HB 661

1	A bill to be entitled
2	An act relating to governmental services telephone
3	systems; creating s. 365.180, F.S.; providing legislative
4	findings; defining the term "coordinated 311 nonemergency
5	and other governmental services telephone system";
6	authorizing the Department of Community Affairs to accept
7	and administer funds to provide grants for certain
8	governmental services telephone systems; authorizing
9	counties and municipalities to apply for grants; requiring
10	a county or municipality to provide matching funds;
11	providing procedures for approval of grant awards;
12	requiring approval by the Secretary of Community Affairs
13	or appropriation by the Legislature; providing for certain
14	limitations on grant funds amounts; requiring a report to
15	the Governor and the Legislature detailing expenditures;
16	authorizing the department to adopt rules; providing an
17	appropriation; providing an effective date.
18
19	WHEREAS, in 1997, the Federal Communications Commission
20	authorized the use of 311 as a telephone number for
21	"nonemergency police and other governmental services," and
22	WHEREAS, in 2001, the Legislature authorized a 311 pilot
23	project in chapter 2001-133, Laws of Florida, to improve the
24	overall efficiency of 911 telephone systems and reduce 911
25	emergency response times, and
26	WHEREAS, several counties and municipalities in Florida
27	have thus far implemented 311 telephone systems that provide a
28	single access point to nonemergency and other governmental
29	services, and
30	WHEREAS, 311 alleviates congestion on 911 circuits and
31	helps make 911 emergency systems more efficient by diverting
32	nonemergency calls that could impede emergency responses, and
33	WHEREAS, 311 has proven to be critical during hurricanes
34	and other emergency situations and disasters by diverting many
35	calls from 911 emergency systems and keeping 911 open and
36	available for truly life-threatening situations, and
37	WHEREAS, 311 provides important information not only to
38	citizens, but to government by providing data about the source
39	of and the reasons for calls, and
40	WHEREAS, 311's greatest value is its ability to coordinate
41	the efforts of municipalities, counties, and other state and
42	local jurisdictions to provide an integrated, seamless single
43	source for nonemergency and other governmental services, and
44	WHEREAS, 311 systems could provide mutual aid to
45	neighboring areas by serving as backup call centers under
46	circumstances where disaster may disable local city or county
47	communication networks, and
48	WHEREAS, 911 was established to provide "rapid direct
49	access to public safety agencies," and the Florida 211 Network
50	was established to provide "coordination for information and
51	referral for health and human services," and
52	WHEREAS, 311 serves as an effective component of unified
53	governmental services which complements but does not duplicate
54	the services provided by 911 and 211, NOW, THEREFORE,
55
56	Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
57
58	Section 1.  Section 365.180, Florida Statutes, is created
59	to read:
60	365.180  Coordinated 311 nonemergency and other
61	governmental services telephone system grant program; grants for
62	operation; funding; approval; allocation.--
63	(1)  The Legislature finds that a 311 telephone system for
64	nonemergency and other governmental services may reduce the
65	volume of nonemergency calls to 911 public safety answering
66	points, particularly in times of a disaster. The Legislature
67	further finds that 311 systems improve public access to
68	government by providing seamless access to various governmental
69	entities, enhancing coordination among state and various local
70	jurisdictions, and improving service delivery.
71	(2)  As used in this section, the term "coordinated 311
72	nonemergency and other governmental services telephone system"
73	means a 311 system that is multijurisdictional in nature such
74	that it is designed to provide seamless access to nonemergency
75	and other governmental services.
76	(3)  The Department of Community Affairs may accept and
77	administer funds that are appropriated to it for providing
78	grants to counties and municipalities for the operation of a
79	coordinated 311 nonemergency and other governmental services
80	telephone system.
81	(4)  A county or municipality may apply for a grant of
82	state funds to support the implementation and operation of a
83	coordinated 311 nonemergency and other governmental services
84	telephone system.
85	(5)  A state grant awarded under this section must be
86	matched by a contribution from the county or municipality in an
87	amount equal to $1 for each $1 awarded under this section.
88	(6)  The Department of Community Affairs shall review each
89	application submitted under subsection (4) for a grant to
90	implement a coordinated 311 nonemergency and other governmental
91	services telephone system and, annually, shall submit a list of
92	all applications received and a list of the systems that are
93	recommended for the award of grants, arranged in order of
94	priority, to the secretary of the Department of Community
95	Affairs for the secretary's approval. The Department of
96	Community Affairs may allocate grants only for coordinated 311
97	nonemergency and other governmental services telephone systems
98	that are approved by the secretary or for which funds are
99	appropriated by the Legislature.
100	(7)  The annual amount of any one grant made under this
101	section may not exceed the lesser of $2.5 million or 50 percent
102	of the total annual cost of operating the coordinated 311
103	nonemergency and other governmental services telephone system.
104	The total amount of the grants awarded to a coordinated 311
105	nonemergency and other governmental services telephone system in
106	a 5-year period may not exceed $10 million.
107	(8)  No later than December 15, 2007, each 311 system that
108	receives funding under this section shall submit a report to the
109	Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the
110	House of Representatives detailing expenditure of the funds
111	appropriated to it for the purposes of this section.
112	(9)  The Department of Community Affairs may adopt rules
113	prescribing the criteria to be applied to applications for
114	grants and rules providing for the administration of this
115	section.
116	Section 2.  For fiscal year 2006-2007, the sum of $10
117	million is appropriated from the General Revenue Fund to the
118	Department of Community Affairs to fund the coordinated 311
119	nonemergency and other governmental services telephone system
120	grant program.
121	Section 3.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2006.

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