The Florida Senate

414.23  Evaluation.--The department and the Department of Labor and Employment Security shall arrange for evaluation of programs operated under this chapter, as follows:

(1)  If required by federal waivers or other federal requirements, the department and the Department of Labor and Employment Security may provide for evaluation according to these requirements.

(2)  The department and the Department of Labor and Employment Security shall participate in the evaluation of this program in conjunction with evaluation of the state's workforce development programs or similar activities aimed at evaluating program outcomes, cost-effectiveness, or return on investment, and the impact of time limits, sanctions, and other welfare reform measures set out in this chapter. Evaluation shall also contain information on the number of participants in work experience assignments who obtain unsubsidized employment, including, but not limited to, the length of time the unsubsidized job is retained, wages, and the public benefits, if any, received by such families while in unsubsidized employment. The evaluation shall solicit the input of consumers, community-based organizations, service providers, employers, and the general public, and shall publicize, especially in low-income communities, the process for submitting comments.

(3)  The department and the Department of Labor and Employment Security may share information with and develop protocols for information exchange with the Florida Education and Training Placement Information Program.

(4)  The department and the Department of Labor and Employment Security may initiate or participate in additional evaluation or assessment activities that will further the systematic study of issues related to program goals and outcomes.

(5)  In providing for evaluation activities, the department and the Department of Labor and Employment Security shall safeguard the use or disclosure of information obtained from program participants consistent with federal or state requirements. The department and the Department of Labor and Employment Security may use evaluation methodologies that are appropriate for evaluation of program activities, including random assignment of recipients or participants into program groups or control groups. To the extent necessary or appropriate, evaluation data shall provide information with respect to the state, district, or county, or other substate area.

(6)  The department and the Department of Labor and Employment Security may contract with a qualified organization for evaluations conducted under this section.

(7)  Evaluations described in this section are exempt from the provisions of s. 381.85.

History.--s. 26, ch. 96-175; s. 20, ch. 97-173; s. 68, ch. 97-237.