Florida Senate - 2022 COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
Bill No. SB 226
Ì675938[Î675938
LEGISLATIVE ACTION
Senate . House
Comm: RCS .
02/25/2022 .
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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:
9 943.69 Care 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