CS/HB 241

1	A bill to be entitled
2	An act relating to homelessness; amending s. 320.02, F.S.;
3	requiring the motor vehicle registration form and
4	registration renewal form to include an option to make a
5	voluntary contribution to aid the homeless; amending s.
6	322.08, F.S.; requiring the driver license application
7	form to include an option to make a voluntary contribution
8	to aid the homeless; amending s. 322.18, F.S.; requiring
9	the driver license application form for renewal issuance
10	or renewal extension to include an option to make a
11	voluntary contribution to aid the homeless; providing that
12	voluntary contributions for the homeless are not income of
13	a revenue nature for the purpose of applying certain
14	service charges; providing for such contributions to be
15	deposited into the Grants and Donations Trust Fund of the
16	Department of Children and Family Services and used by the
17	State Office on Homelessness for certain purposes;
18	creating s. 414.161, F.S.; establishing a homelessness
19	prevention grant program; requiring grant applicants to be
20	ranked competitively; providing preference for certain
21	grant applicants; providing eligibility requirements;
22	providing grant limitations and restrictions; requiring
23	lead agencies for local homeless assistance continuum of
24	care to track, monitor, and report on assisted families
25	for a specified period of time; amending s. 420.507, F.S.;
26	conforming a cross-reference; amending s. 420.621, F.S.;
27	conforming a cross-reference; revising, providing, and
28	deleting definitions; amending s. 420.622, F.S.;
29	increasing and revising membership on the Council on
30	Homelessness; removing a member from an obsolete
31	organization; correcting the name of a member organization
32	on the council; revising the date of an annual report;
33	amending s. 420.625, F.S.; conforming a cross-reference;
34	creating s. 420.6275, F.S.; creating the Housing First
35	program; providing legislative findings and intent;
36	providing methodology; providing components of the
37	program; creating s. 420.628, F.S.; providing legislative
38	findings and intent; amending s. 1003.01, F.S.; revising a
39	definition; amending ss. 1003.21, F.S.; conforming
40	terminology; providing a school attendance exemption for
41	certain children in foster care; amending s. 1003.22,
42	F.S.; conforming terminology; providing a school
43	certification of a school-entry health examination
44	exemption for certain children in foster care; repealing
45	s. 414.16, F.S., relating to emergency assistance program;
46	providing an effective date.
47
48	Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
49
50	Section 1.  Paragraph (f) is added to subsection (16) of
51	section 320.02, Florida Statutes, to read:
52	320.02  Registration required; application for
53	registration; forms.--
54	(16)
55	(f)  Notwithstanding s. 320.023, the application form for
56	motor vehicle registration and renewal of registration must
57	include language permitting a voluntary contribution of $1 per
58	applicant to aid the homeless. Contributions made pursuant to
59	this paragraph shall be deposited into the Grants and Donations
60	Trust Fund of the Department of Children and Family Services and
61	used by the State Office on Homelessness to supplement grants
62	made under s. 420.622(4) and (5), provide information to the
63	public about homelessness in the state, and provide literature
64	for homeless persons seeking assistance.
65
66	For the purpose of applying the service charge provided in s.
67	215.20, contributions received under this subsection are not
68	income of a revenue nature.
69	Section 2.  Subsection (6) of section 322.08, Florida
70	Statutes, is amended to read:
71	322.08  Application for license.--
72	(6)  The application form for a driver's license or
73	duplicate thereof shall include language permitting the
74	following:
75	(a)  A voluntary contribution of $5 per applicant, which
76	contribution shall be transferred into the Election Campaign
77	Financing Trust Fund.
78	(b)  A voluntary contribution of $1 per applicant, which
79	contribution shall be deposited into the Florida Organ and
80	Tissue Donor Education and Procurement Trust Fund for organ and
81	tissue donor education and for maintaining the organ and tissue
82	donor registry.
