| 1 | Representative Richardson offered the following: |
| 2 |
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| 3 | Amendment (with title amendment) |
| 4 | Between lines 1910 and 1911 insert: |
| 5 | Section 46. Section 1013.441, Florida Statutes, is created |
| 6 | to read: |
| 7 | 1013.441 Green Schools Pilot Project.-- |
| 8 | (1) The Legislature finds that it is cost-effective and |
| 9 | healthy for the public and the environment to build schools that |
| 10 | maximize low-water usage and incorporate energy efficiencies, |
| 11 | renewable energy, and recycling technologies into the |
| 12 | construction of schools. Therefore, the Green Schools Pilot |
| 13 | Project is established for selected school districts for the |
| 14 | purpose of incorporating the Leadership in Energy and |
| 15 | Environmental Design (LEED) silver-level or the Green Globes |
| 16 | two-globe rating or better building-certification standards into |
| 17 | every new educational building construction project and, when |
| 18 | feasible, every educational building renovation project. |
| 19 | (2) LEED building certification standards are defined by |
| 20 | the United States Green Building Council and the Green Globes |
| 21 | certification standards are defined by the Green Building |
| 22 | Initiative. Both standards address the total effect that new |
| 23 | buildings have on the environment so as to maximize energy |
| 24 | efficiency and to minimize adverse effects on the environment. |
| 25 | (3) For purposes of this section, the term "additional |
| 26 | costs" means the expenditures that are necessary to build a |
| 27 | complete school to LEED silver-level or Green Globes two-globe |
| 28 | or better building-certification standards but that exceed the |
| 29 | expenditures necessary to build a complete school in compliance |
| 30 | with this chapter. Such additional costs may include, but are |
| 31 | not limited to, registration and certification fees charged for |
| 32 | certification of the school to LEED silver-level or Green Globes |
| 33 | two-globe or better building-certification standards. |
| 34 | (4)(a) The Department of Education, in consultation with |
| 35 | the Florida Energy Office, shall develop by August 1, 2007, an |
| 36 | application process for school districts to participate in the |
| 37 | pilot project. Three school districts shall be selected by the |
| 38 | State Board of Education by January 1, 2008, to participate in |
| 39 | the pilot project. One school district shall be in a county |
| 40 | having a population of 1 million or more residents; one school |
| 41 | district shall be in a county having a population of 250,000 to |
| 42 | 999,999 residents; and one school district shall be in a county |
| 43 | having a population of fewer than 250,000 residents. School |
| 44 | districts selected to participate in the pilot project shall, to |
| 45 | the greatest extent possible, represent geographically different |
| 46 | regions of the state. |
| 47 | (b) At a minimum, each school district selected by the |
| 48 | State Board of Education to participate in the pilot project |
| 49 | must: |
| 50 | 1. Demonstrate that it implements sound financial |
| 51 | management practices by producing documentation that indicates |
| 52 | that the school district for the preceding 3 years has had no |
| 53 | material weaknesses or instances of material noncompliance noted |
| 54 | in its annual audits required under s. 218.39. |
| 55 | 2. Engage a design team that has demonstrated knowledge |
| 56 | and experience in high-performance green building construction. |
| 57 | 3. Commit to building at least one complete school to LEED |
| 58 | silver-level or Green Globes two-globe or better building- |
| 59 | certification standards. A school built to such building- |
| 60 | certification standards shall be designated as a "Green School." |
| 61 | (c) When selecting school districts to participate in the |
| 62 | pilot project, evaluation criteria implemented by the State |
| 63 | Board of Education may include, but need not be limited to, |
| 64 | school districts that demonstrate a high percentage of |
| 65 | environmentally inefficient schools or school districts that |
| 66 | propose innovative methods for improving water savings, energy |
| 67 | efficiency, or indoor environmental quality. |
| 68 | (5)(a) From funds appropriated for the Green Schools Pilot |
| 69 | Program, the department shall distribute to each participating |
| 70 | school district an amount sufficient to fund the additional |
