Florida Senate - 2010                                    SB 2200
       
       
       
       By Senator Altman
       
       
       
       
       24-01581-10                                           20102200__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to the allocation and expenditure of
    3         state lottery revenues; amending s. 24.121, F.S.;
    4         requiring net proceeds from a scratch-off lottery game
    5         to be allocated to the Division of Vocational
    6         Rehabilitation in the Department of Education to be
    7         distributed to programs offering services to
    8         individuals with developmental disabilities; providing
    9         an effective date.
   10  
   11  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   12  
   13         Section 1. Subsection (5) of section 24.121, Florida
   14  Statutes, is amended to read:
   15         24.121 Allocation of revenues and expenditure of funds for
   16  public education.—
   17         (5)(a) Public educational programs and purposes funded by
   18  the Educational Enhancement Trust Fund may include, but are not
   19  limited to, endowment, scholarship, matching funds, direct
   20  grants, research and economic development related to education,
   21  salary enhancement, contracts with independent institutions to
   22  conduct programs consistent with the state master plan for
   23  postsecondary education, or any other educational program or
   24  purpose deemed desirable by the Legislature. Prior to the
   25  expenditure of these funds, each school district shall establish
   26  policies and procedures that define enhancement and the types of
   27  expenditures consistent with that definition.
   28         (b) Except as provided in paragraphs (c), (d), and (e), and
   29  (f), the Legislature shall equitably apportion moneys in the
   30  trust fund among public schools, community colleges, and
   31  universities.
   32         (c) A portion of such net revenues, as determined annually
   33  by the Legislature, shall be distributed to each school district
   34  and shall be made available to each public school in the
   35  district for enhancing school performance through development
   36  and implementation of a school improvement plan pursuant to s.
   37  1001.42(18). A portion of these moneys, as determined annually
   38  in the General Appropriations Act, must be allocated to each
   39  school in an equal amount for each student enrolled. These
   40  moneys may be expended only on programs or projects selected by
   41  the school advisory council or by a parent advisory committee
   42  created pursuant to this paragraph. If a school does not have a
   43  school advisory council, the district advisory council must
   44  appoint a parent advisory committee composed of parents of
   45  students enrolled in that school, which is representative of the
   46  ethnic, racial, and economic community served by the school, to
   47  advise the school’s principal on the programs or projects to be
   48  funded. Neither school district staff nor principals may
   49  override the recommendations of the school advisory council or
   50  the parent advisory committee. These moneys may not be used for
   51  capital improvements or for any project or program that has a
   52  duration of more than 1 year; however, a school advisory council
   53  or parent advisory committee may independently determine that a
   54  program or project formerly funded under this paragraph should
   55  receive funds in a subsequent year.
   56         (d) No funds shall be released for any purpose from the
   57  Educational Enhancement Trust Fund to any school district in
   58  which one or more schools do not have an approved school
   59  improvement plan pursuant to s. 1001.42(18) or do not comply
   60  with school advisory council membership composition requirements
   61  pursuant to s. 1001.452(1). The Commissioner of Education shall
   62  withhold disbursements from the trust fund to any school
   63  district that fails to adopt the performance-based salary
   64  schedule required by s. 1012.22(1).
   65         (e) All components of the Florida Bright Futures
   66  Scholarship Program shall be funded annually from the
   67  Educational Enhancement Trust Fund. Funds shall be allocated to
   68  this program prior to application of the formula for equitable
   69  distribution to public schools, community colleges, and state
   70  universities. If shortages require reductions in estimated
   71  distributions from the Educational Enhancement Trust Fund, funds
   72  for the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program shall be
   73  reduced only after reductions in all other distributions are
   74  made.
   75         (f) The net proceeds from a scratch-off lottery game with
   76  tickets sold annually in August, September, and October, which
   77  is designated as Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month,
   78  shall be allocated to the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation
   79  in the Department of Education to be distributed as follows:
   80         1. To programs offering educational and vocational
   81  rehabilitation services to individuals with developmental
   82  disabilities who are on the Medicaid waiver wait list and in
   83  need of such services.
   84         2. To programs offering vocational rehabilitation follow
   85  along services and employment services to individuals with
   86  developmental disabilities who are on the Medicaid waiver wait
   87  list.
   88         (g)(f) Each school district shall, on a quarterly basis,
   89  make available to the public and distribute, in an easy to
   90  understand format, the expenditures of lottery funds allocated
   91  to the school district.
   92         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2010.