83	(c)  A voluntary contribution of $1 per applicant, which
84	contribution shall be distributed to the Florida Council of the
85	Blind.
86	(d)  A voluntary contribution of $2 per applicant, which
87	shall be distributed to the Hearing Research Institute,
88	Incorporated.
89	(e)  A voluntary contribution of $1 per applicant, which
90	shall be distributed to the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation
91	International.
92	(f)  A voluntary contribution of $1 per applicant, which
93	shall be distributed to the Children's Hearing Help Fund.
94	(g)  Notwithstanding s. 322.081, a voluntary contribution
95	of $1 per applicant to aid the homeless. Contributions made
96	pursuant to this paragraph shall be deposited into the Grants
97	and Donations Trust Fund of the Department of Children and
98	Family Services and used by the State Office on Homelessness to
99	supplement grants made under s. 420.622(4) and (5), provide
100	information to the public about homelessness in the state, and
101	provide literature for homeless persons seeking assistance.
102
103	A statement providing an explanation of the purpose of the trust
104	funds shall also be included. For the purpose of applying the
105	service charge provided in s. 215.20, contributions received
106	under paragraphs (c), (d), (e), and (f), and (g) and under s.
107	322.18(9)(a) are not income of a revenue nature.
108	Section 3.  Subsection (9) of section 322.18, Florida
109	Statutes, is amended to read:
110	322.18  Original applications, licenses, and renewals;
111	expiration of licenses; delinquent licenses.--
112	(9)(a)  The application form for a renewal issuance or
113	renewal extension shall include language permitting a voluntary
114	contribution of $1 per applicant, to be quarterly distributed by
115	the department to Prevent Blindness Florida, a not-for-profit
116	organization, to prevent blindness and preserve the sight of the
117	residents of this state. A statement providing an explanation of
118	the purpose of the funds shall be included with the application
119	form.
120	(b)  Prior to the department distributing the funds
121	collected pursuant to this paragraph (a), Prevent Blindness
122	Florida must submit a report to the department that identifies
123	how such funds were used during the preceding year.
124	(b)  The application form for a renewal issuance or renewal
125	extension shall include language permitting a voluntary
126	contribution of $1 per applicant to aid the homeless.
127	Contributions made pursuant to this paragraph shall be deposited
128	into the Grants and Donations Trust Fund of the Department of
129	Children and Family Services and used by the State Office on
130	Homelessness to supplement grants made under s. 420.622(4) and
131	(5), provide information to the public about homelessness in the
132	state, and provide literature for homeless persons seeking
133	assistance.
134	Section 4.  Section 414.161, Florida Statutes, is created
135	to read:
136	414.161  Homelessness prevention grants.--
137	(1)  ESTABLISHMENT OF PROGRAM.--There is hereby created a
138	grant program to provide emergency financial assistance to
139	families facing the loss of their current home due to a
140	financial or other crisis. The State Office on Homelessness,
141	with the concurrence of the Council on Homelessness, may accept
142	and administer moneys appropriated to it to provide homelessness
143	prevention grants annually to lead agencies for local homeless
144	assistance continuum of care, as recognized by the State Office
145	on Homelessness. These moneys shall consist of any sums that the
146	state may appropriate, as well as money received from donations,
147	gifts, bequests, or otherwise from any public or private source
148	that is intended to assist families to prevent them from
149	becoming homeless.
150	(2)  GRANT APPLICATIONS.--Grant applicants shall be ranked
151	competitively. Preference shall be given to applicants who
152	leverage additional private funds and public funds, who
153	demonstrate the effectiveness of their homelessness prevention
154	programs in keeping families housed, and who demonstrate the
155	commitment of other assistance and services to address the
156	family's health, employment, and education needs.
157	(3)  ELIGIBILITY.--In order to qualify for a grant, a lead
158	agency must develop and implement a local homeless assistance
159	continuum of care plan for its designated catchment area. The
160	homelessness prevention program must be included in the
161	continuum of care plan.