| 71 | costs required to build one complete school to LEED silver-level |
| 72 | or Green Globes two-globe or better building-certification |
| 73 | standards. |
| 74 | 1. If appropriated funds are insufficient to fund the |
| 75 | total of additional costs required to build three complete |
| 76 | schools to LEED silver-level or Green Globes two-globe or better |
| 77 | building-certification standards, the department shall prorate |
| 78 | funds available and make distributions based on the ratio of |
| 79 | each school's additional costs relative to the total of |
| 80 | additional costs for the three schools. |
| 81 | 2. If appropriated funds remain after the distribution, |
| 82 | such funds may be distributed by the department to one or more |
| 83 | of the participating school districts to fund the additional |
| 84 | costs required to build other new schools or to renovate |
| 85 | existing schools to LEED silver-level or Green Globes two-globe |
| 86 | or better building-certification standards. |
| 87 | (b) Participating school districts must annually report to |
| 88 | the department the expenditure of funds received under paragraph |
| 89 | (a). The reports must be open to inspection and examination by |
| 90 | the Auditor General. A participating school district must return |
| 91 | to the department: |
| 92 | 1. Any funds found by the Auditor General to have been |
| 93 | improperly expended. |
| 94 | 2. Funds received under paragraph (a) for the construction |
| 95 | or renovation of a school if LEED silver-level or Green Globes |
| 96 | two-globe certification or better is not obtained for the school |
| 97 | within 1 year after its completion. |
| 98 | (c) Notwithstanding s. 216.301 and pursuant to s. 216.351, |
| 99 | undisbursed balances of appropriations for the Green Schools |
| 100 | Pilot Program do not revert to the General Revenue Fund but |
| 101 | shall be retained by the department to be used for purposes of |
| 102 | this section. |
| 103 | (6) Each participating school district shall deliver to |
| 104 | the Governor, the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the |
| 105 | House of Representatives, and the Commissioner of Education a |
| 106 | report on the effects Green Schools have had on student |
| 107 | performance and health, operational costs, energy consumption, |
| 108 | and the environment in the district. This report shall be |
| 109 | submitted by July 1 of the year after a Green School has been in |
| 110 | full operation for 3 years. |
| 111 | Section 47. For the 2007-2008 fiscal year, the sum of $3.5 |
| 112 | million in nonrecurring funds is appropriated from the Public |
| 113 | Education Capital Outlay and Debt Service Trust Fund to the |
| 114 | Department of Education for the purpose of funding the |
| 115 | additional costs required for the new construction of three |
| 116 | complete schools to LEED silver-level or Green Globes two-globe |
| 117 | or better building-certification standards under the Green |
| 118 | Schools Pilot Project. |
| 119 |
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| 120 | ======= T I T L E A M E N D M E N T ======= |
| 121 | Remove line 187 and insert: |
| 122 | requirements and procedures therefor; creating s. |
| 123 | 1013.441, F.S.; establishing the Green Schools Pilot |
| 124 | Project to enable selected school districts to comply with |
| 125 | certain building-certification standards; defining the |
| 126 | term "additional costs"; providing for an application and |
| 127 | selection process for participation in the pilot project; |
| 128 | providing requirements for school districts to |
| 129 | participate; providing for evaluation criteria that may be |
| 130 | used during the selection process; providing for the |
| 131 | distribution of funds by the Department of Education; |
| 132 | providing for prorated distribution of funds under |
| 133 | specified circumstances; providing authority to distribute |
| 134 | excess funds for specified purposes; requiring the |
| 135 | reporting of expenditures by participating school |
| 136 | districts; authorizing inspection and evaluation of the |
| 137 | reports by the Auditor General; providing for the return |
| 138 | of improperly expended funds and of specified funds if a |
| 139 | constructed or renovated school fails to achieve specified |
| 140 | certification standards; providing that appropriated funds |
| 141 | do not revert to the General Revenue Fund; requiring a |
| 142 | report by each participating school district; providing |