| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to the Florida African-American Culture |
| 3 | and Heritage Initiative; creating s. 267.175, F.S.; |
| 4 | creating the Florida African-American Culture and Heritage |
| 5 | Initiative Commission within the Department of State for |
| 6 | certain purposes; providing for commission membership; |
| 7 | providing for terms of members; providing for successor |
| 8 | appointment; providing for election of officers; requiring |
| 9 | the commission to adopt bylaws; providing for commission |
| 10 | meetings; specifying serving without compensation; |
| 11 | providing for per diem and travel expenses; requiring the |
| 12 | commission to develop a plan for certain purposes; |
| 13 | requiring a report to the Governor and the Legislature; |
| 14 | providing responsibilities of the department; authorizing |
| 15 | the appointment of committees and subcommittees; requiring |
| 16 | the commission to provide advice and assistance to the |
| 17 | department regarding plan implementation and activities of |
| 18 | a citizen support organization; describing the Florida |
| 19 | African-American Culture and Heritage Initiative; |
| 20 | specifying duties and goals of the initiative; authorizing |
| 21 | the department to enter into contracts or accept loans or |
| 22 | grants for money, property, or personal services to |
| 23 | implement requirements; providing for the establishment of |
| 24 | a citizen support organization for certain purposes; |
| 25 | providing for legislative budget request; providing an |
| 26 | effective date. |
| 27 |
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| 28 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 29 |
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| 30 | Section 1. Section 267.175, Florida Statutes, is created |
| 31 | to read: |
| 32 | 267.175 Florida African-American Culture and Heritage |
| 33 | Initiative Commission.-- |
| 34 | (1) CREATION.--The Florida African-American Culture and |
| 35 | Heritage Initiative Commission is created within the Department |
| 36 | of State for the purposes of: |
| 37 | (a) Broadening, deepening, and diversifying statewide |
| 38 | participation in and appreciation of African-American arts, |
| 39 | history, and culture; |
| 40 | (b) Assisting educational institutions with incorporating |
| 41 | African-American history and culture in the curriculum in |
| 42 | accordance with state law; and |
| 43 | (c) Fulfilling other duties and goals provided in the |
| 44 | description of the Florida African-American Culture and Heritage |
| 45 | Initiative in subsection (7). |
| 46 | (2) MEMBERSHIP.--The commission shall consist of the |
| 47 | following members: |
| 48 | (a) Eleven members appointed as follows: |
| 49 | 1. Seven members appointed by, and serving at the pleasure |
| 50 | of, the Governor. |
| 51 | 2. Two members appointed by, and serving at the pleasure |
| 52 | of, the President of the Senate. |
| 53 | 3. Two members appointed by, and serving at the pleasure |
| 54 | of, the Speaker of the House of Representatives. |
| 55 |
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| 56 | Appointees shall be representatives of the general public who |
| 57 | represent a broad cross-section of the views and interests of |
| 58 | the community and the member organizations of the commission, |
| 59 | including educators, clergy, and civic and business leaders; |
| 60 | philanthropists; visual, creative, and performing artists; |
| 61 | representatives of African-American arts, history, and cultural |
| 62 | organizations; and persons having knowledge of, expertise in, or |
| 63 | commitment to preserving the state's African-American culture |
| 64 | and heritage. |
| 65 | (b) The Secretary of State or his or her designee. |
| 66 | (c) The Commissioner of Education or his or her designee. |
| 67 | (d) The executive director of the Office of Tourism, |
| 68 | Trade, and Economic Development. |
| 69 | (e) The chair of the Florida Historical Commission. |
| 70 | (f) The chair of the Florida Arts Council. |
| 71 | (g) The chair of the Board of Directors of Visit Florida |
| 72 | or his or her designee. |
| 73 | (3) TERMS; VACANCIES.--Each appointed member shall serve a |
| 74 | term of 4 years and shall be eligible for reappointment. If a |
| 75 | position becomes vacant, a successor shall be appointed in the |
| 76 | manner of the original appointment for such position. |
| 77 | (4) OFFICERS; BYLAWS; MEETINGS.-- |
| 78 | (a) The commission shall elect from among its members a |
| 79 | chair, a vice chair, and such other officers as the commission |
| 80 | deems necessary or expedient in the performance of its duties. |
| 81 | Election of officers shall occur at the first meeting of the |
| 82 | commission and every 4 years thereafter or sooner if a vacancy |
| 83 | occurs. |
| 84 | (b) A majority of the total membership shall constitute a |
| 85 | quorum. No vacancy in the membership shall impair the right of a |
| 86 | quorum to exercise all of the functions and duties of the |
| 87 | commission. All action taken by the commission shall be by |
| 88 | majority vote of those members present. |
| 89 | (c) The commission shall adopt bylaws for the conduct of |
| 90 | its business and shall have the power to amend and rescind its |
| 91 | bylaws. The commission shall publish its bylaws in convenient |
| 92 | form and shall file with the Department of State a copy of such |
| 93 | bylaws and a copy of any amendment to such bylaws. |
| 94 | (d) The initial meeting of the commission shall be held no |
| 95 | later than October 1, 2007. Subsequent meetings shall be held |
| 96 | upon the call of the chair or vice chair, acting in the absence |
| 97 | of the chair, and in accordance with the commission's bylaws. |
| 98 | (e) Records and meetings of the commission shall be |
| 99 | subject to the provisions of chapters 119 and 286. |
| 100 | (5) REIMBURSEMENT FOR EXPENSES.--Members shall serve |
| 101 | without compensation, except that members are entitled to per |
| 102 | diem and travel expenses pursuant to s. 112.061, incurred in the |
| 103 | performance of their duties. |
| 104 | (6) DUTIES.-- |
