Florida Senate - 2025                                    SB 1158
       
       
        
       By Senator Jones
       
       
       
       
       
       34-01792-25                                           20251158__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to the Working Floridians Tax Rebate
    3         Program; creating s. 220.55, F.S.; creating the
    4         program; specifying the purpose of the program;
    5         specifying eligibility requirements for receiving a
    6         rebate under the program in a specified tax year;
    7         requiring the Department of Revenue to issue rebate
    8         payments not exceeding a certain amount by a specified
    9         time; requiring the department to allocate the rebates
   10         in a specified manner; requiring the department to
   11         prepare and submit a specified report; prohibiting a
   12         person’s or household’s receipt of a rebate from being
   13         used in determining eligibility for specified
   14         programs; requiring the department to adopt rules;
   15         specifying that the annual taxes generated from a
   16         specified tax shall be allocated to the program;
   17         providing applicability; providing an effective date.
   18          
   19  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   20  
   21         Section 1. Section 220.55, Florida Statutes, is created to
   22  read:
   23         220.55Working Floridians Tax Rebate Program.—
   24         (1)The Working Floridians Tax Rebate Program is created
   25  within the department to provide low-income and moderate-income
   26  residents relief on sales taxes, fuel taxes, property taxes, or
   27  other taxes and fees they pay annually in this state, consistent
   28  with the goals of the federal Earned Income Tax Credit.
   29         (a)Each person or household that qualified for and
   30  received the federal Earned Income Tax Credit in a specific tax
   31  year may receive a rebate from the state if the person or
   32  household:
   33         1.Maintains a Florida residence on the person’s or
   34  household’s federal income tax return during the tax year in
   35  which the person or household is applying for the Working
   36  Floridians Tax Rebate Program;
   37         2.Applies to the department, using a form developed by the
   38  department, no later than June 30 of the year in which the
   39  federal Earned Income Tax Credit was received; and
   40         3.Provides the department with documentation verifying the
   41  receipt and amount of the federal Earned Income Tax Credit.
   42         (b)Within 30 days after receiving a completed application
   43  and verifying the information required under paragraph (a), the
   44  department shall issue a check or remit funds using direct
   45  deposit to the person or household in an amount not to exceed 20
   46  percent of the amount of the federal Earned Income Tax Credit
   47  the person or household received. The department shall allocate
   48  the rebates to eligible applicants on a first-come, first-served
   49  basis, determined by the date the department receives an
   50  application, until all appropriated funds for the fiscal year
   51  are expended.
   52         (c)The department shall prepare and submit a report by
   53  December 31, 2027, to the Governor and Cabinet, the President of
   54  the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the
   55  Senate Minority Leader, and the House of Representatives
   56  Minority Leader which addresses the feasibility of creating and
   57  implementing an automatic Working Floridians Tax Rebate Program
   58  using data provided by the Internal Revenue Service or another
   59  federal agency so that a person or household may receive funds
   60  from the state without having to complete an annual application
   61  and provide documentation as set forth in paragraph (a).
   62         1.If the department determines that an automatic program
   63  is not feasible, the report must identify specific barriers to
   64  the creation of an automatic program and provide recommendations
   65  to remove the barriers.
   66         2.If the department determines that an automatic program
   67  is feasible, the report must include a legislative proposal to
   68  implement the automatic program.
   69         (d)Receipt of the rebate under this section may not be
   70  used to determine a person’s or household’s eligibility for
   71  Medicaid, Florida Kidcare, cash assistance, or the Supplemental
   72  Nutrition Assistance Program established under 7 U.S.C. ss. 2011
   73  et seq.
   74         (e)The department shall adopt rules to implement the
   75  Working Floridians Tax Rebate Program.
   76         (2)Beginning with the 2025-2026 fiscal year, and for each
   77  subsequent fiscal year, the revenue that annual taxes generated
   78  from chapter 220 shall be allocated to the Working Floridians
   79  Tax Rebate Program as described in subsection (1).
   80         Section 2. Section 220.925, Florida Statutes, as created by
   81  this act, applies to a federal Earned Income Tax Credit granted
   82  beginning on or after January 1, 2026.
   83         Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2025.