HB 1421

1	A bill to be entitled
2	An act relating to the Digital Divide Council; amending s.
3	445.049, F.S.; recreating the council in the Department of
4	Education; revising the membership of the council;
5	providing for terms of office; requiring an initial
6	meeting and at specified times thereafter; conforming
7	references; deleting requirements for certain pilot
8	programs; providing objectives of the council; requiring
9	an annual report to the Governor and the Legislature;
10	providing an effective date.
11
12	Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
13
14	Section 1.  Section 445.049, Florida Statutes, is amended
15	to read:
16	445.049  Digital Divide Council.--
17	(1)  LEGISLATIVE FINDINGS AND INTENT.--The Legislature
18	finds as follows:
19	(a)  Frequent access to use of information technology and
20	possession of the knowledge and skills required to use
21	information technology productively is becoming increasingly
22	more important to being competitively qualified for high-skill,
23	high-wage employment.
24	(b)  The availability of reasonable opportunities to have
25	frequent access to use of information technology and to obtain
26	the education and training necessary to acquire the knowledge
27	and skills required to use information technology productively
28	is critical to becoming competitively qualified for high-skill,
29	high-wage employment.
30	(c)  Families that are living near or below the poverty
31	level are without adequate economic resources to have reasonable
32	opportunities to obtain frequent access to use of information
33	technology or the education and training necessary to acquire
34	the knowledge and skills required to become competitively
35	qualified for high-skill, high-wage employment.
36	(d)  The absence of such economic resources divides such
37	families from those who have adequate economic resources to have
38	such opportunities, places such families at risk of never
39	realizing their employment and income earning potential, and
40	prevents the state's economy from prospering to the extent
41	possible if such families realized their employment and income
42	earning potential.
43	(e)  The divide between the members of such at-risk
44	families and those who have adequate economic resources to have
45	reasonable opportunities to obtain access to frequent use of
46	information technology and the education and training necessary
47	to acquire the knowledge and skills required to become
48	competitively qualified for high-skill, high-wage employment
49	could be reduced, and the economy of the state could be
50	enhanced, by designing and implementing programs that provide
51	such opportunities to members of such at-risk families.
52
53	It is the intent of the Legislature to provide the authority and
54	resources reasonably necessary to facilitate design and
55	implementation of such programs.
56	(2)  DIGITAL DIVIDE COUNCIL.--The Digital Divide Council is
57	created in the Department of Education State Technology Office.
58	The council shall consist of:
59	(a)  A representative from the information technology
60	industry in this state appointed by the Governor The chief
61	information officer in the State Technology Office.
62	(b)  The director of the Office of Tourism, Trade, and
63	Economic Development in the Executive Office of the Governor.
64	(c)  The president of Workforce Florida, Inc.
65	(d)  The director of the Agency for Workforce Innovation.
66	(e)  The chair of itflorida.com, Inc.
67	(f)  The Commissioner of Education.
68	(g)  The chair of the Network Access Point of the Americas.
69	(g)(h)  A representative of the information technology
70	industry in this state appointed by the Speaker of the House of
71	Representatives.
72	(h)(i)  A representative of the information technology
73	industry in this state appointed by the President of the Senate.
74	(i)(j)  Two members of the House of Representatives, who
75	shall be ex officio, nonvoting members of the council, appointed
76	by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, one of whom
77	shall be a member of the Republican Caucus and the other of whom
78	shall be a member of the Democratic Caucus.
79	(j)(k)  Two members of the Senate, who shall be ex officio,
80	nonvoting members of the council, appointed by the President of
81	the Senate, one of whom shall be a member of the Republican
82	Caucus and the other of whom shall be a member of the Democratic
83	Caucus.
84	(3)  TERMS OF APPOINTED MEMBERS OF COUNCIL; VACANCIES;
85	COMPENSATION OF MEMBERS.--The appointed members of the council
86	shall serve an initial term of 1 year commencing July 1, 2007
87	2001, and ending June 30, 2008 2002, and successor appointees
88	shall serve a term of 2 years, the first of which shall commence
89	July 1, 2008 2002, and end June 30, 2010 2004. Successive 2-year
90	terms shall commence and end on the same schedule in subsequent
91	years. Any vacancy in the membership of the council resulting
92	from resignation, incapacity, or death shall be filled within 30
93	days after the date the vacancy is effective. The appointed
94	members of the council shall serve without compensation, but
95	such appointees and the other members of the council shall be
96	entitled to receive per diem and reimbursement for travel
97	expenses as provided in s. 112.061. Payment of such per diem and
98	reimbursement of such travel expenses may be made from
99	appropriations authorized to be used for such purposes.
100	(4)  COUNCIL MEETINGS; ELECTION OF OFFICERS.--The council
101	shall conduct its initial meeting by August 1, 2007 2001, and
102	shall meet thereafter at least once every 90 60 days. In its
103	initial meeting, the members of the council shall elect a member
104	to serve as chair and another to serve as vice chair, each for a
105	term of 1 year from the date of the election. Any vacancy in the
106	offices of chair and vice chair resulting from resignation,
107	incapacity, or death shall be filled by similar election within
108	30 days after the date the vacancy is effective.
