Senate Bill 2208er

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  2         An act relating to adoption benefits for state

  3         and water management district employees;

  4         creating s. 110.152, F.S.; providing a monetary

  5         benefit for a state employee who adopts a

  6         special-needs child; providing a monetary

  7         benefit for a state employee who adopts a child

  8         not defined as a special-needs child; defining

  9         the term "special-needs child" for purposes of

10         the act; providing procedure; providing for

11         eligibility for parental leave; providing

12         conditions of such leave; authorizing the

13         Department of Management Services to adopt

14         rules; providing an appropriation; providing an

15         effective date.

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

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19         Section 1.  Section 110.152, Florida Statutes, is

20  created to read:

21         110.152  Adoption benefits for state or water

22  management district employees; parental leave.--

23         (1)(a)  Any employee of the state or of a water

24  management district who adopts a special-needs child, as

25  defined in paragraph (b), is eligible to receive a monetary

26  benefit in the amount of $10,000 per child, $5,000 of which is

27  payable in equal monthly installments over a 2-year period.

28  Any employee of the state or of a water management district

29  who adopts a child, other than a special-needs child as

30  defined in paragraph (b), shall be eligible to receive a

31  monetary benefit in the amount of $5,000 per child, $2,000 of


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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.




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  1  which is payable in equal monthly installments over a 2-year

  2  period.

  3         (b)  For purposes of this section, a "special-needs

  4  child" is a child whose permanent custody has been awarded to

  5  the Department of Children and Family Services or to a

  6  Florida-licensed child-placing agency and who is not likely to

  7  be adopted because he or she is:

  8         1.  Eight years of age or older.

  9         2.  A person with a developmental disability.

10         3.  A person with a physical or emotional handicap.

11         4.  Of a minority race or of a racially mixed heritage.

12         5.  A member of a sibling group of any age, provided

13  that two or more members of a sibling group remain together

14  for the purposes of adoption.

15         (2)  An employee of the state or of a water management

16  district who adopts a special-needs child must apply to his or

17  her agency head to obtain the monetary benefit provided in

18  subsection (1). Applications must be on forms approved by the

19  department and must include a certified copy of the final

20  order of adoption naming the applicant as the adoptive parent.

21         (3)  Nothing in this section shall affect the right of

22  any state employee who adopts a special-needs child to receive

23  financial aid for adoption expenses pursuant to s. 409.166 or

24  any other statute that provides financial incentives for the

25  adoption of children.

26         (4)  Any employee of the state or of a water management

27  district who has a child placed in the custody of the employee

28  for adoption, and who continues to resides in the same

29  household as the child placed for adoption, shall be granted

30  parental leave for a period not to exceed 6 months as provided

31  in s. 110.221.


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  1         Section 2.  The Department of Management Services may

  2  adopt rules to administer the provisions of this act.

  3         Section 3.  The sum of $140,000 in appropriated from

  4  nonrecurring general revenue to the Department of Management

  5  Services for the purpose of administering the provisions of

  6  this act during the 2000-2001 fiscal year.

  7         Section 4.  This act shall take effect October 1, 2000,

  8  and shall apply to adoptions finalized on and after that date.

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