Florida Senate - 2020 CS for SB 1326
By the Committee on Appropriations; and Senator Simpson
576-04302-20 20201326c1
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to the Department of Children and
3 Families; amending s. 20.19, F.S.; revising duties and
4 membership of community alliances; requiring the
5 department to establish an Office of Quality;
6 providing duties of the office; requiring the office
7 to develop and submit a report to the Governor and the
8 Legislature annually by a specified date; authorizing
9 the department to adopt rules; amending s. 402.402,
10 F.S.; deleting obsolete language; requiring the
11 department to implement certain policies and programs;
12 expanding requirements for an annual report required
13 to be submitted by the department to the Governor and
14 the Legislature; requiring that attorneys contracted
15 with the department receive certain training; amending
16 s. 409.988, F.S.; requiring community-based care lead
17 agencies to identify an employee to serve as a liaison
18 with the community alliance and community-based and
19 faith-based organizations; requiring community-based
20 care lead agencies to ensure that appropriate lead
21 agency staff and subcontractors are informed of
22 specified services and assistance; amending s.
23 409.991, F.S.; defining the term “core services
24 funds”; requiring the department to develop a
25 methodology to identify and report the optimal level
26 of funding for community-based care lead agencies;
27 providing requirements for the allocation of core
28 services funds; requiring the Secretary of Children
29 and Families to submit a report to the Governor and
30 Legislature annually by a specified date; providing
31 requirements for such report; authorizing the
32 department to adopt rules; requiring certain funding
33 to be allocated based on the department’s methodology,
34 unless otherwise specified in the General
35 Appropriations Act; amending s. 409.996, F.S.;
36 deleting a provision requiring the department to
37 contract with the state attorney for certain services;
38 authorizing the department to contract for the
39 provision of children’s legal services; providing
40 requirements for contracted attorneys; requiring the
41 department and contracted attorneys to collaborate to
42 monitor program performance; requiring the department
43 to conduct annual program performance evaluations;
44 providing requirements for such evaluations; requiring
45 the department to annually publish a report; providing
46 requirements for such report; requiring the department
47 to annually submit such report to the Governor and
48 Legislature by a specified date; requiring the
49 department to develop a statewide accountability
50 system; requiring that such system be implemented by a
51 specified date; providing requirements for such
52 accountability system; requiring the department and
53 lead agencies to promote enhanced quality service
54 delivery; requiring the department to submit a report
55 to the Governor and the Legislature annually by a
56 specified date; authorizing the department to adopt
57 rules; requiring the department to implement pilot
58 projects to improve child welfare outcomes in
59 specified judicial circuits; requiring the department
60 to establish performance metrics and standards to
61 implement the pilot projects; requiring lead agencies
62 in specified judicial circuits to provide certain data
63 to the department each quarter; requiring the
64 department to review such data; authorizing the
65 department to advance incentive funding to certain
66 lead agencies that meet specified requirements;
67 requiring the department to include certain results in
68 a specified report; providing for future expiration;
69 amending s. 1004.615, F.S.; requiring the Florida
70 Institute for Child Welfare and the Florida State
71 University College of Social Work to design and
72 implement a child welfare practice curriculum;
73 requiring the institute to disseminate the curriculum
74 to certain state universities and colleges; requiring
75 the institute to contract with a person or entity by a
76 specified date to evaluate the curriculum and make
77 recommendations for improvement; requiring the college
78 to implement the curriculum during a specified school
79 year; requiring the institute, in collaboration with
80 specified entities and individuals, to design and
81 implement professional development curriculum for
82 child welfare professionals; providing requirements
83 for such curriculum; requiring that such curriculum be
84 available by a specified date; requiring the
85 department to approve the curriculum before
86 implementation; requiring the institute to establish a
87 consulting program; providing that specified
88 provisions are subject to an appropriation; requiring
89 the department, in collaboration with the institute,
90 to develop a proposal for a career ladder for child
91 protective investigations staff; providing
92 requirements for such career ladder; requiring the
93 department to submit a proposal for such career ladder
94 to the Governor and the Legislature by a specified
95 date; providing appropriations; providing a short
96 title; providing an effective date.
97
98 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
99
100 Section 1. Paragraphs (b) and (d) of subsection (5) of
101 section 20.19, Florida Statutes, are amended, and subsection (7)
102 is added to that section, to read:
103 20.19 Department of Children and Families.—There is created
104 a Department of Children and Families.