162	(4)  GRANT LIMITS.--The maximum grant amount per lead
163	agency may not exceed $300,000. The grant assistance may be used
164	to pay past due rent or mortgage payments, past due utility
165	costs, other past due bills creating the family's financial
166	crisis, provision of case management services, and program
167	administration costs not to exceed 3 percent of the grant award.
168	The homelessness prevention program must develop a case plan for
169	each family to be assisted setting forth which costs will be
170	covered and the maximum level of assistance to be offered.
171	(5)  PERFORMANCE.--The lead agency shall be required to
172	track, monitor, and report on the families assisted for at least
173	12 months following the last assistance provided to the family.
174	The goal for the homelessness prevention program shall be to
175	enable at least 85 percent of the families assisted to remain in
176	their home and avoid becoming homeless during the ensuing year.
177	Section 5.  Paragraph (a) of subsection (22) of section
178	420.507, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
179	420.507  Powers of the corporation.--The corporation shall
180	have all the powers necessary or convenient to carry out and
181	effectuate the purposes and provisions of this part, including
182	the following powers which are in addition to all other powers
183	granted by other provisions of this part:
184	(22)  To develop and administer the State Apartment
185	Incentive Loan Program. In developing and administering that
186	program, the corporation may:
187	(a)  Make first, second, and other subordinated mortgage
188	loans including variable or fixed rate loans subject to
189	contingent interest for all State Apartment Incentive Loans
190	provided for in this chapter based upon available cash flow of
191	the projects. The corporation shall make loans exceeding 25
192	percent of project cost available only to nonprofit
193	organizations and public bodies which are able to secure grants,
194	donations of land, or contributions from other sources and to
195	projects meeting the criteria of subparagraph 1. Mortgage loans
196	shall be made available at the following rates of interest:
197	1.  Zero to 3 percent interest for sponsors of projects
198	that set aside at least 80 percent of their total units for
199	residents qualifying as farmworkers as defined in this part, or
200	commercial fishing workers as defined in this part, or the
201	homeless as defined in s. 420.621(6)(4) over the life of the
202	loan.
203	2.  Zero to 3 percent interest based on the pro rata share
204	of units set aside for homeless residents if the total of such
205	units is less than 80 percent of the units in the borrower's
206	project.
207	3.  One to 9 percent interest for sponsors of projects
208	targeted at populations other than farmworkers, commercial
209	fishing workers, and the homeless.
210	Section 6.  Section 420.621, Florida Statutes, is amended
211	to read:
212	420.621  Definitions; ss. 420.621-420.628 420.621-
213	420.627.--As used in ss. 420.621-420.628 420.621-420.627, the
214	term following terms shall have the following meanings, unless
215	the context otherwise requires:
216	(1)  "Children and youths experiencing homelessness," for
217	programs authorized under the McKinney-Vento Education
218	Assistance for Homeless Children and Youths, 42 U.S.C. ss. 11431
219	et seq., means children and youths who lack a fixed, regular,
220	and adequate nighttime residence, and includes:
221	(a)  Children and youths who are sharing the housing of
222	other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a
223	similar reason; are living in motels, hotels, travel trailer
224	parks, or camping grounds due to the lack of alternative
225	adequate accommodations; are living in emergency or transitional
226	shelters; are abandoned in hospitals; or are awaiting foster
227	care placement.
228	(b)  Children and youths who have a primary nighttime
229	residence that is a public or private place not designed for or
230	ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human
231	beings.
232	(c)  Children and youths who are living in cars, parks,
233	public spaces, abandoned buildings, bus or train stations, or
234	similar settings.
235	(d)  Migratory children who are living in circumstances
236	described in paragraphs (a)-(c).
237	(2)  "Continuum of care" means a community plan to organize
238	and deliver housing and services to meet the specific needs of
239	people who are homeless as they move to stable housing and
240	maximum self-sufficiency. It includes action steps to end
241	homelessness and prevent a return to homelessness.