| 105 | (a) The commission shall develop a statewide plan for |
| 106 | implementation of the initiative. The plan shall be developed to |
| 107 | encourage and support participation in development of the plan |
| 108 | and in its implementation by all interested groups throughout |
| 109 | the state. The commission shall work with representatives from |
| 110 | the state's tourism industries, cultural and historical venues, |
| 111 | entertainment industry, K-20 educational institutions, local |
| 112 | governments, state and federal agencies, and others as necessary |
| 113 | in the preparation and implementation of the plan. |
| 114 | (b) The commission shall submit the initial plan to the |
| 115 | Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the |
| 116 | House of Representatives no later than January 1, 2009. An |
| 117 | updated plan shall be presented no later than January 1 of each |
| 118 | succeeding year. |
| 119 | (c) The commission shall be responsible for providing such |
| 120 | other assistance and advice to the department as may be required |
| 121 | from time to time in matters pertaining to the implementation of |
| 122 | the Florida African-American Culture and Heritage Initiative, |
| 123 | including, but not limited to, activities of the citizen support |
| 124 | organization created by this section for the purpose of raising |
| 125 | funds and assisting in the development and implementation of the |
| 126 | initiative. |
| 127 | (7) FLORIDA AFRICAN-AMERICAN CULTURE AND HERITAGE |
| 128 | INITIATIVE.--The Florida African-American Culture and Heritage |
| 129 | Initiative shall be an alliance of organizations and |
| 130 | institutions that comprise the African-American arts, history, |
| 131 | and culture communities in this state for the purposes of the |
| 132 | commission. The duties and goals of the initiative shall |
| 133 | include, but not be limited to, the following: |
| 134 | (a) Promoting understanding and appreciation of the |
| 135 | history and artistic and cultural contributions of people of |
| 136 | African descent; |
| 137 | (b) Providing guidance, support, and resources for new and |
| 138 | emerging African-American arts and historical groups and |
| 139 | increasing the level of organizational capacity and program |
| 140 | administration of established groups; |
| 141 | (c) Increasing funding and audiences for local African- |
| 142 | American culture and heritage tourism and enriching African- |
| 143 | American culture and heritage tourism programming; |
| 144 | (d) Increasing and attracting corporate sponsorship and |
| 145 | participation in African-American culture and heritage |
| 146 | programming and tourism; |
| 147 | (e) Increasing opportunities for young people to learn |
| 148 | about and experience African-American arts, history, and culture |
| 149 | in schools and youth organizations; |
| 150 | (f) Investing in future generations of African-American |
| 151 | artists and historians by providing leadership development |
| 152 | activities, apprenticeships, mentorship, scholarships, and |
| 153 | cultural programs; |
| 154 | (g) Enhancing computer and Internet access and usage |
| 155 | within the African-American community; and |
| 156 | (h) Ensuring the financial viability of the initiative |
| 157 | through a network of community partners, advocates, and |
| 158 | supporters, including, but not limited to celebrities, |
| 159 | philanthropists, public officials, state and local leaders, and |
| 160 | corporations. |
| 161 | (8) RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE.-- |
| 162 | (a) Subject to appropriation, the department shall provide |
| 163 | administrative support and consulting services to the commission |
| 164 | for the commission's activities and duties as provided in this |
| 165 | section. |
| 166 | (b) The Secretary of State may appoint subcommittees or |
| 167 | advisory committees as requested by the commission, which may |
| 168 | include persons who are not members of the commission. Such |
| 169 | persons shall not be entitled to compensation but shall be |
| 170 | reimbursed for necessary expenses incurred in the performance of |
| 171 | their duties. |
| 172 | (c) The Department of State may enter into contracts with, |
| 173 | or accept loans or grants of money, property, or personal |
| 174 | services from, any agency, corporation, or person to carry out |
| 175 | the requirements of this section. |
| 176 | (d)1. The Division of Historical Resources of the |
| 177 | Department of State may support the establishment of a citizen |
| 178 | support organization pursuant to s. 267.17 to assist the |
| 179 | commission in carrying out the purposes of the commission and in |
| 180 | attaining the goals of the initiative. The citizen support |
| 181 | organization may receive funds from the general public or other |
| 182 | public or private sources for the purpose of funding its |
| 183 | activities and implementing the provisions of this section. In |
| 184 | addition to funds received from the general public or other |
| 185 | public and private sources, the organization may receive funds |
| 186 | from state agencies at such times and in such amounts as may be |
| 187 | appropriated by the Legislature. All funds received by the |
| 188 | citizen support organization other than those necessary to pay |
| 189 | the expenses of the commission shall be used exclusively for the |
| 190 | establishment, support, and promotion of the Florida African- |
| 191 | American Culture and Heritage Initiative. |
| 192 | 2. Costs to underwrite activities related to the |
| 193 | commission administration and the activities of the commission |
| 194 | to address its purposes outlined in this section may be borne |
| 195 | from revenues raised by the citizen support organization. |
| 196 | (e) The commission shall make recommendations for funding |
| 197 | to the Secretary of State, and the department shall include |
| 198 | requests for funding for the commission and for the plan in the |
| 199 | department's legislative budget request, as the secretary deems |
| 200 | appropriate. |
| 201 | Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2007. |