105 (5) COMMUNITY ALLIANCES.—
106 (b) The duties of the community alliance include, but are
107 not limited to:
108 1. Joint planning for resource utilization in the
109 community, including resources appropriated to the department
110 and any funds that local funding sources choose to provide.
111 2. Needs assessment and establishment of community
112 priorities for service delivery.
113 3. Determining community outcome goals to supplement state
114 required outcomes.
115 4. Serving as a catalyst for community resource
116 development, including, but not limited to, identifying existing
117 programs and services delivered by and assistance available from
118 community-based organizations and faith-based organizations, and
119 encouraging the development and availability of such programs,
120 services, and assistance by such organizations. The community
121 alliance shall ensure that the community-based care lead agency
122 is aware of such programs, services, and assistance and work to
123 facilitate the lead agency’s appropriate use of these resources.
124 5. Providing for community education and advocacy on issues
125 related to delivery of services.
126 6. Promoting prevention and early intervention services.
127 (d) The initial membership of the community alliance in a
128 county, at a minimum, must shall be composed of the following:
129 1. A representative from the department.
130 2. A representative from county government.
131 3. A representative from the school district.
132 4. A representative from the county United Way.
133 5. A representative from the county sheriff’s office.
134 6. A representative from the circuit court corresponding to
135 the county.
136 7. A representative from the county children’s board, if
137 one exists.
138 8. A representative of a faith-based organization involved
139 in efforts to prevent child maltreatment, strengthen families,
140 or promote adoption.
141 (7) OFFICE OF QUALITY.—The department shall establish an
142 enterprise-wide Office of Quality to ensure that the department
143 and contracted service providers meet the highest levels of
144 performance standards.
145 (a) Duties of the office include, but are not limited to,
146 all of the following:
147 1. Identifying performance standards and metrics for
148 department programs and all other service providers, including,
149 but not limited to, behavioral health managing entities,
150 community-based care lead agencies, and attorney services.
151 2. Conducting ongoing quality assurance reviews of
152 department programs and contracted service providers on at least
153 a quarterly basis using cases randomly selected by the
154 department.
155 3. Strengthening the department’s data and analytic
156 capabilities to identify systemic strengths and deficiencies.
157 4. In consultation with the department’s program offices,
158 recommending unique and varied initiatives to correct
159 programmatic and systemic deficiencies.
160 5. Collaborating and engaging partners of the department to
161 improve service quality, efficiency, and effectiveness.
162 6. Reporting any persistent failure by the department or
163 contracted providers to meet performance standards and
164 recommending corrective actions to the secretary.
165 7. By each December 1, developing and submitting an annual
166 report to the Governor, the President of the Senate, and the
167 Speaker of the House of Representatives for the preceding fiscal
168 year which encompasses all legislatively mandated statewide
169 reports required to be issued by the department.
170 (b) The department may adopt rules to administer this
171 subsection.
172 Section 2. Section 402.402, Florida Statutes, is amended to
173 read:
174 402.402 Child protection and child welfare personnel;
175 attorneys employed by the department.—
176 (1) CHILD PROTECTIVE INVESTIGATION PROFESSIONAL STAFF
177 REQUIREMENTS.—The department is responsible for recruitment of
178 qualified professional staff to serve as child protective
179 investigators and child protective investigation supervisors.
180 The department shall make every effort to recruit and hire
181 persons qualified by their education and experience to perform
182 social work functions. The department’s efforts shall be guided
183 by the goal that by July 1, 2019, at least half of all child
184 protective investigators and supervisors will have a bachelor’s
185 degree or a master’s degree in social work from a college or
186 university social work program accredited by the Council on
187 Social Work Education. The department, in collaboration with the
188 lead agencies, subcontracted provider organizations, the Florida
189 Institute for Child Welfare created pursuant to s. 1004.615, and
190 other partners in the child welfare system, shall develop a
191 protocol for screening candidates for child protective positions
192 which reflects the preferences specified in paragraphs (a)-(f).
193 The following persons shall be given preference in the
194 recruitment of qualified professional staff, but the preferences
195 serve only as guidance and do not limit the department’s
196 discretion to select the best available candidates:
197 (a) Individuals with baccalaureate degrees in social work
198 and child protective investigation supervisors with master’s
199 degrees in social work from a college or university social work
200 program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education.
