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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11  Representative(s) Fiorentino, Harrell, and Melvin offered the
12  following:
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14         Substitute Amendment for Amendment (374349) (with title
15  amendment) 
16  Remove from the bill:  Everything after the enacting clause
17  
18  and insert in lieu thereof:
19         Section 1.  Section 240.5311, Florida Statutes, is
20  created to read:
21         240.5311  Learning Gateway Project.--
22         (1)(a)  There is created the Learning Gateway Project
23  as a pilot program in Manatee, St. Lucie, and Orange Counties
24  to establish an integrated approach for health care providers
25  and parents to lessen the effects of learning disabilities for
26  young children through prevention, early identification, early
27  education, and appropriate intervention at locations where
28  parents and children routinely go, including but not limited
29  to doctors' offices, school readiness program and child care
30  centers, and schools. Parental consent shall be required for
31  all services provided pursuant to the Learning Gateway
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    File original & 9 copies    05/01/01                          
    hek0003                     09:17 am         01018-0046-670653

HOUSE AMENDMENT Bill No. CS for SB 1018, 1st Eng. Amendment No. 1 (for drafter's use only) 1 Project, including initial contact and further referral for 2 evaluation and services. 3 (b) The Learning Gateway Project shall be guided by a 4 9-member steering committee comprised of a parent of a child 5 who has been diagnosed as having a learning disability, an 6 elementary school teacher with expertise in speech and 7 language, and seven top researchers or practitioners, one each 8 with expertise in the field of: 9 1. Developmental pediatrics. 10 2. Nutrition. 11 3. Children's vision. 12 4. Children's hearing. 13 5. Environmental health and allergies. 14 6. Family medicine. 15 7. Emerging literacy. 16 17 The Governor shall appoint the parent, the teacher, and the 18 member with expertise in developmental pediatrics. The 19 President of the Senate shall appoint the members with 20 expertise in nutrition, children's vision, and children's 21 hearing. The Speaker of the House of Representatives shall 22 appoint the members with expertise in environmental health and 23 allergies, family medicine, and emerging literacy. The 24 steering committee shall bear fiduciary responsibility for 25 safeguarding the appropriate use of state funds and shall 26 provide an annual accounting of the use of the funds to the 27 Legislative Budget Commission. 28 (c) The steering committee shall work collaboratively 29 with the University of South Florida, the University of 30 Central Florida, and Florida Atlantic University to make the 31 Learning Gateway Project an innovative project based on 2 File original & 9 copies 05/01/01 hek0003 09:17 am 01018-0046-670653
HOUSE AMENDMENT Bill No. CS for SB 1018, 1st Eng. Amendment No. 1 (for drafter's use only) 1 state-of-the-art research. Each participating university shall 2 contribute the time, research, and knowledge of its top 3 faculty and students in the relevant fields of expertise. 4 (2) The Learning Gateway Project shall operate under 5 the guidance of the steering committee and shall consist of 6 Learning Gateway Centers centrally located at convenient and 7 easily accessible sites in each of the pilot counties. The 8 project shall: 9 (a) Use the expertise, resources, faculty, and 10 students within the participating universities to contribute 11 to the project. As directed by the steering committee of the 12 Learning Gateway Project, the participating universities may 13 use their students to design brochures, perform research, 14 collect data on community resources and programs, and develop 15 and maintain a website to give parents and families, school 16 readiness and child care personnel, teachers, and health care 17 practitioners throughout each of the pilot counties 18 information about early warning signs of learning 19 disabilities, as well as information about Learning Gateway 20 Centers and community-based programs. 21 (b) Work collaboratively with national, state, and 22 local agencies and public and private health and childhood 23 programs to develop a comprehensive list of medical and 24 nonmedical providers of learning disabilities services for 25 young children within each of the pilot counties. 26 (c) Identify the factors that interfere with or 27 inhibit normal development and learning. The Learning Gateway 28 Project shall bring together research that integrates the 29 disciplines relevant to the diagnosis, causes, treatment, and 30 intervention of early learning disabilities. 31 (d) Provide physicians, health care personnel, school 3 File original & 9 copies 05/01/01 hek0003 09:17 am 01018-0046-670653