109	(5)  ADMINISTRATIVE AND TECHNICAL SUPPORT; PAYMENT OF
110	SUPPORT COSTS.--The Department of Education State Technology
111	Office shall provide such administrative and technical support
112	to the council as is reasonably necessary for the council to
113	effectively and timely carry out its duties and
114	responsibilities. All direct and indirect costs of providing
115	such support and performing the other duties assigned to the
116	Department of Education State Technology Office related to
117	design and implementation of the programs authorized by this
118	section may be paid from appropriations authorized to be used
119	for such purposes.
120	(6)  POWERS AND DUTIES OF COUNCIL.--The council, through
121	the Department of Education State Technology Office, is
122	authorized and empowered to facilitate the design and
123	implementation of programs that are aimed at achieving the
124	objectives and goals stated in this section. The Department of
125	Education State Technology Office shall present and demonstrate
126	to the council the design characteristics and functional
127	elements of each program proposed to be implemented to achieve
128	the objectives and goals stated in this section and each such
129	program shall be reviewed and approved by the council before
130	being implemented. Such programs shall initially be implemented
131	as pilot programs in a minimum of six different areas of the
132	state to develop model programs that are likely to be successful
133	if implemented throughout the state. The areas of the state
134	where the pilot programs are implemented shall be selected by
135	the council with the objectives of testing the merits of the
136	programs in each geographic region of the state and providing
137	equal exposure of the programs to urban and rural communities
138	alike. Implementation of all such pilot and model programs shall
139	be administered by and through the local workforce development
140	boards and each such board shall coordinate and confirm the
141	ready availability and timely delivery of all elements of such
142	programs to ensure the highest probability of such programs
143	achieving their intended results.
144	(7)  PROGRAM OBJECTIVES AND GOALS.--The programs authorized
145	by this section shall have the following objectives and goals:
146	(a)  Maximizing efficient and productive use of existing
147	facilities, equipment, personnel, programs, and funds available
148	from federal, state, and local government agencies and from any
149	private person or entity.
150	(b)  Using innovative concepts employing newly developed
151	technologies in educating and training those who are enrolled in
152	the programs authorized by this section.
153	(c)  Developing viable partnerships between public agencies
154	and private persons and entities based on mutual commitment to
155	responsible and dedicated participation in designing and
156	implementing the programs authorized by this section.
157	(d)  Recruiting, enrolling, retaining, and graduating as
158	many at-risk family members as feasible to ensure that they have
159	reasonable opportunities to obtain access to frequent use of
160	information technology and the education and training necessary
161	to competitively qualify them for high-skill, high-wage
162	employment.
163	(e)  Reducing the number of underachieving and failing
164	students in the state's public school systems who are members of
165	at-risk families.
166	(f)  Reducing the number of underemployed and unemployed
167	members of at-risk families through educational initiatives.
168	(g)  Using information technology to facilitate achievement
169	of the Sunshine State Standards by all children enrolled in the
170	state's K-12 school system who are members of at-risk families.
171	(h)  Training teachers in the state's K-12 school system to
172	efficiently and effectively use information technology to plan,
173	teach, and administer all courses of instruction required and
174	available by election of children enrolled in the system.
175	(i)  Using information technology to enable members of at-
176	risk families who are no longer enrolled in K-12 schools to
177	obtain the education needed to achieve successful completion of
178	general education development test preparation to earn a high
179	school diploma, an applied technology diploma, a career
180	certificate, an associate of arts degree, or a baccalaureate
181	degree.
182	(j)  Bridge the digital divide in developing a competitive
183	workforce to meet the employment needs of state-based
184	information technology businesses and establish this state as
185	having the most information technology ready workforce in the
186	western hemisphere.
187	(8)  MONITORING, REVIEWING, AND EVALUATING PROGRAM
188	PERFORMANCES; REPORTING RESULTS.--The council, through the
189	Department of Education State Technology Office, shall
190	continually monitor, review, and evaluate the progress of
191	performances realized from implementation of the programs
192	authorized by this section. The Department of Education State
193	Technology Office shall prepare and submit a report to the
194	council at least 10 days before each of its meetings subsequent
195	to its initial meeting and each such report shall, at a minimum,
196	identify and describe the functional elements of each program
197	being implemented and identify and describe the facilities,
198	equipment, personnel, programs, and funds used to design and
199	implement the program. For each such program, the report shall
200	also identify by name, address, age, and sex the school-age
201	children, and their older siblings and parents, who are enrolled
202	in the program; state the educational level achieved by each
203	enrollee as of the date he or she enrolled in the program; state
204	the attendance and achievement level recorded for each enrollee
205	in the program; evaluate the progress each enrollee is making
206	toward successful completion of the program; and identify by
207	name, address, age, and sex each enrollee who successfully
208	completes the program. For each such program that is designed to
209	prepare enrollees for high-skill, high-wage employment, the
210	report shall identify each enrollee who successfully completes
211	the program; describe each such employment position for which
212	each enrollee has applied; identify by name, address, and nature
213	of business each employer based in this state to whom each such
214	application for employment has been addressed; state the results
215	each enrollee obtained from making each such application; and
216	describe the nature of any employment obtained and terms of
217	compensation being earned from such employment by each enrollee
218	as a result of making such applications.
219	(9)  ANNUAL REPORT.--By March 1, 2008 2002, the council,
220	through the Department of Education State Technology Office,
221	shall report to the Executive Office of the Governor, the
222	Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the President of
223	the Senate the results of the council's monitoring, reviewing,
224	and evaluating such programs since their inception and the
225	council's recommendations as to whether such programs should be
226	continued and expanded to achieve the objectives and goals
227	stated in this section.
228	Section 2.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2007.

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