| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to Choose Life license plates; amending s. |
| 3 | 320.08058, F.S.; providing for the annual use fees to be |
| 4 | distributed to Choose Life, Inc., rather than the |
| 5 | counties; providing for Choose Life, Inc., to redistribute |
| 6 | a portion of such funds to nongovernmental, not-for-profit |
| 7 | agencies that assist certain pregnant women; authorizing |
| 8 | Choose Life, Inc., to use a portion of the funds to |
| 9 | administer and promote the Choose Life license plate |
| 10 | program; providing an effective date. |
| 11 |
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| 12 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 13 |
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| 14 | Section 1. Subsection (29) of section 320.08058, Florida |
| 15 | Statutes, is amended to read: |
| 16 | 320.08058 Specialty license plates.- |
| 17 | (29) CHOOSE LIFE LICENSE PLATES.- |
| 18 | (a) The department shall develop a Choose Life license |
| 19 | plate as provided in this section. The word "Florida" must |
| 20 | appear at the bottom of the plate, and the words "Choose Life" |
| 21 | must appear at the top of the plate. |
| 22 | (b) The annual use fees shall be distributed annually to |
| 23 | Choose Life, Inc., along with a report that specifies each |
| 24 | county in the ratio that the annual use fees collected by each |
| 25 | county bear bears to the total fees collected for the plates |
| 26 | within the state. Choose Life, Inc., Each county shall |
| 27 | distribute the funds to nongovernmental, not-for-profit agencies |
| 28 | that assist within the county, which agencies' services are |
| 29 | limited to counseling and meeting the physical needs of |
| 30 | women who are making an adoption plan for their |
| 31 | committed to placing their children for adoption. Funds may not |
| 32 | be distributed to any agency that is involved or associated with |
| 33 | abortion activities, including counseling for or referrals to |
| 34 | abortion clinics, providing medical abortion-related procedures, |
| 35 | or proabortion advertising, and funds may not be distributed to |
| 36 | any agency that charges women for services received. |
| 37 | 1. Agencies that receive the funds must use at least 70 |
| 38 | percent of the funds to provide for the material needs of |
| 39 | pregnant women who are making an adoption plan for their |
| 40 | children committed to placing their children for adoption, |
| 41 | including, but not limited to, clothing, housing, medical care, |
| 42 | food, utilities, and transportation. Such funds may also be |
| 43 | expended on birth mothers for 60 days after delivery and on |
| 44 | infants awaiting placement with adoptive parents. |
| 45 | 2. The remaining Funds may also be used for adoption- |
| 46 | related adoption, counseling, training, or advertising, but may |
| 47 | not be used for administrative expenses, legal expenses, or |
| 48 | capital expenditures. However, a maximum of 20 percent of the |
| 49 | total funds received annually may be used by Choose Life, Inc., |
| 50 | for the administration and promotion of the Choose Life license |
| 51 | plate program. |
| 52 | 3. Each agency that receives such funds must submit an |
| 53 | annual attestation to Choose Life, Inc. the county. Any unused |
| 54 | funds that exceed 10 percent of the funds received by an agency |
| 55 | each during its fiscal year must be returned to Choose Life, |
| 56 | Inc. the county, which shall distribute the funds them to other |
| 57 | qualified agencies. |
| 58 | (c) By October 1, 2011, the department and each county |
| 59 | shall transfer all of its Choose Life license plate funds to |
| 60 | Choose Life, Inc. |
| 61 | Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2011. |