Florida Senate - 2022                        COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
       Bill No. SB 226
       
       
       
       
       
       
                                Ì689614;Î689614                         
       
                              LEGISLATIVE ACTION                        
                    Senate             .             House              
                   Comm: RS            .                                
                  02/25/2022           .                                
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       The Committee on Appropriations (Powell) recommended the
       following:
       
    1         Senate Amendment (with title amendment)
    2  
    3         Delete lines 24 - 127
    4  and insert:
    5  Police Dogs Program Act.”
    6         Section 2. Section 943.69, Florida Statutes, is created to
    7  read:
    8         943.69Care for Retired Police Dogs Program.—
    9         (1)LEGISLATIVE FINDINGS.—The Legislature finds that:
   10         (a)Police dogs are an integral part of many law
   11  enforcement and correctional efforts statewide, including the
   12  apprehension of suspects through tracking and searching,
   13  evidence location, drug and bomb detection, and search and
   14  rescue operations.
   15         (b)Law enforcement and correctional agencies agree that
   16  the use of police dogs is an extremely cost-effective means of
   17  crime control and that police dogs possess skills and abilities
   18  that frequently exceed those of existing technology.
   19         (c)The service of police dogs is often dangerous and can
   20  expose them to injury at a rate higher than that of nonservice
   21  dogs.
   22         (d)Police dogs provide significant contributions to the
   23  residents of this state.
   24         (2)DEFINITIONS.—As used in this section, the term:
   25         (a)“Correctional agency” means a lawfully established
   26  state or local public agency having primary responsibility for
   27  the supervision, protection, care, custody, control, or
   28  investigation of inmates at a correctional institution.
   29         (b)“Law enforcement agency” means a lawfully established
   30  state or local public agency having primary responsibility for
   31  the prevention and detection of crime or the enforcement of
   32  penal, traffic, highway, regulatory, game, immigration, postal,
   33  customs, or controlled substance laws.
   34         (c)“Retired police dog” means a dog that was previously in
   35  the service of or employed by a law enforcement agency or a
   36  correctional agency in this state for the principal purpose of
   37  aiding in the detection of criminal activity, enforcement of
   38  laws, or apprehension of offenders and that received
   39  certification in obedience and apprehension work from a
   40  certifying organization, such as the National Police Canine
   41  Association, Inc., or other certifying organization.
   42         (d)“Veterinarian” has the same meaning as in s. 474.202.
   43         (e)“Veterinary care” means the practice, by a
   44  veterinarian, of veterinary medicine as defined in s. 474.202.
   45  The term includes annual wellness examinations, vaccinations,
   46  internal and external parasite prevention treatments, testing
   47  and treatment of illnesses and diseases, medications, emergency
   48  care and surgeries, veterinary oncology or other specialty care,
   49  euthanasia, and cremation.
   50         (3)ESTABLISHMENT OF PROGRAM.—The Care for Retired Police
   51  Dogs Program is created within the department to provide a
   52  stable funding source for the veterinary care for retired police
   53  dogs.
   54         (4)ADMINISTRATION.—The department shall contract with a
   55  nonprofit corporation organized under chapter 617 to administer
   56  and manage the Care for Retired Police Dogs Program.
   57  Notwithstanding chapter 287, the department shall select the
   58  nonprofit corporation through a competitive grant award process.
   59  The nonprofit corporation must meet all of the following
   60  criteria:
   61         (a)Be dedicated to the protection or care of retired
   62  police dogs.
   63         (b)Be exempt from taxation under s. 501(a) of the Internal
   64  Revenue Code as an organization described in s. 501(c)(3) of
   65  that code.
   66         (c)Have maintained such tax-exempt status for at least 5
   67  years.
   68         (d)Agree to be subject to review and audit at the
   69  discretion of the Auditor General in order to ensure accurate
   70  accounting and disbursement of state funds.
   71         (e)Demonstrate the ability to effectively and efficiently
   72  disseminate information and to assist former handlers and
   73  adopters of retired police dogs in complying with this section.
   74         (5)FUNDING.—
   75         (a)The nonprofit corporation shall be the disbursing
   76  authority for funds the Legislature appropriates to the
   77  department for the Care for Retired Police Dogs Program. These
   78  funds must be disbursed to the former handler or the adopter of
   79  a retired police dog that served for 5 years or more as a police
   80  dog upon receipt of:
   81         1.Valid documentation from the law enforcement agency or
   82  correctional agency from which the dog retired which verifies
   83  that the dog was in the service of or employed by that agency;
   84  and
   85         a.That the dog served 5 years or more with that agency;
   86         b.Documentation showing that the dog served a total of 5
   87  years or more with two or more law enforcement agencies or
   88  correctional agencies; or
   89         c.That, notwithstanding the length of service requirements
   90  elsewhere in this paragraph, the dog served 3 years or more with
   91  one or more law enforcement agencies and was injured in the line
   92  of duty while serving with a law enforcement agency and retired
   93  from the agency the dog was serving with at the time of the
   94  injury due to such injury; and
   95         2.A valid invoice from a veterinarian for veterinary care
   96  provided in this state to a retired police dog and documentation
   97  establishing payment of the invoice by the former handler or the
   98  adopter of the retired police dog.
   99         (b)Annual disbursements to a former handler or an adopter
  100  to reimburse him or her for the cost of the retired police dog’s
  101  veterinary care may not exceed $1,500 per dog. A former handler
  102  or an adopter of a retired police dog may not accumulate unused
  103  funds from a current year for use in a future year.
  104         (c)A former handler or an adopter of a retired police dog
  105  who seeks reimbursement for veterinary care may not receive
  106  reimbursement if funds appropriated for the Care for Retired
  107  Police Dogs Program are depleted in the year for which the
  108  reimbursement is sought.
  109         (6)ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES.—The department shall pay to
  110  the nonprofit corporation, and the nonprofit corporation may
  111  use, up to 10 percent of appropriated funds for its
  112  administrative expenses, including salaries and benefits.
  113         (7)RULEMAKING.—The department shall adopt rules to
  114  implement this section.
  115         Section 3. For the 2022-2023 fiscal year, and each fiscal
  116  year thereafter, the sum of $300,000 in recurring funds is
  117  appropriated from the General Revenue Fund to the Department of
  118  Law Enforcement for the purpose of implementing and
  119  administering the Care for Retired Police Dogs Program.
  120  
  121  ================= T I T L E  A M E N D M E N T ================
  122  And the title is amended as follows:
  123         Delete lines 2 - 12
  124  and insert:
  125         An act relating to care for retired police dogs;
  126         providing a short title; creating s. 943.69, F.S.;
  127         providing legislative findings; defining terms;
  128         creating the Care for Retired Police Dogs Program
  129         within the Department of Law Enforcement; requiring
  130         the department to contract with a nonprofit
  131         corporation to administer and manage the program;
  132         specifying requirements for the nonprofit corporation;
  133         specifying requirements for the disbursement of funds
  134         for the veterinary care of eligible retired police
  135         dogs; limiting annual