| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to veterans; amending s. 295.16, F.S.; |
| 3 | revising an exemption from license or permit fees required |
| 4 | for improvements to a dwelling owned by a disabled veteran |
| 5 | if the improvements are for the purpose of making the |
| 6 | dwelling safe; removing a provision limiting the exemption |
| 7 | to veterans confined to wheelchairs; amending s. 320.089, |
| 8 | F.S.; deleting the monetary limitation on the amount of |
| 9 | general revenue deposited into the State Homes for |
| 10 | Veterans Trust Fund within the Department of Veterans' |
| 11 | Affairs; amending s. 1009.27, F.S.; authorizing an |
| 12 | eligible student who receives benefits as a veteran who |
| 13 | served on active duty in the Armed Forces after September |
| 14 | 11, 2001, to defer college tuition and fees under certain |
| 15 | circumstances; providing effective dates. |
| 16 |
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| 17 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 18 |
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| 19 | Section 1. Section 295.16, Florida Statutes, is amended to |
| 20 | read: |
| 21 | 295.16 Disabled veterans exempt from certain license or |
| 22 | permit fee.--A No totally and permanently disabled veteran who |
| 23 | is a resident of Florida and honorably discharged from the Armed |
| 24 | Forces, who has been issued a valid identification card by the |
| 25 | Department of Veterans' Affairs in accordance with s. 295.17 or |
| 26 | has been determined by the United States Department of Veterans |
| 27 | Affairs or its predecessor to have a service-connected 100- |
| 28 | percent disability rating for compensation, or who has been |
| 29 | determined to have a service-connected disability rating of 100 |
| 30 | percent and is in receipt of disability retirement pay from any |
| 31 | branch of the uniformed armed services is not shall be required |
| 32 | to pay any license or permit fee, by whatever name known, to any |
| 33 | county or municipality in order to make improvements upon a |
| 34 | dwelling owned by the veteran which is used as the veteran's |
| 35 | residence, if provided such improvements are limited to ramps, |
| 36 | widening of doors, and similar improvements for the purpose of |
| 37 | making the dwelling habitable or safe for the veteran veterans |
| 38 | confined to wheelchairs. |
| 39 | Section 2. Paragraph (b) of subsection (1) of section |
| 40 | 320.089, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: |
| 41 | 320.089 Members of National Guard and active United States |
| 42 | Armed Forces reservists; former prisoners of war; survivors of |
| 43 | Pearl Harbor; Purple Heart medal recipients; Operation Iraqi |
| 44 | Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom Veterans; special license |
| 45 | plates; fee.-- |
| 46 | (1) |
| 47 | (b) Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the |
| 48 | contrary, beginning with fiscal year 2002-2003 and annually |
| 49 | thereafter, the first $100,000 in general revenue generated from |
| 50 | the sale of license plates issued under this section shall be |
| 51 | deposited into the Grants and Donations Trust Fund, as described |
| 52 | in s. 296.38(2), to be used for the purposes established by law |
| 53 | for that trust fund. Any additional general revenue generated |
| 54 | from the sale of such plates, up to $100,000, shall be deposited |
| 55 | into the State Homes for Veterans Trust Fund and used solely to |
| 56 | construct, operate, and maintain domiciliary and nursing homes |
| 57 | for veterans, subject to the requirements of chapter 216. |
| 58 | Section 3. Effective August 1, 2009, subsection (2) of |
| 59 | section 1009.27, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: |
| 60 | 1009.27 Deferral of fees.-- |
| 61 | (2) Any veteran or other eligible student who receives |
| 62 | benefits under chapter 30, chapter 31, chapter 32, chapter 33, |
| 63 | chapter 34, or chapter 35 of Title 38, U.S.C., or chapter 106 of |
| 64 | Title 10, U.S.C., is entitled to one deferment each academic |
| 65 | year and an additional deferment each time there is a delay in |
| 66 | the receipt of benefits. |
| 67 | Section 4. Except as otherwise expressly provided in this |
| 68 | act, this act shall take effect July 1, 2009. |