Florida Senate - 2010 SB 2654
By Senator Crist
12-01719A-10 20102654__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to homelessness; amending ss. 320.02,
3 322.08, and 322.18, F.S.; requiring the motor vehicle
4 registration form and registration renewal form, the
5 driver license application form, and the driver
6 license application form for renewal issuance or
7 renewal extension to include an option to make a
8 voluntary contribution to aid the homeless; providing
9 for such contributions to be deposited into the Grants
10 and Donations Trust Fund of the Department of Children
11 and Family Services and used by the State Office on
12 Homelessness for certain purposes; providing that
13 voluntary contributions for the homeless are not
14 income of a revenue nature for the purpose of applying
15 certain service charges; creating s. 414.161, F.S.;
16 establishing a homelessness prevention grant program;
17 requiring grant applicants to be ranked competitively;
18 providing preference for certain grant applicants;
19 providing eligibility requirements; providing grant
20 limitations and restrictions; requiring lead agencies
21 for local homeless assistance continuums of care to
22 track, monitor, and report on assisted families for a
23 specified period of time; amending s. 420.622, F.S.;
24 limiting the percentage of funding that lead agencies
25 may spend on administrative costs; providing that
26 funding shall be appropriated as a fixed capital
27 outlay item; amending s. 420.625, F.S.; deleting a
28 cross-reference to conform; repealing s. 414.16, F.S.,
29 relating to the emergency assistance program for
30 families with children that have lost shelter or face
31 loss of shelter due to an emergency; providing an
32 effective date.
33
34 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
35
36 Section 1. Paragraph (i) is added to subsection (15) of
37 section 320.02, Florida Statutes, to read:
38 320.02 Registration required; application for registration;
39 forms.—
40 (15)
41 (i) Notwithstanding s. 320.023, the application form for
42 motor vehicle registration and renewal of registration must
43 include language permitting a voluntary contribution of $1 per
44 applicant to aid the homeless. Contributions made pursuant to
45 this paragraph shall be deposited into the Grants and Donations
46 Trust Fund of the Department of Children and Family Services and
47 used by the State Office on Homelessness to supplement grants
48 made under s. 420.622(4) and (5), provide information to the
49 public about homelessness in the state, and provide literature
50 for homeless persons seeking assistance.
51
52 For the purpose of applying the service charge provided in s.
53 215.20, contributions received under this subsection are not
54 income of a revenue nature.
55 Section 2. Subsection (7) of section 322.08, Florida
56 Statutes, is amended to read:
57 322.08 Application for license.—
58 (7) The application form for a driver’s license or
59 duplicate thereof shall include language permitting the
60 following:
61 (a) A voluntary contribution of $1 per applicant, which
62 contribution shall be deposited into the Health Care Trust Fund
63 for organ and tissue donor education and for maintaining the
64 organ and tissue donor registry.
65 (b) A voluntary contribution of $1 per applicant, which
66 contribution shall be distributed to the Florida Council of the
67 Blind.
68 (c) A voluntary contribution of $2 per applicant, which
69 shall be distributed to the Hearing Research Institute,
70 Incorporated.
71 (d) A voluntary contribution of $1 per applicant, which
72 shall be distributed to the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation
73 International.
74 (e) A voluntary contribution of $1 per applicant, which
75 shall be distributed to the Children’s Hearing Help Fund.
76 (f) A voluntary contribution of $1 per applicant, which
77 shall be distributed to Family First, a nonprofit organization.
78 (g) A voluntary contribution of $1 per applicant, to Stop
79 Heart Disease, which shall be distributed to the Florida Heart
80 Research Institute, a nonprofit organization.
81 (h) Notwithstanding s. 322.081, a voluntary contribution of
82 $1 per applicant to aid the homeless. Contributions made
83 pursuant to this paragraph shall be deposited into the Grants
84 and Donations Trust Fund of the Department of Children and
85 Family Services and used by the State Office on Homelessness to
86 supplement grants made under s. 420.622(4) and (5), provide
87 information to the public about homelessness in the state, and
88 provide literature for homeless persons seeking assistance.
89
90 A statement providing an explanation of the purpose of the trust
91 funds shall also be included. For the purpose of applying the
92 service charge provided in s. 215.20, contributions received
93 under paragraphs (b), (c), (d), (e), (f), and (g), and (h) and
94 under s. 322.18(9) are not income of a revenue nature.
95 Section 3. Paragraph (c) is added to subsection (9) of
96 section 322.18, Florida Statutes, to read:
97 322.18 Original applications, licenses, and renewals;
98 expiration of licenses; delinquent licenses.—
99 (9)
100 (c) The application form for a renewal issuance or renewal
101 extension shall include language permitting a voluntary
102 contribution of $1 per applicant to aid the homeless.
