment Research and Processing Laboratory, if such a

14  facility is constructed on land of the John F. Kennedy Space

15  Center. The institute shall carry out such responsibility

16  through a consortium of public and private universities in the

17  state led by the University of Florida.

18         (e)(f)  Develop initiatives to foster the participation

19  of the state's space industry in the International Space

20  Station and space exploration and to help the state maintain

21  and enhance its competitive position in the commercial

22  space-transportation industry.

23         (f)(g)  Pursue partnerships with the National

24  Aeronautics and Space Administration to coordinate and conduct

25  research in fields including, but not limited to, space

26  exploration, environmental monitoring; agriculture; aquatics;

27  resource reutilization technologies for long-duration space

28  missions; and spaceport technologies which support current or

29  next-generation launch vehicles and range systems.

30         (g)(h)  Pursue partnerships with the National

31  Aeronautics and Space Administration for the conduct of

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    Florida Senate - 2006                                  SB 2636
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 1  space-related research using computer technology to connect

 2  experts in a given field of science who are in disparate

 3  locations and to perform research experiments in a real-time,

 4  virtual environment.

 5         (h)(i)  Appoint or dismiss, as deemed necessary by the

 6  board, a person to act as executive director of the institute,

 7  who shall have such other functions, duties, powers, and

 8  salary as the board prescribes.

 9         Section 2.  Effective July 1, 2006, the sum of $10

10  million is appropriated from the General Revenue Fund to the

11  Department of Education for the 2006-2007 fiscal year to

12  establish the Florida Space Research Institute as a

13  multi-university center for space research and technology

14  development.

15         Section 3.  Effective July 1, 2006, the sum of $1

16  million is appropriated from the General Revenue Fund to

17  Florida Atlantic University to invest in the Florida Space

18  Research Institute's matching grant program with the National

19  Aeronautics and Space Administration.

20         Section 4.  Except as otherwise provided in this act,

21  this act shall take effect upon becoming a law.

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