Florida Senate - 2007 COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
Bill No. SB 362
Barcode 441116
CHAMBER ACTION
Senate House
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11 The Committee on Governmental Operations (Wilson) recommended
12 the following amendment:
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14 Senate Amendment (with title amendment)
15 Delete everything after the enacting clause
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17 and insert:
18 Section 1. Section 409.1663, Florida Statutes, is
19 created to read:
20 409.1663 Adoption benefits for qualifying adoptive
21 employees of state agencies.--
22 (1) As used in this section, the term:
23 (a) "Department" means the Department of Children and
24 Family Services.
25 (b) "Licensed child-placing agency" has the same
26 meaning as in s. 39.01.
27 (c) "Qualifying adoptive employee" means a full-time
28 or part-time employee of a state agency who is paid from
29 regular salary appropriations or who otherwise meets the
30 employer's definition of a regular rather than temporary
31 employee and who adopts a child pursuant to this section. For
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Florida Senate - 2007 COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
Bill No. SB 362
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1 purposes of this section, the term includes instructional
2 personnel, as defined in s. 1012.01, employed by the Florida
3 School for the Deaf and the Blind.
4 (d) "Special needs child" has the same meaning as in
5 s. 409.166.
6 (e) "State agency" means a branch, department, or
7 agency of state government for which the Chief Financial
8 Officer processes payroll requisitions, a state university or
9 community college as defined in s. 1000.21, a school district
10 unit as defined in s. 1001.30, or a water management district
11 as defined in s. 373.019.
12 (2) A qualifying adoptive employee who adopts a
13 special needs child shall be eligible to receive a lump-sum
14 monetary benefit in the amount of $10,000 per child subject to
15 applicable taxes. Any qualifying adoptive employee who adopts
16 a child whose permanent custody has been awarded to the
17 department or to a licensed child-placing agency, other than a
18 special needs child, shall be eligible to receive a lump-sum
19 monetary benefit in the amount of $5,000 per child subject to
20 applicable taxes.
21 (a) Benefits paid to a part-time employee must be
22 prorated based on the employee's full-time-equivalency status
23 at the time of applying for the benefits.
24 (b) Monetary benefits are limited to one award per
25 child adopted regardless of the number of adoptive parents or
26 an employee's change of employer.
27 (c) The payment of a lump-sum monetary benefit for
28 adopting a child under this section is subject to a specific
29 appropriation to the department for such purpose.
30 (3) A qualifying adoptive employee must apply to his
31 or her agency head to obtain the monetary benefit provided in
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Florida Senate - 2007 COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
Bill No. SB 362
Barcode 441116
1 subsection (2). Applications must be on forms approved by the
2 department and must include a certified copy of the final
3 order of adoption naming the applicant as the adoptive parent.
4 (4) This section does not affect the right of any
5 qualifying adoptive employee who adopts a special needs child
6 to receive adoption assistance under s. 409.166 or any other
7 statute that provides financial incentives for the adoption of
8 children.
9 (5) Parental leave for qualifying adoptive employees
10 must be provided in accordance with the personnel policies and
11 procedures of the respective state agency employer.
12 (6) The department shall adopt rules to administer
13 this section. The rules may provide for an application process
14 such as, but not limited to, an open enrollment period during
15 which qualifying adoptive parents may apply for monetary
16 benefits under this section.
17 (7) A monetary benefit paid to a qualifying adoptive
18 employee employed in a state agency for which the Chief
19 Financial Officer processes payroll requisitions shall be
20 disbursed by the Chief Financial Office upon submission of a
21 payroll requisition by the department. The Chief Financial
22 Officer shall transfer funds from the department to a state
23 university, community college, school district unit, or water
24 management district to enable payment to the respective
25 qualifying adoptive employee through the respective payroll
26 systems as long as funds are available for such purpose.
27 (8) Each state agency shall develop a uniform
28 procedure for informing employees about this benefit and for
29 assisting the department in making eligibility determinations
30 and processing applications. Any procedure adopted by a state
31 agency is valid and enforceable so long as it does not
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Florida Senate - 2007 COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
Bill No. SB 362
Barcode 441116
1 conflict with the express terms of this section.
2 Section 2. Participation by employees of a state
3 university, community college, or school district unit as
4 provided in this act shall commence with the 2008 open
5 enrollment period for adoption benefits to be funded in the
6 2008-2009 fiscal year.
7 Section 3. Sections 110.152, 110.15201,
8 215.32(2)(c)5., and 373.6065, Florida Statutes, are repealed.
9 Section 4. This act shall take effect July 1, 2007.
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12 ================ T I T L E A M E N D M E N T ===============
13 And the title is amended as follows:
14 Delete everything before the enacting clause
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16 and insert:
17 A bill to be entitled
18 An act relating to adoption benefits; creating
19 s. 409.1663, F.S.; expanding a monetary benefit
20 paid to employees who adopt special needs
21 children and children in the custody of the
22 state to include employees of state
23 universities, community colleges, and school
24 districts; clarifying that the availability of
25 the monetary benefit is subject to an
26 appropriation; authorizing the Department of
27 Children and Family Services to administer the
28 program; providing for rules; providing for
29 parental leave; providing for application and
30 eligibility procedures; providing for the
31 transfer of funding from the department to
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Florida Senate - 2007 COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
Bill No. SB 362
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1 nonstate public entities; providing that
2 application for the monetary benefit will begin
3 with the 2008 open enrollment period and the
4 availability of the benefit will begin in the
5 2008-2009 fiscal year; repealing ss. 110.152,
6 110.15201, 215.32(2)(c)5., and 373.6065, F.S.,
7 relating to the present program that provides a
8 monetary benefit only to state agency employees
9 and employees of a water management district
10 and that is administered by the Department of
11 Management Services; providing an effective
12 date.
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