Florida Senate - 2013 SB 402
By Senator Joyner
19-00162B-13 2013402__
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 Families and used by the State Office on
12 Homelessness for certain purposes; providing exemption
13 from certain application fee requirements; providing
14 that voluntary contributions for the homeless are not
15 income of a revenue nature for the purpose of applying
16 certain service charges; creating s. 414.161, F.S.;
17 establishing a homelessness prevention grant program;
18 requiring grant applicants to be ranked competitively;
19 providing preference for certain grant applicants;
20 providing eligibility requirements; providing grant
21 limitations and restrictions; requiring lead agencies
22 for local homeless assistance continuums of care to
23 track, monitor, and report on assisted families for a
24 specified period; amending s. 420.622, F.S.; limiting
25 the percentage of funding that lead agencies may spend
26 on administrative costs; amending s. 420.625, F.S.;
27 deleting a cross-reference to conform; repealing s.
28 414.16, F.S., relating to the emergency assistance
29 program for families with children that have lost
30 shelter or face loss of shelter due to an emergency;
31 transferring emergency assistance program funds to the
32 homelessness prevention grant program; providing an
33 effective date.
34
35 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
36
37 Section 1. Paragraph (s) is added to subsection (15) of
38 section 320.02, Florida Statutes, to read:
39 320.02 Registration required; application for registration;
40 forms.—
41 (15)
42 (s) Notwithstanding s. 320.023, the application form for
43 motor vehicle registration and renewal of registration must
44 include language permitting a voluntary contribution of $1 per
45 applicant to aid the homeless. Contributions made pursuant to
46 this paragraph shall be deposited into the Grants and Donations
47 Trust Fund of the Department of Children and Families and used
48 by the State Office on Homelessness to supplement grants made
49 under s. 420.622(4) and (5), provide information to the public
50 about homelessness in the state, and provide literature for
51 homeless persons seeking assistance. The application fee
52 required under s. 320.023 for an organization that seeks
53 authorization to establish a voluntary contribution does not
54 apply to this paragraph.
55
56 For the purpose of applying the service charge provided in s.
57 215.20, contributions received under this subsection are not
58 income of a revenue nature.
59 Section 2. Subsection (7) of section 322.08, Florida
60 Statutes, is amended to read:
61 322.08 Application for license; requirements for license
62 and identification card forms.—
63 (7) The application form for an original, renewal, or
64 replacement driver license or identification card shall include
65 language permitting the following:
66 (a) A voluntary contribution of $1 per applicant, which
67 contribution shall be deposited into the Health Care Trust Fund
68 for organ and tissue donor education and for maintaining the
69 organ and tissue donor registry.
70 (b) A voluntary contribution of $1 per applicant, which
71 contribution shall be distributed to the Florida Council of the
72 Blind.
73 (c) A voluntary contribution of $2 per applicant, which
74 shall be distributed to the Hearing Research Institute,
75 Incorporated.
76 (d) A voluntary contribution of $1 per applicant, which
77 shall be distributed to the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation
78 International.
79 (e) A voluntary contribution of $1 per applicant, which
80 shall be distributed to the Children’s Hearing Help Fund.
81 (f) A voluntary contribution of $1 per applicant, which
82 shall be distributed to Family First, a nonprofit organization.
83 (g) A voluntary contribution of $1 per applicant to Stop
84 Heart Disease, which shall be distributed to the Florida Heart
85 Research Institute, a nonprofit organization.
86 (h) A voluntary contribution of $1 per applicant to Senior
87 Vision Services, which shall be distributed to the Florida
88 Association of Agencies Serving the Blind, Inc., a not-for
89 profit organization.
90 (i) A voluntary contribution of $1 per applicant for
91 services for persons with developmental disabilities, which
92 shall be distributed to The Arc of Florida.
93 (j) A voluntary contribution of $1 to the Ronald McDonald
94 House, which shall be distributed each month to Ronald McDonald
95 House Charities of Tampa Bay, Inc.
96 (k) Notwithstanding s. 322.081, a voluntary contribution of
97 $1 per applicant, which shall be distributed to the League
98 Against Cancer/La Liga Contra el Cancer, a not-for-profit
99 organization.
100 (l) A voluntary contribution of $1 per applicant to Prevent
101 Child Sexual Abuse, which shall be distributed to Lauren’s Kids,
102 Inc., a nonprofit organization.
103 (m) A voluntary contribution of $1 per applicant, which
104 shall be distributed to Prevent Blindness Florida, a not-for
105 profit organization, to prevent blindness and preserve the sight
106 of the residents of this state.
107 (n) Notwithstanding s. 322.081, a voluntary contribution of
108 $1 per applicant to the state homes for veterans, to be
109 distributed on a quarterly basis by the department to the State
110 Homes for Veterans Trust Fund, which is administered by the
111 Department of Veterans’ Affairs.
112 (o) A voluntary contribution of $1 per applicant to the
113 Disabled American Veterans, Department of Florida, which shall
114 be distributed quarterly to Disabled American Veterans,
115 Department of Florida, a nonprofit organization.
116 (p) A voluntary contribution of $1 per applicant for Autism
117 Services and Supports, which shall be distributed to Achievement
118 and Rehabilitation Centers, Inc., Autism Services Fund.