201 (b) Individuals with baccalaureate or master’s degrees in
202 psychology, sociology, counseling, special education, education,
203 human development, child development, family development,
204 marriage and family therapy, and nursing.
205 (c) Individuals with baccalaureate degrees who have a
206 combination of directly relevant work and volunteer experience,
207 preferably in a public service field related to children’s
208 services, demonstrating critical thinking skills, formal
209 assessment processes, communication skills, problem solving, and
210 empathy; a commitment to helping children and families; a
211 capacity to work as part of a team; an interest in continuous
212 development of skills and knowledge; and personal strength and
213 resilience to manage competing demands and handle workplace
214 stresses.
215 (2) SPECIALIZED TRAINING.—All child protective
216 investigators and child protective investigation supervisors
217 employed by the department or a sheriff’s office must complete
218 specialized training either focused on serving a specific
219 population, including, but not limited to, medically fragile
220 children, sexually exploited children, children under 3 years of
221 age, or families with a history of domestic violence, mental
222 illness, or substance abuse, or focused on performing certain
223 aspects of child protection practice, including, but not limited
224 to, investigation techniques and analysis of family dynamics.
225 The specialized training may be used to fulfill continuing
226 education requirements under s. 402.40(3)(e). Individuals hired
227 before July 1, 2014, shall complete the specialized training by
228 June 30, 2016, and individuals hired on or after July 1, 2014,
229 shall complete the specialized training within 2 years after
230 hire. An individual may receive specialized training in multiple
231 areas.
232 (3) STAFF SUPPORT.—The department shall implement policies
233 and programs that mitigate and prevent the impact of secondary
234 traumatic stress and burnout among child protective
235 investigations staff, including, but not limited to:
236 (a) Initiatives to encourage and inspire child protective
237 investigations staff, including recognizing their achievements
238 on a recognition wall within their unit.
239 (b) Formal procedures for providing support to child
240 protective investigations staff after a critical incident such
241 as a child fatality.
242 (c) Initial training upon appointment to a supervisory
243 position and annual continuing education for all supervisors on
244 how to prevent secondary traumatic stress and burnout among the
245 employees they supervise.
246 (d) Monitoring levels of secondary traumatic stress and
247 burnout among individual employees and intervening as needed.
248 The department shall closely monitor and respond to levels of
249 secondary traumatic stress and burnout among employees during
250 the first 2 years after hire.
251 (e) Ongoing training in self-care for all child protective
252 investigations staff.
253
254 Such programs may also include, but are not limited, to formal
255 peer counseling and support programs.
256 (4)(3) REPORT.—By each October 1, the department shall
257 submit a report on the educational qualifications, turnover,
258 professional advancement, and working conditions of the child
259 protective investigators and supervisors to the Governor, the
260 President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of
261 Representatives.
262 (5)(4) ATTORNEYS EMPLOYED BY OR CONTRACTING WITH THE
263 DEPARTMENT TO HANDLE CHILD WELFARE CASES.—Attorneys hired or
264 contracted with on or after July 1, 2014, whose primary
265 responsibility is representing the department in child welfare
266 cases shall, within the first 6 months of employment, receive
267 training in:
268 (a) The dependency court process, including the attorney’s
269 role in preparing and reviewing documents prepared for
270 dependency court for accuracy and completeness.;
271 (b) Preparing and presenting child welfare cases, including
272 at least 1 week shadowing an experienced children’s legal
273 services attorney preparing and presenting cases.;
274 (c) Safety assessment, safety decisionmaking tools, and
275 safety plans.;
276 (d) Developing information presented by investigators and
277 case managers to support decisionmaking in the best interest of
278 children.; and
279 (e) The experiences and techniques of case managers and
280 investigators, including shadowing an experienced child
281 protective investigator and an experienced case manager for at
282 least 8 hours.
283 Section 3. Paragraph (l) is added to subsection (1) of
284 section 409.988, Florida Statutes, to read:
285 409.988 Lead agency duties; general provisions.—
286 (1) DUTIES.—A lead agency:
287 (l) Shall identify an employee to serve as a liaison with
288 the community alliance and community-based and faith-based
289 organizations interested in collaborating with the lead agency
290 or offering services or other assistance on a volunteer basis to
291 the children and families served by the lead agency. The lead
292 agency shall ensure that appropriate lead agency staff and
293 subcontractors, including, but not limited to, case managers,
294 are informed of the specific services or assistance available
295 from community-based and faith-based organizations.
