Florida Senate - 2016 CS for SB 556
By the Committee on Fiscal Policy; and Senator Altman
594-04395-16 2016556c1
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to the Florida Council on Poverty;
3 establishing the council within the Department of
4 Economic Opportunity; specifying the membership of the
5 council; providing for organization of the council;
6 authorizing reimbursement for per diem and travel
7 expenses; prescribing the scope of the council’s
8 activities; requiring the council to annually submit a
9 report to the Governor and Legislature; requiring the
10 council’s abolition by a specific date; providing an
11 effective date.
12
13 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
14
15 Section 1. Florida Council on Poverty.—
16 (1) ESTABLISHMENT OF THE COUNCIL.—The Florida Council on
17 Poverty is established and assigned to the Department of
18 Economic Opportunity as an advisory council, as defined in s.
19 20.03, Florida Statutes. The council shall be administratively
20 housed within the Department of Economic Opportunity.
21 (2) COUNCIL MEMBERSHIP.—The council shall consist of five
22 members who shall be residents of this state. The members shall
23 be appointed as follows:
24 (a) The Governor shall appoint one member who must be from
25 the Florida Association for Community Action, Inc.
26 (b) The Chief Financial Officer shall appoint one member.
27 (c) The Commissioner of Agriculture shall appoint one
28 member.
29 (d) The President of the Senate shall appoint one member.
30 (e) The Speaker of the House of Representatives shall
31 appoint one member.
32 (3) MEETINGS; ORGANIZATION.—
33 (a) The first meeting of the council shall be held no later
34 than August 1, 2016. Thereafter, the council shall meet at least
35 twice each year. Meetings may be held via teleconference or
36 other electronic means.
37 (b) Members of the council shall annually elect from its
38 membership a chair and vice chair. The council shall meet at the
39 call of the chair or at such times as may be prescribed by the
40 council.
41 (c) Three members of the council constitute a quorum, and a
42 meeting may not be held unless a quorum is present. The
43 affirmative vote of a majority of the members of the council
44 present is necessary for any official action by the council.
45 (d) Members of the council shall serve without compensation
46 but may be reimbursed for per diem and travel expenses in
47 accordance with s. 112.061, Florida Statutes.
48 (4) SCOPE OF ACTIVITIES.—The council shall:
49 (a) Conduct a review of policies and programs that work to
50 move people out of poverty.
51 (b) Develop strategies to address the causes of poverty in
52 the state.
53 (c) Develop recommendations to reduce the percentage of
54 people living in poverty in the state.
55 (d) Study the academic outcomes for children in poverty and
56 develop recommendations on how to improve such outcomes.
57 (5) REPORT.—By January 15 of each year, beginning in 2018,
58 the council shall submit an annual report to the Governor, the
59 President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of
60 Representatives containing an accounting of its activities and
61 recommendations for legislative, administrative, and regulatory
62 reforms to facilitate efforts in mitigating the existence of
63 poverty in this state.
64 (6) TERMINATION.—The Florida Council on Poverty shall be
65 abolished on July 1, 2019.
66 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2016.