Senate Bill sb0952
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Florida Senate - 2007 SB 952
By Senator Diaz de la Portilla
36-881-07
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to governmental services
3 telephone systems; creating s. 365.180, F.S.;
4 providing legislative findings; defining the
5 term "coordinated 311 nonemergency and other
6 governmental services telephone system";
7 authorizing the Department of Community Affairs
8 to accept and administer funds to provide
9 grants for certain governmental services
10 telephone systems; authorizing counties and
11 municipalities to apply for grants; requiring a
12 county or municipality to provide matching
13 funds; providing procedures for approval of
14 grant awards; requiring approval by the
15 Secretary of Community Affairs or appropriation
16 by the Legislature; providing for certain
17 limitations on grant funds amounts; requiring a
18 report to the Governor and the Legislature
19 detailing expenditures; authorizing the
20 department to adopt rules; providing
21 application evaluation criteria; providing an
22 appropriation; providing an effective date.
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24 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
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26 Section 1. Section 365.180, Florida Statutes, is
27 created to read:
28 365.180 Coordinated 311 nonemergency and other
29 governmental services telephone system grant program; grants
30 for operation; funding; approval; allocation.--
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Florida Senate - 2007 SB 952
36-881-07
1 (1) The Legislature finds that a 311 telephone system
2 for nonemergency and other governmental services may reduce
3 the volume of nonemergency calls to 911 public safety
4 answering points, particularly in times of a disaster. The
5 Legislature further finds that 311 systems improve public
6 access to government by providing seamless access to various
7 governmental entities, enhancing coordination among state and
8 various local jurisdictions, and improving service delivery.
9 (2) As used in this section, the term "coordinated 311
10 nonemergency and other governmental services telephone system"
11 means a 311 system that is multijurisdictional in nature such
12 that it is designed to provide seamless access to nonemergency
13 and other governmental services.
14 (3) The Department of Community Affairs may accept and
15 administer funds that are appropriated to it for providing
16 grants to counties and municipalities for operating a
17 coordinated 311 nonemergency and other governmental services
18 telephone system.
19 (4) A county or municipality may apply for a grant of
20 state funds to support the implementation and operation of a
21 coordinated 311 nonemergency and other governmental services
22 telephone system.
23 (5) A state grant awarded under this section must be
24 matched by a contribution from the county or municipality in
25 an amount equal to $1 for each $1 awarded under this section.
26 (6) The Department of Community Affairs shall review
27 each application submitted under subsection (4) for a grant to
28 implement a coordinated 311 nonemergency and other
29 governmental services telephone system and, annually, shall
30 submit a list of all applications received and a list of the
31 systems that are recommended for the award of grants, arranged
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Florida Senate - 2007 SB 952
36-881-07
1 in order of priority, to the Secretary of Community Affairs
2 for the secretary's approval. The Department of Community
3 Affairs may allocate grants only for coordinated 311
4 nonemergency and other governmental services telephone systems
5 that are approved by the secretary or for which funds are
6 appropriated by the Legislature.
7 (7) The annual amount of any one grant made under this
8 section may not exceed the lesser of $2.5 million or 50
9 percent of the total annual cost of operating the coordinated
10 311 nonemergency and other governmental services telephone
11 system. The total amount of the grants awarded to a
12 coordinated 311 nonemergency and other governmental services
13 telephone system in a 5-year period may not exceed $10
14 million.
15 (8) Each 311 system receiving state matching funds
16 shall submit a report to the Governor, the President of the
17 Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives by
18 December 15, 2008, detailing how the funds appropriated for
19 the 311 system were spent.
20 (9) The Department of Community Affairs may adopt
21 rules pursuant to ss. 120.536(1) and 120.54 prescribing the
22 criteria to be applied to applications for grants and rules
23 providing for the administration of this section. The
24 application evaluation criteria shall, at a minimum, include
25 the following:
26 (a) The population of the applicant county or
27 municipality.
28 (b) Prior establishment of a 311 number by the
29 applicant county or municipality.
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Florida Senate - 2007 SB 952
36-881-07
1 (c) The interoperability between the proposed 311
2 system and the existing 911 public safety answering points
3 within the applicant county or municipality.
4 (d) The commitment of funds by the applicant county or
5 municipality beyond the minimum match contribution.
6 (e) The long-range plan for sustainability of the
7 proposed 311 system submitted by the applicant county or
8 municipality.
9 Section 2. The sum of $10 million is appropriated from
10 the General Revenue Fund to the Department of Community
11 Affairs for the purpose of funding the coordinated 311
12 nonemergency and other governmental services telephone system
13 grant program created by this act for the 2007-2008 fiscal
14 year.
15 Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2007.
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18 SENATE SUMMARY
19 Authorizes the Department of Community Affairs to accept
and administer funds to provide grants for certain
20 governmental services telephone systems. Permits counties
and municipalities to apply for grants. Requires a county
21 or municipality to provide matching funds. Provides
procedures for approval of grant awards. Requires
22 approval by the Secretary of Community Affairs or an
appropriation by the Legislature. Provides for certain
23 limitations on grant funds amounts. Requires each grantee
to submit a report to the Governor and the Legislature by
24 a specified date. Provides criteria by which to evaluate
applications.
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