103 Contributions made pursuant to this paragraph shall be deposited
104 into the Grants and Donations Trust Fund of the Department of
105 Children and Family Services and used by the State Office on
106 Homelessness to supplement grants made under s. 420.622(4) and
107 (5), provide information to the public about homelessness in the
108 state, and provide literature for homeless persons seeking
109 assistance. For the purpose of applying the service charge
110 provided in s. 215.20, contributions received under this
111 paragraph are not income of a revenue nature.
112 Section 4. Section 414.161, Florida Statutes, is created to
113 read:
114 414.161 Homelessness prevention grants.—
115 (1) ESTABLISHMENT OF PROGRAM.—There is created a grant
116 program to provide emergency financial assistance to families
117 facing the loss of their current home due to a financial or
118 other crisis. The State Office on Homelessness, with the
119 concurrence of the Council on Homelessness, may accept and
120 administer moneys appropriated to it to provide homelessness
121 prevention grants annually to lead agencies for local homeless
122 assistance continuums of care, as recognized by the State Office
123 on Homelessness. These moneys shall consist of any sums that the
124 state may appropriate, as well as money received from donations,
125 gifts, bequests, or otherwise from any public or private source
126 that is intended to assist families to prevent them from
127 becoming homeless.
128 (2) GRANT APPLICATIONS.—Grant applicants shall be ranked
129 competitively. Preference shall be given to applicants who
130 leverage additional private funds and public funds, who
131 demonstrate the effectiveness of their homelessness prevention
132 programs in keeping families housed, and who demonstrate the
133 commitment of other assistance and services to address family
134 health, employment, and education needs.
135 (3) ELIGIBILITY.—In order to qualify for a grant, a lead
136 agency must develop and implement a local homeless assistance
137 continuum of care plan for its designated catchment area. The
138 homelessness prevention program must be included in the
139 continuum of care plan.
140 (4) GRANT LIMITS.—The maximum grant amount per lead agency
141 may not exceed $300,000. The grant assistance may be used to pay
142 past due rent or mortgage payments, past due utility costs,
143 other past due bills creating a family’s financial crisis,
144 provision of case management services, and program
145 administration costs not to exceed 3 percent of the grant award.
146 The homelessness prevention program must develop a case plan for
147 each family to be assisted setting forth what costs will be
148 covered and the maximum level of assistance to be offered.
149 (5) PERFORMANCE.—The lead agency shall be required to
150 track, monitor, and report on each family assisted for at least
151 12 months after the last assistance provided to the family. The
152 goal for the homelessness prevention program shall be to enable
153 at least 85 percent of the families assisted to remain in their
154 homes and avoid becoming homeless during the ensuing year.
155 Section 5. Paragraph (d) is added to subsection (4) of
156 section 420.622, Florida Statutes, and paragraph (g) is added to
157 subsection (5) of that section, to read:
158 420.622 State Office on Homelessness; Council on
159 Homelessness.—
160 (4) Not less than 120 days after the effective date of this
161 act, the State Office on Homelessness, with the concurrence of
162 the Council on Homelessness, may accept and administer moneys
163 appropriated to it to provide “Challenge Grants” annually to
164 lead agencies for homeless assistance continuums of care
165 designated by the State Office on Homelessness. A lead agency
166 may be a local homeless coalition, municipal or county
167 government, or other public agency or private, not-for-profit
168 corporation. Such grants may be up to $500,000 per lead agency.
169 (d) A lead agency may spend a maximum of 8 percent of its
170 funding on administrative costs.
171 (5) The State Office on Homelessness, with the concurrence
172 of the Council on Homelessness, may administer moneys
173 appropriated to it to provide homeless housing assistance grants
174 annually to lead agencies for local homeless assistance
175 continuum of care, as recognized by the State Office on
176 Homelessness, to acquire, construct, or rehabilitate
177 transitional or permanent housing units for homeless persons.
178 These moneys shall consist of any sums that the state may
179 appropriate, as well as money received from donations, gifts,
180 bequests, or otherwise from any public or private source, which
181 are intended to acquire, construct, or rehabilitate transitional
182 or permanent housing units for homeless persons.
183 (g) Funding shall be appropriated as a fixed capital outlay
184 item.
185 Section 6. Paragraph (d) of subsection (3) of section
186 420.625, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
187 420.625 Grant-in-aid program.—
188 (3) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is hereby established a grant-in
189 aid program to help local communities in serving the needs of
190 the homeless through a variety of supportive services, which may
191 include, but are not limited to:
192 (d) Emergency financial assistance for persons who are
193 totally without shelter or facing loss of shelter, but who are
194 not eligible for such assistance under s. 414.16.
195 Section 7. Section 414.16, Florida Statutes, is repealed.
196 Section 8. This act shall take effect July 1, 2010.