Florida Senate - 2015                        COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
       Bill No. CS for SB 292
       
       
       
       
       
       
                                Ì138316)Î138316                         
       
                              LEGISLATIVE ACTION                        
                    Senate             .             House              
                  Comm: RCS            .                                
                  03/06/2015           .                                
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       Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Tourism, and
       Economic Development (Diaz de la Portilla) recommended the
       following:
       
    1         Senate Amendment (with title amendment)
    2  
    3         Delete lines 54 - 103
    4  and insert:
    5         (4) The grants awarded to a given small business under
    6  subsection (3) may not exceed $25,000 per fiscal year.
    7         (5) A small business must apply to and enter into an
    8  agreement with the corporation in order to participate in the
    9  program. The agreement must require that the small business:
   10         (a) Employ a qualifying veteran for at least 1 year in
   11  order to become eligible for grants awarded under subsection
   12  (3).
   13         (b) Upon the request of the corporation, report information
   14  regarding the employment status of each qualifying veteran.
   15         (c) Pay each qualifying veteran an amount equal to at least
   16  80 percent of the annual median income for veterans in this
   17  state based on the most recent federal census or the most recent
   18  American Community Survey 5-year estimates published by the
   19  United States Census Bureau.
   20         (d) Reinvest any awarded grant moneys in the small business
   21  to facilitate further job creation. Reinvestment under this
   22  subsection is limited to manufacturing, equipment, and
   23  facilities expenditures, or other operating or fixed capital
   24  outlay projects.
   25         (e) Not receive an additional award for rehiring a veteran
   26  previously claimed as an employee by the same small business for
   27  purposes of obtaining funds under the program.
   28         (f) Is eligible to receive a grant award only for a veteran
   29  initially hired on or after October 1, 2015.
   30         (6) The corporation shall notify the regional small
   31  business center serving the county in which a participating
   32  small business is located of a small business’s participation in
   33  the grant program in order to facilitate improved access to the
   34  resources of the Florida Small Business Development Center
   35  Network.
   36         (7) The grant program terminates on the date that all funds
   37  appropriated for the program are expended or on October 1, 2025,
   38  whichever occurs first.
   39         (8) The Department of Veterans’ Affairs may adopt rules to
   40  implement and administer this section, including, but not
   41  limited to, rules specifying requirements for the application
   42  and approval process and the documentation necessary to claim
   43  grant moneys awarded under this section.
   44         Section 2. Effective July 1, 2015, for the 2015-2016 fiscal
   45  year, the sum of $10 million in nonrecurring funds from the
   46  General Revenue Fund is appropriated to the Department of
   47  Veterans’ Affairs for transfer to Florida Is For Veterans, Inc.,
   48  to implement and administer the Veterans Employment Small
   49  Business Grant Program. The corporation may award grant moneys
   50  up to a maximum of $900,000 per fiscal year. The corporation may
   51  spend up to $100,000 per fiscal year of funds transferred by the
   52  department for staffing and administrative costs associated with
   53  implementation and administration of the program. If any
   54  appropriated funds remain upon termination of the program,
   55  Florida Is For Veterans, Inc., shall transfer such funds to the
   56  Department of Veterans’ Affairs to revert to the General Revenue
   57  Fund.
   58         Section 3. Except as otherwise expressly provided in this
   59  act and except for this section, which shall take effect July 1,
   60  2015, this act shall take effect October 1, 2015.
   61  
   62  ================= T I T L E  A M E N D M E N T ================
   63  And the title is amended as follows:
   64         Delete lines 17 - 23
   65  and insert:
   66         obtaining funds under the program; providing that the
   67         award applies only to veterans hired after a specified
   68         date; requiring the corporation to notify the
   69         appropriate regional small business center of a small
   70         business’s participation; providing for termination of
   71         the program; authorizing the department to adopt
   72         rules; providing an appropriation; providing effective
   73         dates.