Senate Bill 1334

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    Florida Senate - 2000                                  SB 1334

    By Senator Klein





    28-910-00

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to information technology;

  3         requiring a report to explore the feasibility

  4         of and need for a public Network Access Point

  5         in this state; providing report requirements;

  6         requiring a review and plan for the

  7         establishment of information technology

  8         business "incubators" in this state;

  9         prescribing incubator components; requiring

10         development and maintenance of a website for

11         information technology industry marketing and

12         workforce recruitment; providing an

13         appropriation; providing an effective date.

14

15         WHEREAS, the information technology industry is growing

16  rapidly and provides high-wage, high-skill jobs, and

17         WHEREAS, Florida can capitalize on its geographic

18  location and human-resource assets to develop an information

19  technology sector, and

20         WHEREAS, Florida can be recognized as a global leader

21  in the information technology industry, particularly in Latin

22  America, and

23         WHEREAS, it is in the interest of the Legislature and

24  the State of Florida to encourage, promote, and invest in new

25  information technology businesses and to ensure that those

26  businesses have available to them technical, management, and

27  business counseling to provide the highest probability of

28  success, NOW, THEREFORE,

29

30  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

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    Florida Senate - 2000                                  SB 1334
    28-910-00




  1         Section 1.  This act may be cited as the "ITflorida.com

  2  Act of 2000."

  3         Section 2.  Establishment of a public Network Access

  4  Point.--

  5         (1)  The State Technology Office in the Executive

  6  Office of the Governor, in coordination with the Information

  7  Service Technology Development Task Force, shall prepare a

  8  report that outlines the feasibility of and need for a public

  9  Network Access Point (NAP) in this state. If the office finds

10  that a public NAP in this state is both feasible and needed,

11  the report must include a detailed action plan for

12  establishing such a NAP which plan, at a minimum:

13         (a)  Identifies the telecommunications or other

14  infrastructure necessary to support the establishment of a

15  public NAP;

16         (b)  Recommends potential locations for a public NAP;

17         (c)  Specifies roles for the public sector and the

18  private sector in the establishment of a public NAP; and

19         (d)  Identifies barriers to the establishment of a

20  public NAP and recommends methods to remove such barriers.

21         (2)  The report required by subsection (1) must be

22  presented to the Legislature by July 1, 2000, and must be a

23  cumulative effort of public-sector and private-sector

24  stakeholders.

25         (3)  As used in this section, the term "public NAP"

26  means a NAP that must have assistance from the state to

27  stimulate its development, but that ultimately is maintained

28  and managed by the private sector.

29         Section 3.  Establishment of Information Technology

30  Business Incubators.--

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    Florida Senate - 2000                                  SB 1334
    28-910-00




  1         (1)  To foster the growth of the information technology

  2  industry in this state, the State Technology Office in the

  3  Executive Office of the Governor shall review the state's

  4  existing incubators to determine whether they are meeting the

  5  industry's needs.  If the office finds that additional

  6  incubators are needed to fill an unmet need, the office must

  7  develop a plan to establish information technology business

  8  incubators in this state. The plan may include recommendations

  9  for consideration by the Legislature which promote the

10  location of private information technology business incubators

11  in the state, or it may include recommendations to establish

12  or promote information technology business incubators

13  associated with universities in this state. If the plan

14  recommends the establishment of an incubator that would be

15  associated with a state university, the plan must provide for

16  the financial self-sufficiency of the incubator within 2

17  years. The review, and the plan if developed, must be

18  presented to the Legislature by July 1, 2000.

19         (2)  For the purposes of this section, an information

20  technology business incubator is a facility that allows new

21  businesses engaged in information technology to increase their

22  probability of success through sharing needed equipment,

23  services, and facilities, including substantially all of the

24  following:

25         (a)  Reception and meeting areas.

26         (b)  Secretarial services.

27         (c)  Accounting and bookkeeping services.

28         (d)  Research libraries.

29         (e)  Onsite financial, management, legal, and technical

30  counseling.

31         (f)  Flexible lease arrangements for flexible space.

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    Florida Senate - 2000                                  SB 1334
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  1         (g)  Computer and word-processing facilities.

  2         (h)  Office furniture rentals.

  3         (i)  Management and entrepreneurial training programs.

  4         Section 4.  Development of an Internet-based system for

  5  information technology industry promotion and workforce

  6  recruitment.--

  7         (1)  The State Technology Office in the Executive

  8  Office of the Governor shall facilitate efforts to ensure the

  9  development and maintenance of a website that promotes and

10  markets the information technology industry in this state. The

11  website must be designed to inform the public concerning the

12  scope of the information technology industry in the state and

13  must also be designed to address the workforce needs of the

14  industry. The website must include, through links or actual

15  content, information concerning information technology

16  businesses in this state, including links to these businesses,

17  employment available at these businesses, and means by which a

18  jobseeker may post a resume on the website.

19         (2)  The State Technology Office shall coordinate with

20  the Department of Management Services, the Department of Labor

21  and Employment Security, and the Workforce Development Board

22  of Enterprise Florida, Inc., to ensure linkages, where

23  feasible and appropriate, to existing job-information websites

24  maintained by the state and its agencies and to ensure that

25  information technology positions offered by the state and its

26  agencies are posted on the information technology website.

27         Section 5.  The sum of $       is appropriated for

28  fiscal year 2000-2001 from the General Revenue Fund to the

29  State Technology Office in the Executive Office of the

30  Governor to carry out the requirements of this act. Of this

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    Florida Senate - 2000                                  SB 1334
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  1  appropriation, the Governor shall reserve $      to implement

  2  plans developed under this act.

  3         Section 6.  This act shall take effect upon becoming a

  4  law.

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  7                          SENATE SUMMARY

  8    Relates to information technology. Requires the State
      Technology Office in the Executive Office of the
  9    Governor, together with the Information Service
      Technology Development Task Force, to prepare a report
10    that explores the feasibility of and need for a public
      Network Access Point in this state. Provides requirements
11    for the report. Requires the State Technology Office to
      review and plan for the establishment of information
12    technology business "incubators" in this state.
      Prescribes the components of such incubators. Requires
13    the development and maintenance of a website for
      information-technology-industry marketing and workforce
14    recruitment. Provides an appropriation.

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