HOUSE AMENDMENT
Bill No. CS for SB 1018, 1st Eng.
Amendment No. 1 (for drafter's use only)
CHAMBER ACTION
Senate House
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5 ORIGINAL STAMP BELOW
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11 Representative(s) Fiorentino, Harrell, Byrd, Melvin, Farkas,
12 Bean, and Meadows offered the following:
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14 Amendment (with title amendment)
15 Remove from the bill: Everything after the enacting clause
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17 and insert in lieu thereof:
18 Section 1. Section 240.5311, Florida Statutes, is
19 created to read:
20 240.5311 Learning Gateway Project.--
21 (1) There is created the Learning Gateway Project to
22 provide grants to eligible universities to establish an
23 integrated approach for health care providers and parents to
24 lessen the effects of learning disabilities for children
25 through prevention, early identification, early education, and
26 appropriate intervention. Parental consent shall be required
27 for all services provided pursuant to the Learning Gateway
28 Project, including initial contact and further referral for
29 evaluation and services. The selected universities shall form
30 a statewide consortium and shall select a university with a
31 medical program to serve as lead university for the
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HOUSE AMENDMENT
Bill No. CS for SB 1018, 1st Eng.
Amendment No. 1 (for drafter's use only)
1 consortium.
2 (2) The Learning Gateway Project shall:
3 (a) Be administered by the Department of Education to
4 provide grants to eligible state universities for the purpose
5 of developing a statewide catalog of programs, resources, and
6 funds that assist children with learning disabilities. The
7 state universities identified in the Learning Gateway Project
8 shall work collaboratively to develop this project and use the
9 expertise, resources, faculty, and students within the
10 universities to develop the project. Under the direction of
11 the Learning Gateway Project, the participating universities
12 may use their students to design brochures, perform research,
13 collect data on community resources and programs, and develop
14 and maintain a website, through coordination with the State
15 Technology Office, to give parents, teachers, and
16 practitioners information about early warning signs of
17 learning disabilities, Learning Gateway Centers, and
18 community-based programs.
19 (b) Work collaboratively with representatives of state
20 and local agencies and private programs to develop a
21 comprehensive list of regional providers.
22 (c) Identify the factors that interfere with or
23 inhibit normal development and learning. The Learning Gateway
24 Project shall bring together research that integrates the
25 disciplines relevant to the diagnosis, causes, treatment, and
26 intervention of early learning disabilities.
27 (d) Provide physicians, health care personnel, and
28 school personnel with medical and nonmedical intervention
29 strategies that help identify such factors as diet, noise,
30 environmental contaminants and allergies which inhibit
31 learning. Such information shall be prepared so that it can
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hei0002 09:07 am 01018-0046-374349
HOUSE AMENDMENT
Bill No. CS for SB 1018, 1st Eng.
Amendment No. 1 (for drafter's use only)
1 be appropriately presented as part of routine clinic sessions
2 for immunization visits and visits under the "Special
3 Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and
4 Children" (WIC) under s. 383.011 and other well-child
5 appointments.
6 (e) Identify the elements of an effective
7 research-based curriculum for each learning disability.
8 (f) Develop a model system of care, through the
9 establishment of regional Learning Gateway Centers, that
10 builds upon, integrates, and identifies the gaps in existing
11 services.
12 (g) Develop two brochures and a website, in
13 coordination with the State Technology Office, to distribute
14 information.
15 1. One brochure shall be designed to educate parents
16 and caretakers about the importance of prenatal care and
17 nutrition and shall identify the early warning signs of
18 disabilities that may lead to learning disabilities and
19 developmental delays. This brochure shall be distributed to
20 parents through early childhood programs administered by the
21 Department of Education, the Department of Health, the Florida
22 Partnership for School Readiness, the Agency for Workforce
23 Innovation, the Department of Children and Family Services,
24 the Agency for Health Care Administration, the Department of
25 Juvenile Justice, the Department of Corrections, and the
26 Learning Development and Evaluation Center of Florida
27 Agricultural and Mechanical University.
28 2. One brochure shall be developed to provide
29 physicians, parents, and teachers information on the Learning
30 Gateway Project and the Learning Gateway Centers, as well as
31 all the programs, facilities, resources, and services
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HOUSE AMENDMENT
Bill No. CS for SB 1018, 1st Eng.
Amendment No. 1 (for drafter's use only)
1 available within each identified service area.
2 3. The website shall provide ready access for parents,
3 physicians, teachers, and caretakers to information regarding
4 the Learning Gateway Project and the Learning Gateway Centers
5 for the purpose of referral and information on the learning
6 disabilities addressed by the project. It shall itemize the
7 resources available for intervention, diagnosis, and
8 treatment, as well as regional listings of available related
9 services and providers, indexed by learning disability.
10 (3)(a) The Learning Gateway Centers shall develop a
11 network of all available services within each identified
12 service area and submit the list and description to the
13 Learning Gateway Project for inclusion in the website for the
14 programs available to parents, physicians, and other health
15 care providers. The Learning Gateway Centers shall use the
16 list to refer parents to programs or facilities appropriate to
17 meet their child's needs. For the purpose of serving areas of
18 the state where no services currently exist or where the
19 private providers lack the expertise to diagnose and provide
20 strategies for improved learning, each participating
21 university may use Learning Gateway Project funds to expand
22 the current services provided through the university to set up
23 clinics on site or at other locations to diagnose learning
24 disabilities while providing students an opportunity to
25 intern. Participating universities with comprehensive schools
26 that can diagnose difficult problems may expand existing
27 clinics to serve as a resource for children with specialized
28 problems and their parents when services are not available
29 from public or private local providers within the regional
30 Learning Gateway Center. The regional Learning Gateway
31 Centers may provide services to parents, physicians, and other
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hei0002 09:07 am 01018-0046-374349
HOUSE AMENDMENT
Bill No. CS for SB 1018, 1st Eng.