242	(3)  "Council on Homelessness" means the council created in
243	s. 420.622.
244	(1)  "AFDC" means Aid to Families with Dependent Children
245	as administered under chapter 409.
246	(4)(2)  "Department" means the Department of Children and
247	Family Services.
248	(5)(3)  "District" means a service district of the
249	department of Children and Family Services, as set forth in s.
250	20.19.
251	(6)(4)  "Homeless," applied to an individual, or
252	"individual experiencing homelessness" means "Homeless" refers
253	to an individual who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate
254	nighttime residence and includes or an individual who has a
255	primary nighttime residence that is:
256	(a)  Is sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of
257	housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason;
258	(b)  Is living in a motel, hotel, travel trailer park, or
259	camping ground due to a lack of alternative adequate
260	accommodations;
261	(c)  Is living in an emergency or transitional shelter; A
262	supervised publicly or privately operated shelter designed to
263	provide temporary living accommodations, including welfare
264	hotels, congregate shelters, and transitional housing for the
265	mentally ill;
266	(b)  An institution that provides a temporary residence for
267	individuals intended to be institutionalized; or
268	(d)(c)  Has a primary nighttime residence that is a public
269	or private place not designed for, or ordinarily used as, a
270	regular sleeping accommodation for human beings;
271	(e)  Is living in a car, park, public space, abandoned
272	building, bus or train station, or similar setting; or
273	(f)  Is a migratory individual who qualifies as homeless
274	because he or she is living in circumstances described in
275	paragraphs (a)-(e).
276
277	The terms defined in this subsection do term does not refer to
278	any individual imprisoned or otherwise detained pursuant to
279	state or federal law. The terms also do not include individuals
280	or families who are sharing housing due to cultural preferences,
281	voluntary arrangements, and traditional networks of support. The
282	terms include an individual who has been released from jail,
283	prison, the juvenile justice system, the child welfare system, a
284	mental health and developmental disability facility, a
285	residential addiction treatment program, or a hospital, for whom
286	no subsequent residence has been identified, and who lacks the
287	resources and support network to obtain housing.
288	(7)(5)  "Local coalition for the homeless" means a
289	coalition established pursuant to s. 420.623.
290	(8)(6)  "New and temporary homeless" means those
291	individuals or families who are homeless due to societal
292	external factors, such as unemployment or other loss of income,
293	personal or family-life crises, or the shortage of low-income
294	housing.
295	(9)  "Societal causes of homelessness" means factors such
296	as lack of housing for individuals and families with low
297	incomes, lack of employment opportunities for those with a high
298	school education or less, and lack of day care, transportation,
299	and other institutional supports.
300	(10)(7)  "State Office on Homelessness" means the state
301	office created in s. 420.622 "Secretary" means the secretary of
302	the Department of Children and Family Services.
303	Section 7.  Subsections (2) and (9) of section 420.622,
304	Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
305	420.622  State Office on Homelessness; Council on
306	Homelessness.--
307	(2)  The Council on Homelessness is created to consist of a
308	17-member 15-member council of public and private agency
309	representatives who shall develop policy and advise the State
310	Office on Homelessness. The council members shall be: the
311	Secretary of Children and Family Services, or his or her
312	designee; the Secretary of Community Affairs, or his or her
313	designee; the State Surgeon General, or his or her designee; the
314	Executive Director of Veterans' Affairs, or his or her designee;
315	the Secretary of Corrections, or his or her designee; the
316	Secretary of Health Care Administration, or his or her designee;
317	the Commissioner of Education, or his or her designee; the
318	Director of Workforce Florida, Inc., or his or her designee; one
319	representative of the Florida Association of Counties; one
320	representative from the Florida League of Cities; one
321	representative of the Florida Coalition for Supportive Housing
322	Coalition; the Executive Director of the Florida Housing Finance
323	Corporation, or his or her designee; one representative of the
324	Florida Coalition for the Homeless; one representative of the
325	Florida State Rural Development Council; and four members
326	appointed by the Governor. The council members shall be
327	volunteer, nonpaid persons and shall be reimbursed for travel
328	expenses only. The appointed members of the council shall serve
329	staggered 2-year terms, and the council shall meet at least four
330	times per year. The importance of minority, gender, and
331	geographic representation must be considered when appointing
332	members to the council.