296 Section 4. Section 409.991, Florida Statutes, is amended to
297 read:
298 (Substantial rewording of section. See s. 409.991,
299 F.S., for present text.)
300 409.991 Allocation of funds for community-based care lead
301 agencies.—
302 (1) As used in this section, the term “core services funds”
303 means all funds allocated to lead agencies operating under
304 contract with the department pursuant to s. 409.987, with the
305 following exceptions:
306 (a) Funds appropriated for independent living services;
307 (b) Funds appropriated for maintenance adoption subsidies;
308 (c) Funds allocated by the department for child protective
309 investigative service training;
310 (d) Nonrecurring funds;
311 (e) Designated mental health wrap-around service funds;
312 (f) Funds for special projects for a designated lead
313 agency; and
314 (g) Funds appropriated for the Guardianship Assistance
315 Program established under s. 39.6225.
316 (2) The department shall use an objective, workload-based
317 methodology to identify and report the optimal level of funding
318 for each lead agency considering demand for each of the
319 following:
320 (a) Prevention services;
321 (b) Client services;
322 (c) Licensed out-of-home care costs; and
323 (d) Staffing, using the ratio for case managers compared to
324 the caseload requirements specified in s. 20.19(4)(c)2.
325 (3) The allocation of core services funds must be based on
326 the following:
327 (a) The total optimal funding amount as determined by
328 adding together the funding for prevention services, client
329 services, licensed out-of-home care, and staffing.
330 (b) A comparison of the total optimal funding amount to the
331 actual allocated funding for the most recent fiscal year to
332 determine the percentage of optimal funding the lead agency is
333 currently receiving.
334 (4) By November 1 of each year, the secretary must submit a
335 report to the Governor, the President of the Senate, and the
336 Speaker of the House of Representatives which includes the
337 current funding level of each lead agency based on the optimal
338 funding level as determined by using each lead agency workload
339 using the department’s methodology. The report must identify any
340 lead agency that is persistently funded at less than the optimal
341 funding level and recommend strategies to address the shortfall
342 including, but not limited to, business process redesign, the
343 adoption of best practices, and requesting additional funding.
344 (5) The department may adopt rules to establish the optimal
345 funding levels for lead agencies.
346 (6) Unless otherwise specified in the General
347 Appropriations Act, the department shall allocate any new
348 funding for core services, based on the department’s
349 methodology, to achieve optimal funding for all lead agencies
350 inversely proportional to each lead agency optimal funding
351 percentage.
352 (7) Unless otherwise specified in the General
353 Appropriations Act, the department shall consider a lead
354 agency’s funding level compared to its optimal funding level
355 when allocating funding from the risk pool, as provided in s.
356 409.990.
357 Section 5. Subsections (18) through (23) of section
358 409.996, Florida Statutes, are renumbered (19) through (24),
359 respectively, a new subsection (18) and subsections (25) and
360 (26) are added to that section, and paragraph (a) of subsection
361 (1) and subsection (17) of that section are amended, to read:
362 409.996 Duties of the Department of Children and Families.
363 The department shall contract for the delivery, administration,
364 or management of care for children in the child protection and
365 child welfare system. In doing so, the department retains
366 responsibility for the quality of contracted services and
367 programs and shall ensure that services are delivered in
368 accordance with applicable federal and state statutes and
369 regulations.
370 (1) The department shall enter into contracts with lead
371 agencies for the performance of the duties by the lead agencies
372 pursuant to s. 409.988. At a minimum, the contracts must:
373 (a) Provide for the services needed to accomplish the
374 duties established in s. 409.988 and provide information to the
375 department which is necessary to meet the requirements for a
376 quality assurance program pursuant to subsection (19) (18) and
377 the child welfare results-oriented accountability system
378 pursuant to s. 409.997.
379 (17) The department shall directly or through contract
380 provide attorneys to prepare and present cases in dependency
381 court and shall ensure that the court is provided with adequate
382 information for informed decisionmaking in dependency cases,
383 including, at a minimum, a face sheet for each case which lists
384 the names and contact information for any child protective
385 investigator, child protective investigation supervisor, case
386 manager, and case manager supervisor, and the regional
387 department official responsible for the lead agency contract.