119 (q) A voluntary contribution of $1 per applicant to Support
120 Our Troops, which shall be distributed to Support Our Troops,
121 Inc., a Florida not-for-profit organization.
122 (r) Notwithstanding s. 322.081, a voluntary contribution of
123 $1 per applicant to aid the homeless. Contributions made
124 pursuant to this paragraph shall be deposited into the Grants
125 and Donations Trust Fund of the Department of Children and
126 Families and used by the State Office on Homelessness to
127 supplement grants made under s. 420.622(4) and (5), provide
128 information to the public about homelessness in the state, and
129 provide literature for homeless persons seeking assistance.
130
131 A statement providing an explanation of the purpose of the trust
132 funds shall also be included. For the purpose of applying the
133 service charge provided in s. 215.20, contributions received
134 under paragraphs (b)-(r) (b)-(q) are not income of a revenue
135 nature.
136 Section 3. Subsection (9) is added to section 322.18,
137 Florida Statutes, to read:
138 322.18 Original applications, licenses, and renewals;
139 expiration of licenses; delinquent licenses.—
140 (9) The application form for a renewal issuance or renewal
141 extension shall include language permitting a voluntary
142 contribution of $1 per applicant to aid the homeless.
143 Contributions made pursuant to this subsection shall be
144 deposited into the Grants and Donations Trust Fund of the
145 Department of Children and Families and used by the State Office
146 on Homelessness to supplement grants made under s. 420.622(4)
147 and (5), provide information to the public about homelessness in
148 the state, and provide literature for homeless persons seeking
149 assistance. For the purpose of applying the service charge
150 provided in s. 215.20, contributions received under this
151 subsection are not income of a revenue nature.
152 Section 4. Section 414.161, Florida Statutes, is created to
153 read:
154 414.161 Homelessness prevention grants.—
155 (1) ESTABLISHMENT OF PROGRAM.—There is created a grant
156 program to provide emergency financial assistance to families
157 facing the loss of their current home due to a financial or
158 other crisis. The State Office on Homelessness, with the
159 concurrence of the Council on Homelessness, may accept and
160 administer moneys appropriated to the Department of Children and
161 Families to provide homelessness prevention grants annually to
162 lead agencies for local homeless assistance continuums of care,
163 as recognized by the State Office on Homelessness. These moneys
164 shall consist of any sums that the state may appropriate, as
165 well as money received from donations, gifts, bequests, or
166 otherwise from any public or private source that is intended to
167 assist families to prevent them from becoming homeless.
168 (2) GRANT APPLICATIONS.—Grant applicants shall be ranked
169 competitively. Preference shall be given to applicants who
170 leverage additional private funds and public funds, who
171 demonstrate the effectiveness of their homelessness prevention
172 programs in keeping families housed, and who demonstrate the
173 commitment of other assistance and services to address family
174 health, employment, and education needs.
175 (3) ELIGIBILITY.—In order to qualify for a grant, a lead
176 agency must develop and implement a local homeless assistance
177 continuum of care plan for its designated catchment area. The
178 homelessness prevention program must be included in the
179 continuum of care plan.
180 (4) GRANT LIMITS.—The maximum grant amount per lead agency
181 may not exceed $300,000. The grant assistance may be used to pay
182 past due rent or mortgage payments, past due utility costs,
183 provision of case management services, and program
184 administration costs not to exceed 3 percent of the grant award.
185 The homelessness prevention program must develop a case plan for
186 each family to be assisted, setting forth what costs will be
187 covered and the maximum level of assistance to be offered.
188 (5) PERFORMANCE.—The lead agency must track, monitor, and
189 report on each family assisted for at least 12 months after the
190 last assistance provided to the family. The goal for the
191 homelessness prevention program is to enable at least 85 percent
192 of the families assisted to remain in their homes and avoid
193 becoming homeless during the ensuing year.
194 Section 5. Paragraph (d) is added to subsection (4) of
195 section 420.622, Florida Statutes, to read:
196 420.622 State Office on Homelessness; Council on
197 Homelessness.—
198 (4) Not less than 120 days after the effective date of this
199 act, the State Office on Homelessness, with the concurrence of
200 the Council on Homelessness, may accept and administer moneys
201 appropriated to it to provide “Challenge Grants” annually to
202 lead agencies for homeless assistance continuums of care
203 designated by the State Office on Homelessness. A lead agency
204 may be a local homeless coalition, municipal or county
205 government, or other public agency or private, not-for-profit
206 corporation. Such grants may be up to $500,000 per lead agency.
207 (d) A lead agency may spend a maximum of 8 percent of its
208 funding on administrative costs.
209 Section 6. Paragraph (d) of subsection (3) of section
210 420.625, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
211 420.625 Grant-in-aid program.—
212 (3) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is hereby established a grant-in
213 aid program to help local communities in serving the needs of
214 the homeless through a variety of supportive services, which may
215 include, but are not limited to:
216 (d) Emergency financial assistance for persons who are
217 totally without shelter or facing loss of shelter, but who are
218 not eligible for such assistance under s. 414.16.
219 Section 7. Section 414.16, Florida Statutes, is repealed,
220 and any balances remaining in the emergency assistance program
221 terminated by this act shall, on the date of termination, be
222 transferred to the homelessness prevention grant program created
223 under s. 414.161, Florida Statutes.
224 Section 8. This act shall take effect July 1, 2013.