333	(9)  The council shall, by June 30 December 31 of each
334	year, beginning in 2008, issue to the Governor, the President of
335	the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the
336	Secretary of Children and Family Services an evaluation of the
337	executive director's performance in fulfilling the statutory
338	duties of the office, a report summarizing the council's
339	recommendations to the office and the corresponding actions
340	taken by the office, and any recommendations to the Legislature
341	for proposals to reduce homelessness in this state.
342	Section 8.  Paragraph (d) of subsection (3) of section
343	420.625, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
344	420.625  Grant-in-aid program.--
345	(3)  ESTABLISHMENT.--There is hereby established a grant-
346	in-aid program to help local communities in serving the needs of
347	the homeless through a variety of supportive services, which may
348	include, but are not limited to:
349	(d)  Emergency financial assistance for persons who are
350	totally without shelter or facing loss of shelter, but who are
351	not eligible for such assistance under s. 414.16.
352	Section 9.  Section 420.6275, Florida Statutes, is created
353	to read:
354	420.6275  Housing First.--
355	(1)  LEGISLATIVE FINDINGS AND INTENT.--
356	(a)  The Legislature finds that many communities plan to
357	manage homelessness rather than plan to end it.
358	(b)  The Legislature also finds that for most of the past
359	two decades, public and private solutions to homelessness have
360	focused on providing individuals and families who are
361	experiencing homelessness with emergency shelter, transitional
362	housing, or a combination of both. While emergency shelter
363	programs may provide critical access to services for individuals
364	and families in crisis, they often fail to address the long-term
365	needs of those who are homeless.
366	(c)  The Legislature further finds that Housing First is an
367	alternative approach to the current system of emergency shelter
368	or transitional housing which tends to reduce the length of time
369	of homelessness and has proven to be cost-effective to homeless
370	programs.
371	(d)  It is therefore the intent of the Legislature to
372	encourage local coalitions for the homeless, established
373	pursuant to s. 420.623, to adopt the Housing First approach to
374	ending homelessness for individuals and families.
375	(2)  HOUSING FIRST METHODOLOGY.--
376	(a)  The Housing First approach to homelessness differs
377	from traditional approaches by providing housing assistance,
378	case management, and support services responsive to individual
379	or family needs after housing is obtained. By using the Housing
380	First approach when appropriate, communities can significantly
381	reduce the amount of time that individuals and families are
382	homeless and prevent further episodes of homelessness. Housing
383	First emphasizes that social services provided to enhance
384	individual and family well-being can be more effective when
385	people are in their own home, and:
386	1.  The housing is not time-limited.
387	2.  The housing is not contingent on compliance with
388	services. Instead, participants must comply with a standard
389	lease agreement and are provided with the services and support
390	that are necessary to help them do so successfully.
391	(b)  The Housing First approach addresses the societal
392	causes of homelessness and advocates for the immediate return of
393	individuals and families back into housing and communities.
394	Housing First provides a critical link between the emergency and
395	transitional housing system and community-based social service,
396	educational, and health care organizations and consists of four
397	components:
398	1.  Crisis intervention and short-term stabilization.
399	2.  Screening, intake, and needs assessment.
400	3.  Provision of housing resources.
401	4.  Provision of case management.
402	Section 10.  Section 420.628, Florida Statutes, is created
403	to read:
404	420.628  Children and young adults leaving foster care;
405	legislative findings and intent.--
406	(1)  The Legislature finds that the transition from
407	childhood to adulthood is filled with opportunity and risk. Most
408	young people who receive adequate support make this transition
409	successfully and will become healthy adults who will be prepared
410	for work and be able to become responsible, fulfilled members of
411	their families and communities.
