Florida Senate - 2016                          SENATOR AMENDMENT
       Bill No. SB 7028
       
       
       
       
       
       
                                Ì537108)Î537108                         
       
                              LEGISLATIVE ACTION                        
                    Senate             .             House              
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                Floor: 1/AD/2R         .                                
             03/03/2016 10:36 AM       .                                
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       Senator Simmons moved the following:
       
    1         Senate Amendment (with title amendment)
    2  
    3         Before line 17
    4  insert:
    5         Section 1. Section 215.4702, Florida Statutes, is created
    6  to read:
    7         215.4702 Investments in publicly traded companies operating
    8  in Northern Ireland.—
    9         (1) As used in this section, the term:
   10         (a) “MacBride Principles” means the objectives for
   11  companies operating in Northern Ireland to:
   12         1. Increase the representation of individuals from
   13  underrepresented religious groups in the workforce, including
   14  managerial, supervisory, administrative, clerical, and technical
   15  jobs.
   16         2. Provide adequate security for the protection of minority
   17  employees both at the workplace and while traveling to and from
   18  work.
   19         3. Ban provocative religious or political emblems from the
   20  workplace.
   21         4. Publicly advertise all job openings and make special
   22  recruitment efforts to attract applicants from underrepresented
   23  religious groups.
   24         5. Provide that layoff, recall, and termination procedures
   25  should not in practice favor particular religious groups.
   26         6. Abolish job reservations, apprenticeship restrictions,
   27  and differential employment criteria that discriminate on the
   28  basis of religion or ethnic origin.
   29         7. Develop training programs that will prepare substantial
   30  numbers of current minority employees for skilled jobs,
   31  including the expansion of existing programs and the creation of
   32  new programs to train, upgrade, and improve the skills of
   33  minority employees.
   34         8. Establish procedures to assess, identify, and actively
   35  recruit minority employees with potential for further
   36  advancement.
   37         9. Appoint senior management staff members to oversee
   38  affirmative action efforts and to set up timetables to carry out
   39  affirmative action principles.
   40         (b) “Operating” means actively engaging in commerce
   41  geographically in Northern Ireland through the acquisition,
   42  development, maintenance, ownership, sale, possession, lease, or
   43  operation of equipment, facilities, personnel, products,
   44  services, or personal property.
   45         (c) “Publicly traded company” means any business
   46  organization having equity securities listed on a national or an
   47  international exchange that is regulated by a national or an
   48  international regulatory authority.
   49         (d) “State board” means the State Board of Administration.
   50         (2) The state board is encouraged to determine which
   51  publicly traded companies in which the Florida Retirement System
   52  Trust Fund is invested operate in Northern Ireland. If the state
   53  board determines that a publicly traded company meets such
   54  criteria, the state board is encouraged to:
   55         (a) Notify the publicly traded company that the state board
   56  supports the MacBride Principles;
   57         (b) Inquire regarding the actions that the publicly traded
   58  company has taken in support of or furtherance of the MacBride
   59  Principles;
   60         (c) Encourage a publicly traded company that has not
   61  adopted the MacBride Principles to make all lawful efforts to
   62  implement the fair employment practices embodied in the MacBride
   63  Principles; and
   64         (d) Support the adoption of the MacBride Principles in
   65  exercising its proxy voting authority. For these purposes, the
   66  state board may not be a fiduciary under this section in
   67  exercising its proxy voting authority.
   68         (3) In making the determination specified in subsection
   69  (2), the state board may, to the extent it deems appropriate,
   70  rely on available public information, including information
   71  provided by nonprofit organizations, research firms,
   72  international organizations, and government entities.
   73         (4) The state board may not be held liable for, and a cause
   74  of action does not arise from, any action or inaction by the
   75  state board in the administration of this section.
   76  
   77  ================= T I T L E  A M E N D M E N T ================
   78  And the title is amended as follows:
   79         Between lines 2 and 3
   80  insert:
   81         creating s. 215.4702, F.S.; defining terms;
   82         encouraging the State Board of Administration to
   83         determine which publicly traded companies in which the
   84         Florida Retirement System Trust Fund is invested
   85         operate in Northern Ireland; encouraging the state
   86         board to take certain action upon making a
   87         determination; authorizing the state board to rely on
   88         public information in making a determination;
   89         providing that the state board is not liable or
   90         subject to a cause of action under the act;