HOUSE AMENDMENT Bill No. CS for SB 1018, 1st Eng. Amendment No. 1 (for drafter's use only) 1 readiness and child care personnel, and school personnel 2 throughout each of the pilot counties with medical and 3 nonmedical intervention strategies that help identify such 4 factors as diet, noise, environmental contaminants, and 5 allergies which inhibit learning. Such information shall be 6 prepared so that it can be appropriately presented as part of 7 routine clinic sessions for immunization visits and visits 8 under the "Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, 9 Infants, and Children" (WIC) under s. 383.011 and other 10 well-child appointments. 11 (e) Identify the elements of an effective 12 research-based curriculum for each learning disability. 13 (f) Develop a model system of care, through the 14 establishment of the county Learning Gateway Centers, that 15 builds upon, integrates, and identifies the gaps in existing 16 learning disabilities services for young children. 17 (g) Develop two brochures and a website to distribute 18 information throughout each of the pilot counties. 19 1. One brochure shall be designed to educate parents 20 and families about the importance of prenatal care and 21 nutrition and reading and communicating with the child, and 22 shall identify the early warning signs of disabilities that 23 may lead to learning disabilities and developmental delays. 24 This brochure shall be distributed to parents through all of 25 the pilot county's early childhood programs, including but not 26 limited to programs administered by the local school readiness 27 coalitions, county public health units, healthy start 28 coalitions, and workforce centers. 29 2. One brochure shall be developed to provide 30 physicians, parents, school readiness and child care 31 personnel, and teachers information on the Learning Gateway 4 File original & 9 copies 05/01/01 hek0003 09:17 am 01018-0046-670653
HOUSE AMENDMENT Bill No. CS for SB 1018, 1st Eng. Amendment No. 1 (for drafter's use only) 1 Project and the Learning Gateway Centers, as well as all the 2 programs, facilities, resources, and services available within 3 each pilot county to address learning disabilities in young 4 children. 5 3. The website shall provide ready access for parents, 6 physicians and other health care personnel, school readiness 7 and child care personnel, and teachers to information 8 regarding the Learning Gateway Project and the Learning 9 Gateway Centers for the purpose of referral and information on 10 the learning disabilities addressed by the project. It shall 11 itemize the resources available for intervention, diagnosis, 12 and treatment, as well as county listings of available related 13 services and providers, indexed by learning disability, 14 throughout the pilot counties. 15 (3)(a) The Learning Gateway Centers shall develop a 16 network of all available services to address learning 17 disabilities in young children within each pilot county and 18 submit the list and description to the Learning Gateway 19 Project for inclusion in the website. The Learning Gateway 20 Centers shall use the list to refer parents to programs or 21 facilities appropriate to meet their child's needs. For the 22 purpose of serving areas of the pilot counties where no 23 services currently exist or where the private providers lack 24 the expertise to diagnose and provide strategies for improved 25 learning, each Learning Gateway Center may use Learning 26 Gateway Project funds to set up clinics to diagnose learning 27 disabilities. The Learning Gateway Centers may provide 28 services to parents, physicians, and other health care 29 providers where there is a gap in the service available from 30 public and private providers; may provide direct service to 31 children who do not receive coverage under state, federal, or 5 File original & 9 copies 05/01/01 hek0003 09:17 am 01018-0046-670653
HOUSE AMENDMENT Bill No. CS for SB 1018, 1st Eng. Amendment No. 1 (for drafter's use only) 1 private insurance or may contract for specialty services; and 2 may provide for services to children whose parents are 3 dissatisfied with their present services. 4 (b) The Learning Gateway Center in each pilot county 5 shall provide a single point of access for learning 6 disablities screening, assessment, integration of services, 7 linkages of providers, referrals, and services for children 8 and their families. The Learning Gateway Centers shall provide 9 to parents and physicians a one-stop referral center for 10 accurate information on public and private professionals who 11 can assist in determining the physical, emotional, 12 nutritional, environmental, and mental factors that may be 13 interfering with learning and normal development. 