HB 0661

CS

CHAMBER ACTION

1	The Utilities & Telecommunications Committee recommends the
2	following:
3
4	Council/Committee Substitute
5	Remove the entire bill and insert:
6	A bill to be entitled
7	An act relating to governmental services telephone
8	systems; creating s. 365.180, F.S.; providing legislative
9	findings; defining the term "coordinated 311 nonemergency
10	and other governmental services telephone system";
11	authorizing the Department of Community Affairs to accept
12	and administer funds to provide grants for certain
13	governmental services telephone systems; authorizing
14	counties and municipalities to apply for grants; requiring
15	a county or municipality to provide matching funds;
16	providing procedures for approval of grant awards;
17	requiring approval by the Secretary of Community Affairs
18	or appropriation by the Legislature; providing for certain
19	limitations on grant funds amounts; requiring a report to
20	the Governor and the Legislature detailing expenditures;
21	authorizing the department to adopt rules; providing
22	application evaluation criteria; providing an
23	appropriation; providing an effective date.
24
25	WHEREAS, in 1997, the Federal Communications Commission
26	authorized the use of 311 as a telephone number for
27	"nonemergency police and other governmental services," and
28	WHEREAS, in 2001, the Legislature authorized a 311 pilot
29	project in chapter 2001-133, Laws of Florida, to improve the
30	overall efficiency of 911 telephone systems and reduce 911
31	emergency response times, and
32	WHEREAS, several counties and municipalities in Florida
33	have thus far implemented 311 telephone systems that provide a
34	single access point to nonemergency and other governmental
35	services, and
36	WHEREAS, 311 alleviates congestion on 911 circuits and
37	helps make 911 emergency systems more efficient by diverting
38	nonemergency calls that could impede emergency responses, and
39	WHEREAS, 311 has proven to be critical during hurricanes
40	and other emergency situations and disasters by diverting many
41	calls from 911 emergency systems and keeping 911 open and
42	available for truly life-threatening situations, and
43	WHEREAS, 311 provides important information not only to
44	citizens, but to government by providing data about the source
45	of and the reasons for calls, and
46	WHEREAS, 311's greatest value is its ability to coordinate
47	the efforts of municipalities, counties, and other state and
48	local jurisdictions to provide an integrated, seamless single
49	source for nonemergency and other governmental services, and
50	WHEREAS, 311 systems could provide mutual aid to
51	neighboring areas by serving as backup call centers under
52	circumstances where disaster may disable local city or county
53	communication networks, and
54	WHEREAS, 911 was established to provide "rapid direct
55	access to public safety agencies," and the Florida 211 Network
56	was established to provide "coordination for information and
57	referral for health and human services," and
58	WHEREAS, 311 serves as an effective component of unified
59	governmental services which complements but does not duplicate
60	the services provided by 911 and 211, NOW, THEREFORE,
61
62	Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
63
64	Section 1.  Section 365.180, Florida Statutes, is created
65	to read:
66	365.180  Coordinated 311 nonemergency and other
67	governmental services telephone system grant program; grants for
68	operation; funding; approval; allocation.--
69	(1)  The Legislature finds that a 311 telephone system for
70	nonemergency and other governmental services may reduce the
71	volume of nonemergency calls to 911 public safety answering
72	points, particularly in times of a disaster. The Legislature
73	further finds that 311 systems improve public access to
74	government by providing seamless access to various governmental
75	entities, enhancing coordination among state and various local
76	jurisdictions, and improving service delivery.
77	(2)  As used in this section, the term "coordinated 311
78	nonemergency and other governmental services telephone system"
79	means a 311 system that is multijurisdictional in nature such
80	that it is designed to provide seamless access to nonemergency
81	and other governmental services.
82	(3)  The Department of Community Affairs may accept and
83	administer funds that are appropriated to it for providing
84	grants to counties and municipalities for the operation of a
85	coordinated 311 nonemergency and other governmental services
86	telephone system.
87	(4)  A county or municipality may apply for a grant of
88	state funds to support the implementation and operation of a
89	coordinated 311 nonemergency and other governmental services
90	telephone system.
91	(5)  A state grant awarded under this section must be
92	matched by a contribution from the county or municipality in an
93	amount equal to $1 for each $1 awarded under this section.
94	(6)  The Department of Community Affairs shall review each
95	application submitted under subsection (4) for a grant to
96	implement a coordinated 311 nonemergency and other governmental
97	services telephone system and, annually, shall submit a list of
98	all applications received and a list of the systems that are
99	recommended for the award of grants, arranged in order of
100	priority, to the secretary of the Department of Community
101	Affairs for the secretary's approval. The Department of
102	Community Affairs may allocate grants only for coordinated 311
103	nonemergency and other governmental services telephone systems
104	that are approved by the secretary or for which funds are
105	appropriated by the Legislature.
106	(7)  The annual amount of any one grant made under this
107	section may not exceed the lesser of $2.5 million or 50 percent
108	of the total annual cost of operating the coordinated 311
109	nonemergency and other governmental services telephone system.
110	The total amount of the grants awarded to a coordinated 311
111	nonemergency and other governmental services telephone system in
112	a 5-year period may not exceed $10 million.
113	(8)  No later than December 15, 2007, each 311 system that
114	receives funding under this section shall submit a report to the
115	Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the
116	House of Representatives detailing expenditure of the funds
117	appropriated to it for the purposes of this section.
118	(9)  The Department of Community Affairs may adopt rules
119	pursuant to ss. 120.536(1) and 120.54 prescribing the criteria
120	to be applied to applications for grants and rules providing for
121	the administration of this section. The application evaluation
122	criteria shall, at a minimum, include the following:
123	(a)  The population of the applicant county or
124	municipality.
125	(b)  Prior establishment of a 311 number by the applicant
126	county or municipality.
127	(c)  The interoperability between the proposed 311 system
128	and the existing 911 public safety answering points within the
129	applicant county or municipality.
130	(d)  The commitment of funds by the applicant county or
131	municipality beyond the minimum match contribution.
132	(e)  The long-range plan for sustainability of the proposed
133	311 system submitted by the applicant county or municipality.
134	Section 2.  For fiscal year 2006-2007, the sum of $10
135	million is appropriated from the General Revenue Fund to the
136	Department of Community Affairs to fund the coordinated 311
137	nonemergency and other governmental services telephone system
138	grant program.
139	Section 3.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2006.

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