412	(2)  The Legislature finds that there are also many young
413	people who will enter adulthood without the knowledge, skills,
414	attitudes, habits, and relationships that will enable them to be
415	productive members of society. Those young people, who through
416	no fault of their own, live in foster families, group homes, and
417	institutions are among those at greatest risk.
418	(3)  The Legislature finds that these young people face
419	numerous barriers to a successful transition to adulthood. Those
420	barriers include changes in foster care placements and schools,
421	limited opportunities for participation in age-appropriate
422	normal activities, and the inability to achieve economic
423	stability, make connections with permanent supportive adults or
424	family, and access housing. The main barriers to safe and
425	affordable housing for youth aging out of the foster care system
426	are cost, lack of availability, the unwillingness of many
427	landlords to rent to them, and their own lack of knowledge about
428	how to be good tenants.
429	(4)  The Legislature also finds that young adults who
430	emancipate from the child welfare system are at risk of becoming
431	homeless and those who were formerly in foster care are
432	disproportionately represented in the homeless population. Only
433	about two-fifths of eligible young people receive independent
434	living services and, of those who do, few receive adequate
435	housing assistance. Without the stability of safe housing all
436	other services, training, and opportunities may not be
437	effective.
438	(5)  The Legislature further finds that research on young
439	people who emancipate from foster care suggests a nexus between
440	foster care involvement and later episodes of homelessness and
441	that interventions in the foster care system might help to
442	prevent homelessness. Responding to the needs of young people
443	leaving the foster care system with developmentally appropriate
444	supportive housing models organized in a continuum of decreasing
445	supervision may increase their ability to live independently in
446	the future.
447	(6)  It is therefore the intent of the Legislature to
448	encourage the Department of Children and Family Services, its
449	agents, and community-based care providers operating pursuant to
450	s. 409.1671, to develop and implement procedures designed to
451	reduce the number of young adults who become homeless after
452	leaving the child welfare system.
453	Section 11.  Subsection (12) of section 1003.01, Florida
454	Statutes, is amended to read:
455	1003.01  Definitions.--As used in this chapter, the term:
456	(12)  "Children and youths who are experiencing
457	homelessness," for programs authorized under subtitle B,
458	Education for Homeless Children and Youths, of title VII of the
459	McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, 42 U.S.C. ss. 11431 et
460	seq., means children and youths who lack a fixed, regular, and
461	adequate nighttime residence; and includes:
462	(a)  Children and youths who are sharing the housing of
463	other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a
464	similar reason; are living in motels, hotels, travel trailer
465	parks, or camping grounds due to the lack of alternative
466	adequate accommodations; are living in emergency or transitional
467	shelters; are abandoned in hospitals; or are awaiting foster
468	care placement.
469	(b)  Children and youths who have a primary nighttime
470	residence that is a public or private place not designed for or
471	ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human
472	beings.
473	(c)  Children and youths who are living in cars, parks,
474	public spaces, abandoned buildings, bus or train stations, or
475	similar settings.
476	(d)  Migratory children who are living in circumstances
477	described in paragraphs (a)-(c).
478	(12)  "Homeless child" means:
479	(a)  One who lacks a fixed, regular nighttime residence;
480	(b)  One who has a primary nighttime residence that is:
481	1.  A supervised publicly or privately operated shelter
482	designed to provide temporary living accommodations, including
483	welfare hotels, congregate shelters, and transitional housing
484	for the mentally ill;
485	2.  An institution that provides a temporary residence for
486	individuals intended to be institutionalized; or
487	3.  A public or private place not designed for, or
488	ordinarily used as, a regular sleeping accommodation for human
489	beings; or
490	(c)  One who temporarily resides with an adult other than
491	his or her parent because the parent is suffering financial
492	hardship.
