SB 1398                                          First Engrossed
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       20091398e1
       
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to specialty license plates; amending
    3         ss. 320.08056 and 320.08058, F.S.; creating a
    4         Fraternal Order of Police license plate and an Autism
    5         license plate; establishing an annual use fee for the
    6         plates; providing for the distribution of use fees
    7         received from the sale of such plates; providing an
    8         effective date.
    9  
   10  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   11  
   12         Section 1. Paragraphs (qqq) and (rrr) are added to
   13  subsection (4) of section 320.08056, Florida Statutes, to read:
   14         320.08056 Specialty license plates.—
   15         (4) The following license plate annual use fees shall be
   16  collected for the appropriate specialty license plates:
   17         (qqq) Fraternal Order of Police license plate, $25.
   18         (rrr) Autism license plate, $25.
   19         Section 2. Subsections (69) and (70) are added to section
   20  320.08058, Florida Statutes, to read:
   21         320.08058 Specialty license plates.—
   22         (69) FRATERNAL ORDER OF POLICE LICENSE PLATES.—
   23         (a)1. The department shall develop a Fraternal Order of
   24  Police license plate as provided in this section. The plate must
   25  bear the colors and design approved by the department. The word
   26  “Florida” must appear at the top of the plate and the words
   27  “Fraternal Order of Police” must appear at the bottom of the
   28  plate.
   29         2. The department may issue the plate only to an applicant
   30  who submits a notarized letter from the Florida State Lodge of
   31  the Fraternal Order of Police stating that the applicant is a
   32  member of the lodge in good standing or a member of a lodge
   33  member’s family, together with other fees and documents required
   34  for a specialty plate.
   35         (b) The annual use fees shall be distributed to the Florida
   36  State Lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police, which shall retain
   37  all proceeds until the startup costs to develop and establish
   38  the plate have been recovered. Thereafter, the proceeds shall be
   39  distributed to the Florida State Lodge Memorial Foundation of
   40  the Fraternal Order of Police and used as follows:
   41         1. A maximum of 25 percent of the proceeds may be used to
   42  promote and market the plate, to administer the license plate
   43  program, and to pay administrative costs directly associated
   44  with the state Fraternal Order of Police Law Enforcement
   45  Memorial.
   46         2. The remaining fees shall be used by the foundation to
   47  fund projects, programs, or events related to the memorial or to
   48  fund improvements, maintenance, or other support for the
   49  memorial.
   50         (70) AUTISM LICENSE PLATES.—
   51         (a) The department shall develop an Autism license plate as
   52  provided in this section. Autism license plates must bear the
   53  colors and design approved by the department. The word “Florida”
   54  must appear at the top of the plate, and the words “Support
   55  Autism Programs” must appear at the bottom of the plate.
   56         (b) The proceeds from the license plate annual use fee
   57  shall be distributed to Achievement and Rehabilitation Centers,
   58  Inc., to fund service programs for autism and related
   59  disabilities throughout the state and to operate and establish
   60  programs to support individuals with autism and related
   61  disabilities through direct services, evaluation, training, and
   62  awareness. Achievement and Rehabilitation Centers, Inc., shall
   63  establish an Autism Services Grant Council whose membership
   64  shall be drawn from among stakeholders throughout the state who
   65  represent the interests of individuals with autism and related
   66  disabilities. The grant council shall provide grants from
   67  available Autism license plate proceeds to nonprofit
   68  organizations throughout the state to establish or operate
   69  direct services and programs for individuals with autism and
   70  related disabilities and their families or to market the Autism
   71  license plate. Consideration for participation in such services
   72  and programs shall be given to applicants who are children or
   73  adults with autism and related disabilities and their families
   74  and shall include those who are on the Agency for Persons with
   75  Disabilities waiting lists for services. Achievement and
   76  Rehabilitation Centers, Inc., shall also establish an Autism
   77  License Plate Fund. Moneys in the fund shall be used by the
   78  grant council as provided in this paragraph. All funds received
   79  under this subsection must be used in this state.
   80         (c) Achievement and Rehabilitation Centers, Inc., may
   81  retain all proceeds from the annual use fee up to $85,000 until
   82  all documented startup costs for developing and establishing the
   83  plate have been recovered. Thereafter, the proceeds from the
   84  annual use fee shall be used as follows:
   85         1. Achievement and Rehabilitation Centers, Inc., may use up
   86  to 10 percent of the proceeds from the annual use fee for all
   87  administrative costs associated with the operation of the Autism
   88  Services Grant Council, the Autism License Plate Fund, and the
   89  programs established and operated as provided in subparagraph
   90  2., including the costs of an annual audit or compliance
   91  affidavit.
   92         2. Achievement and Rehabilitation Centers, Inc., may use up
   93  to 25 percent of the proceeds from the annual use fee to
   94  establish and operate programs statewide to support individuals
   95  with autism and related disabilities and their families through
   96  direct services, evaluation, and training.
   97         3. Achievement and Rehabilitation Centers, Inc., shall
   98  disburse 15 percent of the proceeds from the annual use fee to
   99  the Center for Autism and Related Disabilities at the University
  100  of Miami for distribution to the seven regional autism centers
  101  created under s. 1004.55. To the extent possible, the director
  102  of the Center for Autism and Related Disabilities at the
  103  University of Miami shall distribute funds proportionately among
  104  the regional centers. The regional centers shall use the funds
  105  to support the services they provide.
  106         4. Achievement and Rehabilitation Centers, Inc., shall
  107  disburse 50 percent of the proceeds from the annual use fee to
  108  the Autism Services Grant Council, which shall provide grants to
  109  nonprofit organizations throughout the state to establish or
  110  operate direct services and programs for individuals with autism
  111  and related disabilities and their families or to market the
  112  Autism license plate.
  113  
  114  All grant recipients, the Achievement and Rehabilitation
  115  Centers, Inc., and the Center for Autism and Related
  116  Disabilities at the University of Miami shall provide to the
  117  Autism Services Grant Council an annual program and financial
  118  report regarding the use of the proceeds from the annual use
  119  fee. The report shall be made available to the public.
  120         Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2009.