388 The department shall provide to the court the case information
389 and recommendations provided by the lead agency or
390 subcontractor. For the Sixth Judicial Circuit, the department
391 shall contract with the state attorney for the provision of
392 these services.
393 (18)(a) The department may contract for the provision of
394 children’s legal services to prepare and present cases in
395 dependency court. The contracted attorneys shall ensure that the
396 court is provided with adequate information for informed
397 decisionmaking in dependency cases, including, at a minimum, a
398 face sheet for each case which lists the names and contact
399 information for any child protective investigator, child
400 protective investigator supervisor, and the regional department
401 official responsible for the lead agency contract. The
402 contracted attorneys shall provide to the court the case
403 information and recommendations provided by the lead agency or
404 subcontractor. For the Sixth Judicial Circuit, the department
405 shall contract with the state attorney for the provision of
406 these services.
407 (b) The contracted attorneys shall adopt the child welfare
408 practice model, as periodically updated by the department, that
409 is used by attorneys employed by the department. The contracted
410 attorneys shall operate in accordance with the same federal and
411 state performance standards and metrics imposed on children’s
412 legal services attorneys employed by the department.
413 (c) The department and contracted attorneys providing
414 children’s legal services shall collaborate to monitor program
415 performance on an ongoing basis. The department and contracted
416 attorneys, or a representative from such contracted attorneys’
417 offices, shall meet at least quarterly to collaborate on federal
418 and state quality assurance and quality improvement initiatives.
419 (d) The department shall conduct an annual program
420 performance evaluation which shall be based on the same child
421 welfare practice model principles and federal and state
422 performance standards that are imposed on children’s legal
423 services attorneys employed by the department. The program
424 performance evaluation must be standardized statewide and the
425 department shall select random cases for evaluation. The program
426 performance evaluation shall be conducted by a team of peer
427 reviewers from the respective contracted attorneys’ offices that
428 perform children’s legal services and representatives from the
429 department.
430 (e) The department shall publish an annual report
431 regarding, at a minimum, performance quality, outcome-measure
432 attainment, and cost efficiency of the services provided by the
433 contracted attorneys. The annual report must include data and
434 information on the performance of both the contracted attorneys’
435 and the department’s attorneys. The department shall submit the
436 annual report to the Governor, the President of the Senate, and
437 the Speaker of the House of Representatives no later than
438 November 1 of each year that the contracted attorneys are
439 receiving appropriations to provide children’s legal services
440 for the department.
441 (25) In collaboration with lead agencies, service
442 providers, and other community stakeholders, the department
443 shall develop a statewide accountability system based on
444 measurable quality standards. The accountability system must be
445 implemented by July 1, 2021.
446 (a) The accountability system must:
447 1. Assess the overall health of the child welfare system,
448 by circuit, using grading criteria established by the
449 department.
450 2. Include a quality measurement system with domains and
451 clearly defined levels of quality. The system must measure the
452 performance standards for child protective investigators, lead
453 agencies, and children’s legal services throughout the system of
454 care, using criteria established by the department, and, at a
455 minimum, address applicable federal- and state-mandated metrics.
456 3. Align with the principles of the results-oriented
457 accountability program established under s. 409.997.
458 (b) After the development and implementation of the
459 accountability system under this subsection, the department and
460 each lead agency shall use the information from the
461 accountability system to promote enhanced quality service
462 delivery within their respective areas of responsibility.
463 (c) By December 1 of each year, the department shall submit
464 a report on the overall health of the child welfare system to
465 the Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of
466 the House of Representatives.
467 (d) The department may adopt rules to implement this
468 subsection.
469 (26) Subject to an appropriation, for the 2020-2021 and
470 2021-2022 fiscal years, the department shall implement a pilot
471 project in the Sixth and Thirteenth Judicial Circuits,
472 respectively, aimed at improving child welfare outcomes.
473 (a) In implementing the pilot projects, the department
474 shall establish performance metrics and performance standards to
475 assess improvements in safety, permanency, and the well-being of
476 children in the local system of care for the lead agencies in
477 those judicial circuits. Such metrics and standards must be
478 aligned with indicators used in the most recent federal Child
479 and Family Services Reviews.
480 (b) The lead agencies in the Sixth and Thirteenth Judicial
481 Circuits shall provide performance data to the department each
482 quarter. The department shall review the data for accuracy and
483 completeness and then shall compare the actual performance of
484 the lead agencies to the established performance metrics and
485 standards. Each lead agency that exceeds performance metrics and
486 standards is eligible for incentive funding.