493
494	A child who is imprisoned, detained, or in the custody of the
495	state pursuant to a state or federal law is not a homeless
496	child.
497	Section 12.  Paragraph (f) of subsection (1) and paragraph
498	(g) of subsection (4) of section 1003.21, Florida Statutes, are
499	amended to read:
500	1003.21  School attendance.--
501	(1)
502	(f)  Children and youths who are experiencing homelessness
503	Homeless children, as defined in s. 1003.01, must have access to
504	a free public education and must be admitted to school in the
505	school district in which they or their families live. School
506	districts shall assist such homeless children to meet the
507	requirements of subsection (4) and s. 1003.22, as well as local
508	requirements for documentation.
509	(4)  Before admitting a child to kindergarten, the
510	principal shall require evidence that the child has attained the
511	age at which he or she should be admitted in accordance with the
512	provisions of subparagraph (1)(a)2. The district school
513	superintendent may require evidence of the age of any child whom
514	he or she believes to be within the limits of compulsory
515	attendance as provided for by law. If the first prescribed
516	evidence is not available, the next evidence obtainable in the
517	order set forth below shall be accepted:
518	(g)  If none of these evidences can be produced, an
519	affidavit of age sworn to by the parent, accompanied by a
520	certificate of age signed by a public health officer or by a
521	public school physician, or, if neither of these is available in
522	the county, by a licensed practicing physician designated by the
523	district school board, which certificate states that the health
524	officer or physician has examined the child and believes that
525	the age as stated in the affidavit is substantially correct.
526	Children and youths who are experiencing homelessness A homeless
527	child, as defined in s. 1003.01, and children who are in foster
528	care until the time of achieving either reunification or a
529	permanent placement shall be given temporary exemption from this
530	section for 30 school days.
531	Section 13.  Subsection (1) and paragraph (e) of subsection
532	(5) of section 1003.22, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
533	1003.22  School-entry health examinations; immunization
534	against communicable diseases; exemptions; duties of Department
535	of Health.--
536	(1)  Each district school board and the governing authority
537	of each private school shall require that each child who is
538	entitled to admittance to kindergarten, or is entitled to any
539	other initial entrance into a public or private school in this
540	state, present a certification of a school-entry health
541	examination performed within 1 year prior to enrollment in
542	school. Each district school board, and the governing authority
543	of each private school, may establish a policy that permits a
544	student up to 30 school days to present a certification of a
545	school-entry health examination. Children and youths who are
546	experiencing homelessness A homeless child, as defined in s.
547	1003.01, and children who are in foster care until the time of
548	achieving either reunification or a permanent placement shall be
549	given a temporary exemption for 30 school days. Any district
550	school board that establishes such a policy shall include
551	provisions in its local school health services plan to assist
552	students in obtaining the health examinations. However, any
553	child shall be exempt from the requirement of a health
554	examination upon written request of the parent of the child
555	stating objections to the examination on religious grounds.
556	(5)  The provisions of this section shall not apply if:
557	(e)  An authorized school official issues a temporary
558	exemption, for a period not to exceed 30 school days, to permit
559	a student who transfers into a new county to attend class until
560	his or her records can be obtained. Children and youths who are
561	experiencing homelessness A homeless child, as defined in s.
562	1003.01, and children who are in foster care until the time of
563	achieving either reunification or a permanent placement shall be
564	given a temporary exemption for 30 school days. The public
565	school health nurse or authorized private school official is
566	responsible for followup of each such student until proper
567	documentation or immunizations are obtained. An exemption for 30
568	days may be issued for a student who enters a juvenile justice
569	program to permit the student to attend class until his or her
570	records can be obtained or until the immunizations can be
571	obtained. An authorized juvenile justice official is responsible
572	for followup of each student who enters a juvenile justice
573	program until proper documentation or immunizations are
574	obtained.
575	Section 14.  Section 414.16, Florida Statutes, is repealed.
576	Section 15.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2008.

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