Florida Senate - 2009                                    SB 2172
       
       
       
       By Senator Wise
       
       
       
       
       5-01620A-09                                           20092172__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to the Florida National Guard;
    3         requiring the Florida National Guard, in conjunction
    4         with the Division of Community Colleges and the
    5         community colleges of the state, to develop a plan to
    6         provide educational opportunities to enlisted members
    7         of the Florida National Guard; requiring that the plan
    8         be submitted to the Governor and Legislature by a
    9         certain date; providing an effective date.
   10  
   11         WHEREAS, the Florida National Guard is a crucial component
   12  of the Florida Emergency Response System in times of local and
   13  statewide national disasters, civil disobedience, and other
   14  catastrophic events and is a key component of the United States
   15  Armed Forces, subject to be called upon for active federal duty,
   16  including deployment for the War on Terrorism and other missions
   17  in defense of the interests of the United States, and
   18         WHEREAS, enlisted personnel in grades E-1 through E-9
   19  constitute approximately 80 percent of the strength of the
   20  Florida National Guard, a large percentage of whom have
   21  educational deficits, primarily in grades E-1 through E-4, which
   22  can limit their performance capabilities, and
   23         WHEREAS, collegiate-quality educational services that
   24  address basic functional and intellectual deficits in areas such
   25  as reading, writing, mathematics, social and behavioral
   26  sciences, cultural awareness, and natural sciences would
   27  increase the value of enlisted personnel to the Florida National
   28  Guard by preparing them for progressively greater
   29  responsibilities, and
   30         WHEREAS, the community colleges of this state have
   31  demonstrated their capabilities to respond expeditiously and
   32  effectively to address unique training and education needs of
   33  their students through customized associated degree programs,
   34  and
   35         WHEREAS, a formalized partnership between the Florida
   36  National Guard and the Division of Community Colleges of the
   37  Department of Education and its statewide network of community
   38  colleges dedicated to the improvement of the quality of the
   39  noncommissioned ranks by the systematic reduction of basic
   40  functional and intellectual deficits and the elevation of
   41  educational attainment to the associate degree level would
   42  strengthen the capabilities of the Florida National Guard, NOW
   43  THEREFORE,
   44  
   45  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   46  
   47         Section 1. (1) The commanding general of the Florida
   48  National Guard, in conjunction with the Division of Community
   49  Colleges of the Department of Education and the community
   50  colleges of this state, shall develop a plan to implement a
   51  program that provides educational opportunities for enlisted
   52  members of the Florida National Guard. The program shall be
   53  designed to increase the performance capabilities of members of
   54  the Florida National Guard.
   55         (2) The plan shall be submitted to the Governor, the
   56  President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of
   57  Representatives by November 1, 2009.
   58         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2009.