SB 2518 First Engrossed
20242518e1
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to health and human services; amending
3 ss. 381.4019 and 381.402, F.S.; providing for the
4 deposit and use of funds from the Dental Student Loan
5 Repayment Program and the Florida Reimbursement
6 Assistance for Medical Education Program,
7 respectively, which are returned by a financial
8 institution to the Department of Health; authorizing
9 the department to submit budget amendments for a
10 specified purpose; amending s. 420.622, F.S.; revising
11 the cap on the grant award levels for continuum of
12 care lead agencies designated by the State Office on
13 Homelessness; amending s. 430.204, F.S.; authorizing
14 area agencies on aging to carry forward a specified
15 percentage of documented unexpended state funds,
16 subject to certain conditions; providing that
17 implementation of specified provisions of law
18 regarding Florida Kidcare program eligibility are
19 contingent upon certain federal approval; providing
20 effective dates.
21
22 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
23
24 Section 1. Present subsection (9) of section 381.4019,
25 Florida Statutes, as amended by SB 7016, 2024 Regular Session,
26 is redesignated as subsection (10), and a new subsection (9) is
27 added to that section, to read:
28 381.4019 Dental Student Loan Repayment Program.—The Dental
29 Student Loan Repayment Program is established to support the
30 state Medicaid program and promote access to dental care by
31 supporting qualified dentists and dental hygienists who treat
32 medically underserved populations in dental health professional
33 shortage areas or medically underserved areas.
34 (9) Any payments made under this section and subsequently
35 returned by a financial institution to the department may be
36 deposited into the Grants and Donations Trust Fund to be used
37 for the same purpose. Notwithstanding ss. 216.181 and 216.292,
38 the department may submit budget amendments, subject to the
39 notice, review, and objection procedures of s. 216.177, to
40 increase budget authority to make payments under this section.
41 Section 2. Present subsection (8) of section 1009.65,
42 Florida Statutes, as transferred, renumbered as section 381.402,
43 Florida Statutes, and amended by SB 7016, 2024 Regular Session,
44 is redesignated as subsection (9), and a new subsection (8) is
45 added to that section, to read:
46 381.402 Florida Reimbursement Assistance for Medical
47 Education Program.—
48 (8) Any payments made under this section and subsequently
49 returned by a financial institution to the Department of Health
50 may be deposited into the Grants and Donations Trust Fund to be
51 used for the same purpose. Notwithstanding ss. 216.181 and
52 216.292, the department may submit budget amendments, subject to
53 the notice, review, and objection procedures of s. 216.177, to
54 increase budget authority to make payments under this section.
55 Section 3. Subsection (4) and paragraph (b) of subsection
56 (5) of section 420.622, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
57 420.622 State Office on Homelessness; Council on
58 Homelessness.—
59 (4) The State Office on Homelessness shall accept and
60 administer moneys appropriated to it to provide annual challenge
61 grants to lead agencies of continuums of care designated by the
62 State Office on Homelessness under s. 420.6225. The department
63 shall establish varying levels of grant awards up to $1.2
64 million $750,000 per continuum of care lead agency. The
65 department, in consultation with the Council on Homelessness,
66 shall specify a grant award level in the notice of the
67 solicitation of grant applications.
68 (a) To qualify for the grant, a continuum of care lead
69 agency must develop and implement a local continuum of care plan
70 for its designated catchment area. The services and housing
71 funded through the grant must be implemented through the
72 continuum of care’s coordinated entry system as provided in s.
73 420.6225(5)(b) and must be designed to assess and refer persons
74 seeking assistance to the appropriate housing intervention and
75 service provider. The continuum of care lead agency shall also
76 document the commitment of local government or private
77 organizations to provide matching funds or in-kind support in an
78 amount equal to 25 percent of the grant requested. Expenditures
79 of leveraged funds or resources, including third-party cash or
80 in-kind contributions, are authorized only for eligible
81 activities carried out in connection with a project in which
82 such funds or resources have not been used as leverage or match
83 for any other project or program. The expenditures must be
84 certified through a written commitment.
85 (b) Preference must be given to those continuum of care
86 lead agencies that have demonstrated the ability of their
87 continuum of care to help households move out of homelessness.
88 (c) The grant may be used to fund any of the housing,
89 program, or service needs included in the local continuum of
90 care plan. The continuum of care lead agency may allocate the
91 grant to programs, services, or housing providers that implement
92 the local continuum of care plan. The continuum of care lead
93 agency may provide subgrants to a local agency to implement
94 programs or services or provide housing identified for funding
95 in the continuum of care lead agency’s application to the
96 department. A continuum of care lead agency may spend a maximum
97 of 10 percent of its funding on administrative costs.
98 (d) The continuum of care lead agency shall submit a final
99 report to the department documenting the outcomes achieved by
100 the grant-funded programs in enabling persons who are homeless
101 to return to permanent housing, thereby ending such person’s
102 episode of homelessness.
103 (5) The State Office on Homelessness may administer moneys
104 given to it to provide homeless housing assistance grants
105 annually to continuum of care lead agencies recognized by the
106 State Office on Homelessness to acquire, construct, or
107 rehabilitate permanent housing units for homeless persons. These
108 moneys shall consist of any sums that the state may appropriate,
109 as well as money received from donations, gifts, bequests, or
110 any other public or private source, which are intended to
111 acquire, construct, or rehabilitate permanent housing units for
112 homeless persons.
113 (b) Funding for any particular project may not exceed $1.2
114 million $750,000.
115 Section 4. Subsection (10) is added to section 430.204,
116 Florida Statutes, to read:
117 430.204 Community-care-for-the-elderly core services;
118 departmental powers and duties.—
119 (10) An area agency on aging may carry forward documented
120 unexpended state funds from one fiscal year to the next. The
121 cumulative amount carried forward may not exceed 10 percent of
122 the area agency’s planning and service area allocation for the
123 community-care-for-the-elderly program. Funds that are carried
124 forward from one fiscal year to the next are subject to all of
125 the following conditions:
126 (a) The funds may not be used in any manner that would
127 create increased recurring future obligations, and such funds
128 may not be used for any type of program or service that is not
129 currently authorized by existing contracts.
130 (b) Expenditures of the funds must be separately reported
131 to the department.
132 (c) Any unexpended funds that remain at the end of the
133 contract period must be returned to the department.
134 (d) The funds may be retained through any contract renewals
135 or any new procurements as long as the same area agency on aging
136 is retained by the department.
137 Section 5. Implementation of chapter 2023-277, Laws of
138 Florida, by the Agency for Health Care Administration and the
139 Florida Healthy Kids Corporation is contingent upon federal
140 approval through a Medicaid waiver or a state plan amendment.
141 This section shall take effect upon this act becoming a law.
142 Section 6. Except as otherwise expressly provided in this
143 act and except for this section, which shall take effect upon
144 this act becoming a law, this act shall take effect July 1,
145 2024.