Florida Senate - 2013 SB 954
By Senator Gardiner
13-00302B-13 2013954__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to the Technological Research and
3 Development Authority; amending s. 320.08058, F.S.;
4 deleting provisions for distribution by the Department
5 of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles to the authority
6 of Challenger/Columbia license plate user fees;
7 conforming provisions; amending s. 379.2202, F.S.;
8 deleting provisions for distribution by the Fish and
9 Wildlife Conservation Commission to the authority of
10 saltwater license and permit fees; amending s.
11 112.3148, F.S., relating to giving gifts to certain
12 officers or candidates for office and to procurement
13 employees; deleting reference to the authority;
14 providing contingent effective dates.
15
16 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
17
18 Section 1. Effective September 30, 2013, subsection (2) of
19 section 320.08058, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
20 320.08058 Specialty license plates.—
21 (2) CHALLENGER/COLUMBIA LICENSE PLATES.—
22 (a) The department shall develop a Challenger/Columbia
23 license plate to commemorate the seven astronauts who died when
24 the space shuttle Challenger exploded on liftoff in 1986 and the
25 seven astronauts who died when the Columbia exploded on reentry
26 in 2003. The word “Florida” shall appear at the top of the
27 plate, and the words “Challenger/Columbia” must appear at the
28 bottom of the plate, in small letters.
29 (b) Fifty percent of The Challenger/Columbia license plate
30 annual use fee must be distributed to the Astronauts Memorial
31 Foundation, Inc., to support the operations of the Center for
32 Space Education and the Education Technology Institute. Funds
33 received by the Astronauts Memorial Foundation, Inc., may be
34 used for administrative costs directly associated with the
35 operation of the center and the institute. These funds must be
36 used for the maintenance and support of the operations of the
37 Center for Space Education and the Education Technology
38 Institute operated by the Astronauts Memorial Foundation, Inc.
39 These operations must include preservice and inservice training
40 in the use of technology for the state’s instructional personnel
41 in a manner consistent with state training programs and approved
42 by the Department of Education. Up to 20 percent of funds
43 received by the Center for Space Education and the Education
44 Technology Institute may be expended for administrative costs
45 directly associated with the operation of the center and the
46 institute.
47 (c) Fifty percent must be distributed to the Technological
48 Research and Development Authority created by s. 2, chapter 87
49 455, Laws of Florida, for the purpose of funding space-related
50 research grants, the Teacher/Quest Scholarship Program under s.
51 1009.61 as approved by the Florida Department of Education, and
52 space-related economic development programs. The Technological
53 Research and Development Authority shall coordinate and
54 distribute available resources among state universities and
55 independent colleges and universities based on the research
56 strengths of such institutions in space science technology,
57 community colleges, public school districts, and not-for-profit
58 educational organizations.
59 (c)(d) Up to 10 percent of the funds distributed under
60 paragraph (b) paragraphs (b) and (c) may be used for continuing
61 promotion and marketing of the license plate.
62 (d)(e) The Auditor General has the authority to examine any
63 and all records pertaining to the Astronauts Memorial
64 Foundation, Inc., and the Technological Research and Development
65 Authority to determine compliance with the law.
66 Section 2. Effective July 1, 2013, section 379.2202,
67 Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
68 379.2202 Expenditure of funds.—Any moneys available
69 pursuant to s. 379.2201(1)(c) may be expended by the commission
70 within Florida through grants and contracts for research with
71 research institutions including but not limited to: Florida Sea
72 Grant; Florida Marine Resources Council; Harbour Branch
73 Oceanographic Institute; Technological Research and Development
74 Authority; Fish and Wildlife Research Institute of the Fish and
75 Wildlife Conservation Commission; Mote Marine Laboratory; Marine
76 Resources Development Foundation; Florida Institute of
77 Oceanography; Rosentiel School of Marine and Atmospheric
78 Science; and Smithsonian Marine Station at Ft. Pierce.
79 Section 3. Effective December 31, 2013, paragraphs (a) and
80 (b) of subsection (6) of section 112.3148, Florida Statutes, are
81 amended to read:
82 112.3148 Reporting and prohibited receipt of gifts by
83 individuals filing full or limited public disclosure of
84 financial interests and by procurement employees.—
85 (6)(a) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (5), an
86 entity of the legislative or judicial branch, a department or
87 commission of the executive branch, a water management district
88 created pursuant to s. 373.069, South Florida Regional
89 Transportation Authority, the Technological Research and
90 Development Authority, a county, a municipality, an airport
91 authority, or a school board may give, either directly or
92 indirectly, a gift having a value in excess of $100 to any
93 reporting individual or procurement employee if a public purpose
94 can be shown for the gift; and a direct-support organization
95 specifically authorized by law to support a governmental entity
96 may give such a gift to a reporting individual or procurement
97 employee who is an officer or employee of such governmental
98 entity.
99 (b) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (4), a
100 reporting individual or procurement employee may accept a gift
101 having a value in excess of $100 from an entity of the
102 legislative or judicial branch, a department or commission of
103 the executive branch, a water management district created
104 pursuant to s. 373.069, South Florida Regional Transportation
105 Authority, the Technological Research and Development Authority,
106 a county, a municipality, an airport authority, or a school
107 board if a public purpose can be shown for the gift; and a
108 reporting individual or procurement employee who is an officer
109 or employee of a governmental entity supported by a direct
110 support organization specifically authorized by law to support
111 such governmental entity may accept such a gift from such
112 direct-support organization.
113 Section 4. Except as otherwise expressly provided in this
114 act, this act shall take effect upon becoming a law.