| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to workplace safety; creating the Florida |
| 3 | Public Task Force on Workplace Safety within the Safety |
| 4 | Florida Consultation Program at the University of South |
| 5 | Florida; providing the purpose of the task force; |
| 6 | providing for membership; requiring that the task force |
| 7 | address certain issues concerning workplace safety in the |
| 8 | public and private sectors; providing for staffing; |
| 9 | providing for members to serve without compensation but to |
| 10 | be reimbursed for per diem and travel expenses; |
| 11 | authorizing the task force to procure information or |
| 12 | assistance from any officer or agency of the state; |
| 13 | requiring that such officers or agencies provide |
| 14 | information and assistance to the task force; requiring |
| 15 | that the task force submit a report and recommendations to |
| 16 | the Governor, the Chief Financial Officer, and the |
| 17 | Legislature by a specified date; requiring that the report |
| 18 | include certain information; providing for dissolution of |
| 19 | the task force; providing an effective date. |
| 20 |
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| 21 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 22 |
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| 23 | Section 1. (1) The Florida Public Task Force on Workplace |
| 24 | Safety is established within the Safety Florida Consultation |
| 25 | Program at the University of South Florida for the purpose of |
| 26 | developing findings and issuing recommendations regarding |
| 27 | innovative ways by which the state may effectively ensure that |
| 28 | each state department and agency and each county government and |
| 29 | municipality located in the state complies with subparts C |
| 30 | through T and subpart Z of the Occupational Safety and Health |
| 31 | Administration Standards, 29 C.F.R. s. 1910, as revised July 1, |
| 32 | 1993, with the exception of standards pertaining to firefighters |
| 33 | and fire departments. |
| 34 | (2)(a) All members of the task force shall be appointed on |
| 35 | or before July 15, 2008, and the task force shall hold its first |
| 36 | meeting on or before August 15, 2008. |
| 37 | (b) The task force shall be composed of 15 members as |
| 38 | follows: |
| 39 | 1. Five members appointed by the Governor, one of whom |
| 40 | must be a representative of a statewide business organization; |
| 41 | one of whom must be a representative of organized labor; one of |
| 42 | whom must be a professional whose work focuses on safety, |
| 43 | health, and environmental issues; one of whom must be a |
| 44 | representative of the executive branch of state government; and |
| 45 | one of whom must be an academic having demonstrated knowledge of |
| 46 | pertinent issues related to occupational safety and health. The |
| 47 | Governor shall name one of the appointees under this |
| 48 | subparagraph as chair of the task force. |
| 49 | 2. Five members appointed by the President of the Senate, |
| 50 | one of whom must be a representative of a statewide business |
| 51 | organization; one of whom must be a representative of organized |
| 52 | labor; one of whom must be a professional whose work focuses on |
| 53 | safety, health, and environmental issues; one of whom must be |
| 54 | from the Florida Association of Counties; and one of whom must |
| 55 | be active in private-sector business. |
| 56 | 3. Five members appointed by the Speaker of the House of |
| 57 | Representatives, one of whom must be a representative of a |
| 58 | statewide business organization; one of whom must be a |
| 59 | representative of organized labor; one of whom must be a |
| 60 | professional whose work focuses on safety, health, and |
| 61 | environmental issues; one of whom must be from the Florida |
| 62 | League of Cities; and one of whom must be active in private- |
| 63 | sector business. |
| 64 | (3) The task force shall address issues including, but not |
| 65 | limited to: |
| 66 | (a) Differences in the workplace safety needs of private- |
| 67 | sector employers and public-sector employers; |
| 68 | (b) The relationship between federal and state activities |
| 69 | related to workplace safety; and |
| 70 | (c) The effect of public-sector workplace safety and |
| 71 | health on the economic-development efforts of the state. |
| 72 | (4) The task force shall exist within the University of |
| 73 | South Florida Safety Florida Consultation Program, and existing |
| 74 | employees of that office shall provide staff support. |
| 75 | (5) Members of the task force shall serve without |
| 76 | compensation while in the performance of their duties but are |
| 77 | entitled to reimbursement for per diem and travel expenses in |
| 78 | accordance with s. 112.061, Florida Statutes. |
| 79 | (6) The task force may procure information and assistance |
| 80 | from any officer or agency of the state or any subdivision |
| 81 | thereof. All such officers and agencies shall provide the task |
| 82 | force with all relevant information and assistance on any matter |
| 83 | within their knowledge or control. |
| 84 | (7) The task force shall submit a report and |
| 85 | recommendations to the Governor, the Chief Financial Officer, |
| 86 | the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of |
| 87 | Representatives by January 1, 2009. The report must include any |
| 88 | specific recommendations for legislative action during the 2009 |
| 89 | Regular Session of the Legislature. |
| 90 | (8) The task force is dissolved upon the submission of its |
| 91 | report. |
| 92 | Section 2. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law. |