Amendment No. 1 (for drafter's use only)
1 health care providers where there is a gap in the service
2 available from public and private providers. The Learning
3 Gateway Centers may provide direct service to children who do
4 not receive coverage under state, federal, or private
5 insurance or may contract for specialty services. Centers may
6 also provide for services to children whose parents are
7 dissatisfied with their present services.
8 (b) Learning Gateway Centers shall be the single point
9 of access for screening, assessment, integration of services,
10 linkages of providers, referrals, and services required to
11 address the needs of the children and families, using faculty,
12 graduate students, and other professionals as needed. The
13 Learning Gateway Centers shall provide to parents and
14 physicians a one-stop referral center to provide accurate
15 information on public and private professionals who can assist
16 in determining the physical, emotional, nutritional,
17 environmental, and mental factors that may be interfering with
18 learning and normal development.
19 (c) Staff of the Learning Gateway Centers must be
20 knowledgeable about child development, early identification of
21 learning disabilities, access to needed health care services
22 and health insurance coverage for such services, and state and
23 federal funds available for services in the local area. If
24 the following services are not provided by existing service
25 systems, with the permission of the parent, the Learning
26 Gateway Centers shall:
27 1. Conduct appropriate screening or refer for such
28 services.
29 2. Develop family resource plans.
30 3. Make referrals for needed services and assist
31 families in the application process.
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HOUSE AMENDMENT
Bill No. CS for SB 1018, 1st Eng.
Amendment No. 1 (for drafter's use only)
1 4. Provide educational and training classes for
2 parents, teachers, and caretakers.
3 (d) The specific services and supports provided by the
4 Learning Gateway Centers may include:
5 1. Speech and language therapy that is appropriate.
6 2. Comprehensive medical screening and referral.
7 3. Referral as needed for family therapy, other mental
8 health services, and treatment programs.
9 4. Therapy for learning differences in reading and
10 math, and attention to subject material for children in grades
11 K-3.
12 5. Referral for services pursuant to Part B or Part C
13 of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, as
14 required.
15 (e) The Learning Gateway Centers shall designate a
16 central information and referral access phone number for each
17 center, to be used to improve access to local supports and
18 services for children and their families.
19 (f) When results of screening suggest developmental
20 problems, potential learning problems, or learning
21 disabilities, the intervention program, with permission of the
22 parent, shall refer the child to the regional Learning Gateway
23 Center for coordination of further assessment. The Learning
24 Gateway Center shall make referrals to the appropriate
25 entities within the service system.
26 (g) The Learning Gateway Centers shall provide
27 regional training and updates concerning effective
28 instructional and behavioral practices and interventions based
29 on advances in the field and for encouraging researchers to
30 regularly guide practitioners in designing and implementing
31 research-based practices.
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HOUSE AMENDMENT
Bill No. CS for SB 1018, 1st Eng.
Amendment No. 1 (for drafter's use only)
1 (4) By January 2003, the Learning Gateway Project
2 shall report to the Governor, the President of the Senate, the
3 Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the Commissioner
4 of Education on the progress, success, and integration of
5 services; the number, types, and outcomes of children served
6 by the Learning Gateway Centers; and the number and types of
7 referrals made through the project.
8 (5) The Learning Gateway Project must develop a
9 comprehensive list of services and funding sources available
10 to provide services for children. Relevant state agencies
11 shall assist the Learning Gateway Project in securing state
12 and federal waivers as appropriate.
13 (6) This project shall be implemented subject to the
14 General Appropriations Act.
15 Section 2. By October 15, 2001, the Florida Department
16 of Education shall finalize all administrative rule revisions
17 necessary to properly implement the 1997 amendments to the
18 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
19 Section 3. By October 15, 2001, the Florida Department
20 of Education shall report to the Governor, the Speaker of the
21 House of Representatives, and the President of the Senate the
22 additional rule authority it needs, if any, to implement the
23 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
24 Section 4. This act shall take effect July 1, 2001.
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28 And the title is amended as follows:
29 On page 1, line 2
30 remove the entire title from the bill
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hei0002 09:07 am 01018-0046-374349
HOUSE AMENDMENT
Bill No. CS for SB 1018, 1st Eng.
Amendment No. 1 (for drafter's use only)
1 and insert in lieu thereof:
2 An act relating to learning disabilities in
3 young children; creating s. 240.5311, F.S.;
4 creating the Learning Gateway Project to
5 provide grants to universities to establish a
6 statewide consortium to address learning
7 disabilities; providing for administration of
8 the project; providing project functions;
9 providing for regional Learning Gateway Centers
10 and specifying services of the centers;
11 requiring a report; requiring an appropriation;
12 requiring the Department of Education to
13 finalize all rules by a date certain to
14 implement the Individuals with Disabilities
15 Education Act; requiring the Department of
16 Education to report by a specific date on
17 needed rule authority to implement the
18 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act;
19 providing an effective date.
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File original & 9 copies 04/26/01
hei0002 09:07 am 01018-0046-374349