Florida Senate - 2022                        COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
       Bill No. SB 226
       
       
       
       
       
       
                                Ì675938[Î675938                         
       
                              LEGISLATIVE ACTION                        
                    Senate             .             House              
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       The Committee on Appropriations (Powell) recommended the
       following:
       
    1         Senate Substitute for Amendment (689614) (with title
    2  amendment)
    3  
    4         Delete lines 24 - 127
    5  and insert:
    6  Police Dogs Program Act.”
    7         Section 2. Section 943.69, Florida Statutes, is created to
    8  read:
    9         943.69Care for Retired Police Dogs Program.—
   10         (1)LEGISLATIVE FINDINGS.—The Legislature finds that:
   11         (a)Police dogs are an integral part of many law
   12  enforcement and correctional efforts statewide, including the
   13  apprehension of suspects through tracking and searching,
   14  evidence location, drug and bomb detection, and search and
   15  rescue operations.
   16         (b)Law enforcement and correctional agencies agree that
   17  the use of police dogs is an extremely cost-effective means of
   18  crime control and that police dogs possess skills and abilities
   19  that frequently exceed those of existing technology.
   20         (c)The service of police dogs is often dangerous and can
   21  expose them to injury at a rate higher than that of nonservice
   22  dogs.
   23         (d)Police dogs provide significant contributions to the
   24  residents of this state.
   25         (2)DEFINITIONS.—As used in this section, the term:
   26         (a)“Correctional agency” means a lawfully established
   27  state or local public agency having primary responsibility for
   28  the supervision, protection, care, custody, control, or
   29  investigation of inmates at a correctional institution.
   30         (b)“Law enforcement agency” means a lawfully established
   31  state or local public agency having primary responsibility for
   32  the prevention and detection of crime or the enforcement of
   33  penal, traffic, highway, regulatory, game, immigration, postal,
   34  customs, or controlled substance laws.
   35         (c)“Retired police dog” means a dog that was previously in
   36  the service of or employed by a law enforcement agency or a
   37  correctional agency in this state for the principal purpose of
   38  aiding in the detection of criminal activity, enforcement of
   39  laws, or apprehension of offenders and that received
   40  certification in obedience and apprehension work from a
   41  certifying organization, such as the National Police Canine
   42  Association, Inc., or other certifying organization.
   43         (d)“Veterinarian” has the same meaning as in s. 474.202.
   44         (e)“Veterinary care” means the practice, by a
   45  veterinarian, of veterinary medicine as defined in s. 474.202.
   46  The term includes annual wellness examinations, vaccinations,
   47  internal and external parasite prevention treatments, testing
   48  and treatment of illnesses and diseases, medications, emergency
   49  care and surgeries, veterinary oncology or other specialty care,
   50  euthanasia, and cremation.
   51         (3)ESTABLISHMENT OF PROGRAM.—The Care for Retired Police
   52  Dogs Program is created within the department to provide a
   53  stable funding source for the veterinary care for retired police
   54  dogs.
   55         (4)ADMINISTRATION.—The department shall contract with a
   56  nonprofit corporation organized under chapter 617 to administer
   57  and manage the Care for Retired Police Dogs Program.
   58  Notwithstanding chapter 287, the department shall select the
   59  nonprofit corporation through a competitive grant award process.
   60  The nonprofit corporation must meet all of the following
   61  criteria:
   62         (a)Be dedicated to the protection or care of retired
   63  police dogs.
   64         (b)Be exempt from taxation under s. 501(a) of the Internal
   65  Revenue Code as an organization described in s. 501(c)(3) of
   66  that code.
   67         (c)Have maintained such tax-exempt status for at least 5
   68  years.
   69         (d)Agree to be subject to review and audit at the
   70  discretion of the Auditor General in order to ensure accurate
   71  accounting and disbursement of state funds.
   72         (e)Demonstrate the ability to effectively and efficiently
   73  disseminate information and to assist former handlers and
   74  adopters of retired police dogs in complying with this section.
   75         (5)FUNDING.—
   76         (a)The nonprofit corporation shall be the disbursing
   77  authority for funds the Legislature appropriates to the
   78  department for the Care for Retired Police Dogs Program. These
   79  funds must be disbursed to the former handler or the adopter of
   80  a retired police dog that served for 5 years or more as a police
   81  dog upon receipt of:
   82         1.Valid documentation from the law enforcement agency or
   83  correctional agency from which the dog retired which verifies
   84  that the dog was in the service of or employed by that agency;
   85  and
   86         a.That the dog served 5 years or more with that agency;
   87         b.Documentation showing that the dog served a total of 5
   88  years or more with two or more law enforcement agencies or
   89  correctional agencies; or
   90         c.That, notwithstanding the length of service requirements
   91  elsewhere in this paragraph, the dog served 3 years or more with
   92  one or more law enforcement agencies or correctional agencies,
   93  was injured in the line of duty while serving with a law
   94  enforcement agency or correctional agency, and retired from the
   95  agency the dog was serving with at the time of the injury due to
   96  such injury; and
   97         2.A valid invoice from a veterinarian for veterinary care
   98  provided in this state to a retired police dog and documentation
   99  establishing payment of the invoice by the former handler or the
  100  adopter of the retired police dog.
  101         (b)Annual disbursements to a former handler or an adopter
  102  to reimburse him or her for the cost of the retired police dog’s
  103  veterinary care may not exceed $1,500 per dog. A former handler
  104  or an adopter of a retired police dog may not accumulate unused
  105  funds from a current year for use in a future year.
  106         (c)A former handler or an adopter of a retired police dog
  107  who seeks reimbursement for veterinary care may not receive
  108  reimbursement if funds appropriated for the Care for Retired
  109  Police Dogs Program are depleted in the year for which the
  110  reimbursement is sought.
  111         (6)ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES.—The department shall pay to
  112  the nonprofit corporation, and the nonprofit corporation may
  113  use, up to 10 percent of appropriated funds for its
  114  administrative expenses, including salaries and benefits.
  115         (7)RULEMAKING.—The department shall adopt rules to
  116  implement this section.
  117         Section 3. For the 2022-2023 fiscal year, and each fiscal
  118  year thereafter, the sum of $300,000 in recurring funds is
  119  appropriated from the General Revenue Fund to the Department of
  120  Law Enforcement for the purpose of implementing and
  121  administering the Care for Retired Police Dogs Program.
  122  
  123  ================= T I T L E  A M E N D M E N T ================
  124  And the title is amended as follows:
  125         Delete lines 2 - 12
  126  and insert:
  127         An act relating to care for retired police dogs;
  128         providing a short title; creating s. 943.69, F.S.;
  129         providing legislative findings; defining terms;
  130         creating the Care for Retired Police Dogs Program
  131         within the Department of Law Enforcement; requiring
  132         the department to contract with a nonprofit
  133         corporation to administer and manage the program;
  134         specifying requirements for the nonprofit corporation;
  135         specifying requirements for the disbursement of funds
  136         for the veterinary care of eligible retired police
  137         dogs; limiting annual