Florida Senate - 2024 CS for CS for SB 24
By the Committees on Fiscal Policy; and Governmental Oversight
and Accountability; and Senators Rouson, Davis, Osgood, Burgess,
Pizzo, Jones, Garcia, Torres, and Stewart
594-03802-24 202424c2
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to the Dozier School for Boys and
3 Okeechobee School Victim Compensation Program;
4 creating s. 16.63, F.S.; establishing the Dozier
5 School for Boys and Okeechobee School Victim
6 Compensation Program within the Department of Legal
7 Affairs; specifying the purpose of the program;
8 requiring the department to accept and process
9 applications for the payment of compensation claims
10 under the program; requiring the department to provide
11 specified notice of the program; specifying
12 application procedures and requirements; requiring the
13 department to issue application approvals or denials
14 under specified conditions; requiring the department,
15 subject to the appropriation of funds for that
16 purpose, to pay a specified compensation amount to
17 approved applicants; requiring notice of application
18 approval or denial; authorizing an applicant whose
19 application is rejected to submit a new application;
20 providing that a person compensated under the program
21 is ineligible for further compensation related to his
22 confinement; requiring the department to adopt by rule
23 specified procedures and forms; authorizing the
24 Commissioner of Education to award a standard high
25 school diploma to specified persons under certain
26 circumstances; providing an appropriation; providing
27 an effective date.
28
29 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
30
31 Section 1. Section 16.63, Florida Statutes, is created to
32 read:
33 16.63 Dozier School for Boys and Okeechobee School Victim
34 Compensation Program.—
35 (1) The Dozier School for Boys and Okeechobee School Victim
36 Compensation Program is established within the Department of
37 Legal Affairs. The purpose of the program is to compensate
38 living persons who were confined to the Dozier School for Boys
39 or the Okeechobee School at any time between 1940 and 1975 and
40 who were subjected to mental, physical, or sexual abuse
41 perpetrated by school personnel while they were so confined.
42 (2) The Department of Legal Affairs shall accept, review,
43 and approve or deny applications for the payment of compensation
44 claims under this section. Notice of the availability of such
45 compensation must be given and any relevant forms made available
46 for download on a page of the department’s official website
47 accessible through a direct link on the website’s homepage,
48 which link and page must be titled “The Dozier School for Boys
49 and Okeechobee School Victim Compensation Program.”
50 (3) An application for compensation under this section must
51 be made by a living person who was confined to the Dozier School
52 for Boys or the Okeechobee School between 1940 and 1975; the
53 personal representative or estate of a decedent may not file an
54 application for or receive compensation under this section. Such
55 application must be made on a form approved by the department
56 and include:
57 (a) The applicant’s name, date of birth, mailing address,
58 telephone number, and, if available, electronic mail address.
59 (b) The name of the school in which the applicant was
60 confined and the approximate dates of the applicant’s
61 confinement.
62 (c) Reasonable proof submitted as attachments establishing
63 that the applicant was both:
64 1. Confined to the Dozier School for Boys or the Okeechobee
65 School between 1940 and 1975, which proof may include school
66 records submitted with a notarized certificate of authenticity
67 signed by the records custodian or certified court records.
68 2. A victim of mental, physical, or sexual abuse
69 perpetrated by school personnel during the applicant’s
70 confinement, which proof may include a notarized statement
71 signed by the applicant attesting to the abuse the applicant
72 suffered.
73 (d) A signed statement from the applicant acknowledging
74 that, by accepting compensation under this section, the
75 applicant waives any right to further compensation related to
76 the applicant’s confinement at the Dozier School for Boys or the
77 Okeechobee School or any abuse suffered during such confinement.
78
79 An application for compensation under this section must be
80 signed by the applicant under oath. A false statement in such
81 application, including in any attachment or exhibit submitted
82 therewith, is subject to the penalty of perjury under s.
83 837.012.
84 (4) Applications for compensation under this section must
85 be submitted no later than December 31, 2024.
86 (5) Upon completed review of an application submitted under
87 this section, the department shall either:
88 (a) Subject to appropriation, approve a one-time payment to
89 an applicant whose application meets the criteria specified in
90 this section. Each approved applicant shall receive an equal
91 share of the funds appropriated for this purpose.
92 (b) Deny the payment of compensation under this section to
93 an applicant whose application does not meet the criteria
94 specified in this section.
95
96 Written notice of such approval or denial must be sent by
97 certified mail, return receipt requested, to the mailing address
98 provided by the applicant on the application form. An applicant
99 whose application is rejected for providing insufficient
100 information may submit a new application as provided in
101 subsection (4).
102 (6) A person compensated under this section is ineligible
103 for any further compensation related to the person’s confinement
104 at the Dozier School for Boys or the Okeechobee School or any
105 abuse suffered during such confinement.
106 (7) The department shall adopt by rule procedures and forms
107 necessary to administer this section.
108 Section 2. Pursuant to rules adopted by the State Board of
109 Education, the Commissioner of Education may award a standard
110 high school diploma to a person compensated pursuant to s.
111 16.63, Florida Statutes, who has not completed high school
112 graduation requirements.
113 Section 3. For the 2024-2025 fiscal year, the sum of $20
114 million in nonrecurring funds from the General Revenue Fund is
115 appropriated to the Department of Legal Affairs for the Dozier
116 School for Boys and Okeechobee School Victim Compensation
117 Program.
118 Section 4. This act shall take effect July 1, 2024.