14 (c) Staff of the Learning Gateway Centers must be 15 knowledgeable about child development, early identification of 16 learning disabilities, access to needed health care services 17 and health insurance coverage for such services, and state and 18 federal funds available for services in the local area. If 19 the following services are not provided by existing service 20 systems, upon the request of the parent the Learning Gateway 21 Centers shall: 22 1. Conduct appropriate screening or refer for such 23 services. 24 2. Make referrals for needed services and assist 25 families in the application process. 26 3. Provide educational and training classes for 27 parents and families, school readiness and child care 28 personnel, and teachers. 29 (d) The specific services and supports provided by the 30 Learning Gateway Centers may include: 31 1. Speech and language therapy. 6 File original & 9 copies 05/01/01 hek0003 09:17 am 01018-0046-670653
HOUSE AMENDMENT Bill No. CS for SB 1018, 1st Eng. Amendment No. 1 (for drafter's use only) 1 2. Comprehensive medical screening and referral. 2 3. Multisensory strategies for learning. 3 4. Therapy for learning differences in reading and 4 math. 5 5. Referral for services pursuant to Part B or Part C 6 of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. 7 (e) The Learning Gateway Centers shall designate a 8 central information and referral access phone number for each 9 center, to improve access to local supports and services for 10 children and their families. 11 (f) Under the guidance of the steering committee, the 12 Learning Gateway Centers shall provide training and updates 13 concerning effective instructional and behavioral practices 14 and interventions based on advances in the field and shall 15 encourage practitioners in designing and implementing 16 research-based practices. 17 (4) By January 2003, the Learning Gateway Project 18 steering committee shall report to the Governor, the President 19 of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives 20 on the coordination of services; the number and types of 21 referrals made by the Learning Gateway Centers; the measurable 22 improvement in academic performance of children served by the 23 Learning Gateway Centers; and parental satisfaction regarding 24 the services provided pursuant to the Learning Gateway 25 Project. 26 (5) This project shall be implemented subject to the 27 General Appropriations Act. Funds for the project shall be 28 administered by the Department of Education and shall not be 29 used for facilities. 30 Section 2. By October 15, 2001, the Florida Department 31 of Education shall finalize all administrative rule revisions 7 File original & 9 copies 05/01/01 hek0003 09:17 am 01018-0046-670653
HOUSE AMENDMENT Bill No. CS for SB 1018, 1st Eng. Amendment No. 1 (for drafter's use only) 1 necessary to properly implement the 1997 amendments to the 2 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. 3 Section 3. By October 15, 2001, the Florida Department 4 of Education shall report to the Governor, the Speaker of the 5 House of Representatives, and the President of the Senate the 6 additional rule authority it needs, if any, to implement the 7 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. 8 Section 4. Nothing in this act shall require or 9 authorize the imposition of additional paperwork for ESE 10 teachers. 11 Section 5. This act shall take effect July 1, 2001. 12 13 14 ================ T I T L E A M E N D M E N T =============== 15 And the title is amended as follows: 16 On page 1, line 2 17 remove the entire title from the bill 18 19 and insert in lieu thereof: 20 An act relating to learning disabilities in 21 young children; creating s. 240.5311, F.S.; 22 creating a 3-county pilot Learning Gateway 23 Project to address learning disabilities in 24 young children; providing for administration of 25 the project; providing project functions; 26 providing for Learning Gateway Centers and 27 specifying services of the centers; requiring a 28 report; requiring an appropriation; requiring 29 the Department of Education to finalize all 30 rules by a date certain to implement the 31 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act; 8 File original & 9 copies 05/01/01 hek0003 09:17 am 01018-0046-670653
HOUSE AMENDMENT Bill No. CS for SB 1018, 1st Eng. Amendment No. 1 (for drafter's use only) 1 requiring the Department of Education to report 2 by a specific date on needed rule authority to 3 implement the Individuals with Disabilities 4 Education Act; providing an effective date. 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 9 File original & 9 copies 05/01/01 hek0003 09:17 am 01018-0046-670653