487 (c) For the first quarter of each fiscal year, the
488 department may advance incentive funding to the lead agencies in
489 an amount equal to one quarter of the total allocated to the
490 pilot project. After each quarter, the department shall assess
491 the performance of the lead agencies for that quarter and adjust
492 the subsequent quarter’s incentive funding based on its actual
493 prior quarter performance.
494 (d) The department shall include the results of the pilot
495 projects in the report required under s. 20.19(7). The report
496 must include the department’s findings and recommendations
497 relating to the pilot projects.
498 (e) This subsection expires July 1, 2022.
499 Section 6. Present subsections (6) and (7) of section
500 1004.615, Florida Statutes, are renumbered as subsections (9)
501 and (10), respectively, and new subsections (6) and (7) and
502 subsection (8) are added to that section, to read:
503 1004.615 Florida Institute for Child Welfare.—
504 (6) The institute and the Florida State University College
505 of Social Work shall design and implement a curriculum that
506 enhances knowledge and skills for the child welfare practice.
507 The institute and the college shall create the curriculum using
508 interactive and interdisciplinary approaches and include
509 opportunities for students to gain an understanding of real
510 world child welfare cases. The institute shall disseminate the
511 curriculum to other interested state universities and colleges
512 and provide implementation support. The institute shall contract
513 with a person or entity of its choosing, by November 1, 2020, to
514 evaluate the curriculum and make recommendations for
515 improvement. The college shall implement the curriculum during
516 the 2021-2022 school year. This subsection is subject to an
517 appropriation.
518 (7) The institute, in collaboration with the department,
519 community-based care lead agencies, providers of case management
520 services, and other child welfare stakeholders, shall design and
521 implement a career-long professional development curriculum for
522 child welfare professionals at all levels and from all
523 disciplines. The professional development curriculum must
524 enhance the performance of the current child welfare workforce,
525 address issues related to retention, complement the social work
526 curriculum, and be developed using social work principles. The
527 professional development curriculum shall provide career-long
528 coaching, training, certification, and mentorship. The institute
529 must provide the professional support on a continuous basis
530 through online and in-person services. The professional
531 development curriculum must be available by July 1, 2021. The
532 Department of Children and Families must approve the curriculum
533 prior to implementation. This subsection is subject to an
534 appropriation.
535 (8) The institute shall establish a consulting program for
536 child welfare organizations to enhance workforce culture,
537 supervision, and related management processes to improve
538 retention, effectiveness, and overall well-being of staff to
539 support improved child welfare outcomes. The institute shall
540 select child welfare organizations through a competitive
541 application process and provide ongoing analysis,
542 recommendations, and support from a team of experts on a long
543 term basis to address systemic and operational workforce
544 challenges. This subsection is subject to an appropriation.
545 Section 7. The Department of Children and Families, in
546 collaboration with the Florida Institute of Child Welfare, shall
547 develop an expanded career ladder for child protective
548 investigations staff. The career ladder shall include multiple
549 levels of child protective investigator classifications,
550 corresponding milestones and professional development
551 opportunities necessary for advancement, and compensation
552 ranges. The department must submit a proposal for the expanded
553 career ladder to the Governor, the President of the Senate, and
554 the Speaker of the House of Representatives no later than
555 November 1, 2020.
556 Section 8. (1) For the 2020-2021 fiscal year, the sum of
557 $8,235,052 in recurring funds is appropriated from the General
558 Revenue fund to the Department of Children and Families for
559 incentive funding for the pilot projects required in s.
560 409.996(25), Florida Statutes, as created by this act.
561 (2) For the 2020-2021 fiscal year the sum of $5,350,000 in
562 recurring funds from the General Revenue Fund is appropriated to
563 the Department of Children and Families, and 2,907,885 in rate
564 is authorized for the establishment of the Office of Quality, as
565 required in s. 20.19(7), Florida Statutes. The department is
566 authorized to reassign up to 125 currently authorized positions
567 and submit budget amendments pursuant to chapter 216, Florida
568 Statutes, for the Office of Quality to administer and implement
569 the provisions of this act.
570 Section 9. Sections 1., 2., and 3. of this act may be cited
571 as the “State of Hope Act.”
572 Section 10. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law.