HB 729

1
A bill to be entitled
2An act relating to governmental services telephone
3systems; creating s. 365.180, F.S.; providing legislative
4findings; defining the term "coordinated 311 nonemergency
5and other governmental services telephone system";
6authorizing the Department of Community Affairs to accept
7and administer funds to provide grants for certain
8governmental services telephone systems; authorizing
9counties and municipalities to apply for grants; requiring
10a county or municipality to provide matching funds;
11providing procedures for approval of grant awards;
12requiring approval by the Secretary of Community Affairs
13or appropriation by the Legislature; providing for certain
14limitations on grant funds amounts; requiring a report to
15the Governor and the Legislature detailing expenditures;
16authorizing the department to adopt rules; providing
17application evaluation criteria; providing an
18appropriation; providing an effective date.
19
20Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
21
22     Section 1.  Section 365.180, Florida Statutes, is created
23to read:
24     365.180  Coordinated 311 nonemergency and other
25governmental services telephone system grant program; grants for
26operation; funding; approval; allocation.--
27     (1)  The Legislature finds that a 311 telephone system for
28nonemergency and other governmental services may reduce the
29volume of nonemergency calls to 911 public safety answering
30points, particularly in times of a disaster. The Legislature
31further finds that 311 systems improve public access to
32government by providing seamless access to various governmental
33entities, enhancing coordination among state and various local
34jurisdictions, and improving service delivery.
35     (2)  As used in this section, the term "coordinated 311
36nonemergency and other governmental services telephone system"
37means a 311 system that is multijurisdictional in nature such
38that it is designed to provide seamless access to nonemergency
39and other governmental services.
40     (3)  The Department of Community Affairs may accept and
41administer funds that are appropriated to it for providing
42grants to counties and municipalities for operating a
43coordinated 311 nonemergency and other governmental services
44telephone system.
45     (4)  A county or municipality may apply for a grant of
46state funds to support the implementation and operation of a
47coordinated 311 nonemergency and other governmental services
48telephone system.
49     (5)  A state grant awarded under this section must be
50matched by a contribution from the county or municipality in an
51amount equal to $1 for each $1 awarded under this section.
52     (6)  The Department of Community Affairs shall review each
53application submitted under subsection (4) for a grant to
54implement a coordinated 311 nonemergency and other governmental
55services telephone system and, annually, shall submit a list of
56all applications received and a list of the systems that are
57recommended for the award of grants, arranged in order of
58priority, to the Secretary of Community Affairs for the
59secretary's approval. The Department of Community Affairs may
60allocate grants only for coordinated 311 nonemergency and other
61governmental services telephone systems that are approved by the
62secretary or for which funds are appropriated by the
63Legislature.
64     (7)  The annual amount of any one grant made under this
65section may not exceed the lesser of $2.5 million or 50 percent
66of the total annual cost of operating the coordinated 311
67nonemergency and other governmental services telephone system.
68The total amount of the grants awarded to a coordinated 311
69nonemergency and other governmental services telephone system in
70a 5-year period may not exceed $10 million.
71     (8)  Each 311 system receiving state matching funds shall
72submit a report to the Governor, the President of the Senate,
73and the Speaker of the House of Representatives by December 15,
742008, detailing how the funds appropriated for the 311 system
75were spent.
76     (9)  The Department of Community Affairs may adopt rules
77pursuant to ss. 120.536(1) and 120.54 prescribing the criteria
78to be applied to applications for grants and rules providing for
79the administration of this section. The application evaluation
80criteria shall, at a minimum, include the following:
81     (a)  The population of the applicant county or
82municipality.
83     (b)  Prior establishment of a 311 number by the applicant
84county or municipality.
85     (c)  The interoperability between the proposed 311 system
86and the existing 911 public safety answering points within the
87applicant county or municipality.
88     (d)  The commitment of funds by the applicant county or
89municipality beyond the minimum match contribution.
90     (e)  The long-range plan for sustainability of the proposed
91311 system submitted by the applicant county or municipality.
92     Section 2.  The sum of $10 million is appropriated from the
93General Revenue Fund to the Department of Community Affairs for
94the purpose of funding the coordinated 311 nonemergency and
95other governmental services telephone system grant program
96created by this act for the 2007-2008 fiscal year.
97     Section 3.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2007.


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