Florida Senate - 2015                                    SB 1488
       
       
        
       By Senator Abruzzo
       
       
       
       
       
       25-00998A-15                                          20151488__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to minority business status for
    3         disabled persons; amending s. 288.703, F.S.; revising
    4         the definition of the term “minority person” to
    5         include disabled persons for purposes of the Florida
    6         Small and Minority Business Assistance Act; providing
    7         an effective date.
    8          
    9  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   10  
   11         Section 1. Paragraph (f) is added to subsection (4) of
   12  section 288.703, Florida Statutes, to read:
   13         288.703 Definitions.—As used in ss. 288.702-288.706, the
   14  term:
   15         (4) “Minority person” means a lawful, permanent resident of
   16  Florida who is:
   17         (f) A disabled person. For purposes of this paragraph, the
   18  term “disabled” means having a severe physical or mental
   19  disability that:
   20         1. Is a result of amputation, arthritis, autism, blindness,
   21  burn injury, cancer, cerebral palsy, cystic fibrosis, deafness,
   22  head injury, heart disease, hemiplegia, hemophilia, respiratory
   23  or pulmonary dysfunction, mental retardation, mental illness,
   24  multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, musculoskeletal
   25  disorder, neurological disorder, including stroke and epilepsy,
   26  paraplegia, quadriplegia, and other spinal cord injuries, sickle
   27  cell anemia, specific learning disabilities, or end stage renal
   28  disease; and
   29         2. Substantially limits one or more of the person’s major
   30  life activities.
   31  
   32  Another disability or combination of disabilities may be
   33  considered a severe physical or mental disability for purposes
   34  of this paragraph if the disability or combination of
   35  disabilities causes a comparable degree of substantial
   36  limitation similar to the list of disabilities provided in
   37  subparagraph 1.
   38         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2015.