Florida Senate - 2023                                    SB 1138
       
       
        
       By Senator Wright
       
       
       
       
       
       8-00949-23                                            20231138__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to Florida National Guard recruitment;
    3         establishing the Florida National Guard Joint
    4         Enlistment Enhancement Program within the Department
    5         of Military Affairs; providing the purpose of the
    6         program; defining the term “recruiting assistant”;
    7         providing eligibility requirements for participation
    8         in the program; requiring the Adjutant General to
    9         provide compensation to recruiting assistants under
   10         certain circumstances; requiring the department and
   11         the Florida National Guard to adopt rules; providing
   12         an appropriation; providing an effective date.
   13  
   14         WHEREAS, the number of soldiers and airmen allocated to
   15  each state’s National Guard, known as its “force structure,” is
   16  determined by the United States National Guard Bureau in
   17  Washington, D.C., and
   18         WHEREAS, with approximately 21 million residents, Florida
   19  is the third most populous state in the nation but has a force
   20  structure of just over 12,000 guard members, and its ratio of
   21  one guard member for every 1,833 residents ranks 53rd among the
   22  54 states and territories of the United States which each have a
   23  National Guard component, and
   24         WHEREAS, the Florida National Guard continues to meet its
   25  mission goals; however, the shortage of these invaluable citizen
   26  soldiers, combined with this state’s growing population and
   27  increased need for National Guard activation and response, has
   28  resulted in the repeated deployment of the same soldiers, which
   29  ultimately leads to their excessive fatigue and negatively
   30  impacts recruitment, retention, and readiness, NOW, THEREFORE,
   31  
   32         Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   33  
   34         Section 1. Florida National Guard Joint Enlistment
   35  Enhancement Program.—
   36         (1) The Florida National Guard Joint Enlistment Enhancement
   37  Program (JEEP) is established within the Department of Military
   38  Affairs. The purpose of the program is to motivate soldiers,
   39  airmen, and retirees of the Florida National Guard to bolster
   40  recruitment efforts and increase the force structure of the
   41  Florida National Guard.
   42         (2) As used in this section, the term “recruiting
   43  assistant” means a member of the Florida National Guard or a
   44  retiree of the Florida National Guard who assists in the
   45  recruitment of a potential new member and who provides
   46  motivation, encouragement, and moral support until the
   47  enlistment of such new member. A current member in pay grade E-1
   48  to O-3 or a retiree in any pay grade is eligible for
   49  participation in JEEP as a recruiting assistant.
   50         (3) The Adjutant General shall provide compensation to
   51  recruiting assistants participating in JEEP. A recruiting
   52  assistant shall receive $250 for each potential new member
   53  referred to the Florida National Guard and $250 upon the
   54  enlistment of such referred member.
   55         (4) The Department of Military Affairs, in cooperation with
   56  the Florida National Guard, shall adopt rules to administer the
   57  program.
   58         Section 2. For the 2023-2024 fiscal year, the sum of
   59  $70,000 in nonrecurring funds is appropriated from the General
   60  Revenue Fund to the Department of Military Affairs for the
   61  purpose of implementing this act.
   62         Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2023.