SENATE AMENDMENT
    Bill No. CS for SB 1226
    Amendment No. ___   Barcode 911990
                            CHAMBER ACTION
              Senate                               House
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11  Senator Klein moved the following amendment:
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13         Senate Amendment (with title amendment) 
14         On page 3, between lines 9 and 10,
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16  insert:  
17         Section 3.  Legislative findings and intent; Digital
18  Divide Council; powers and duties; program objectives and
19  goals; review and assessment of program performances; annual
20  report.--
21         (1)  LEGISLATIVE FINDINGS AND INTENT.--The Legislature
22  finds as follows:
23         (a)  Frequent access to use of information technology
24  and possession of the knowledge and skills required to use
25  information technology productively is becoming increasingly
26  more important to being competitively qualified for
27  high-skill, high-wage employment.
28         (b)  The availability of reasonable opportunities to
29  have frequent access to use of information technology and to
30  obtain the education and training necessary to acquire the
31  knowledge and skills required to use information technology
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                                                  SENATE AMENDMENT
    Bill No. CS for SB 1226
    Amendment No. ___   Barcode 911990
 1  productively is critical to becoming competitively qualified
 2  for high-skill, high-wage employment.
 3         (c)  Families that are living near or below the poverty
 4  level are without adequate economic resources to have
 5  reasonable opportunities to obtain frequent access to use of
 6  information technology or the education and training necessary
 7  to acquire the knowledge and skills required to become
 8  competively qualified for high-skill, high-wage employment.
 9         (d)  The absence of such economic resources divides
10  such families from those who have adequate economic resources
11  to have such opportunities, places such families at risk of
12  never realizing their employment and income earning potential,
13  and prevents the state's economy from prospering to the extent
14  possible if such families realized their employment and income
15  earning potential.
16         (e)  The divide between the members of such at-risk
17  families and those who have adequate economic resources to
18  have reasonable opportunities to obtain access to frequent use
19  of information technology and the education and training
20  necessary to acquire the knowledge and skills required to
21  become competitively qualified for high-skill, high-wage
22  employment could be reduced, and the economy of the state
23  could be enhanced, by designing and implementing programs that
24  provide such opportunities to members of such at-risk
25  families.
26  
27  It is the intent of the Legislature to provide the authority
28  and resources reasonably necessary to facilitate design and
29  implementation of such programs.
30         (2)  DIGITAL DIVIDE COUNCIL.--The Digital Divide
31  Council is created in the State Technology Office. The council
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                                                  SENATE AMENDMENT
    Bill No. CS for SB 1226
    Amendment No. ___   Barcode 911990
 1  shall consist of:
 2         (a)  The chief information officer in the State
 3  Technology Office.
 4         (b)  The director of the Office of Tourism, Trade, and
 5  Economic Development in the Executive Office of the Governor.
 6         (c)  The president of Workforce Florida, Inc.
 7         (d)  The director of the Agency for Workforce
 8  Innovation.
 9         (e)  The chair of itflorida.com, Inc.
10         (f)  The Commissioner of Education.
11         (g)  The executive director of the State Board of
12  Community Colleges.
13         (h)  The executive director of the State Board for
14  Career Education.
15         (i)  The chair of the Network Access Point of the
16  Americas.
17         (j)  A representative of the information technology
18  industry in this state appointed by the Speaker of the House
19  of Representatives.
20         (k)  A representative of the information technology
21  industry in this state appointed by the President of the
22  Senate.
23         (l)  Two members of the House of Representatives, who
24  shall be ex officio, nonvoting members of the council,
25  appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, one
26  of whom shall be a member of the Republican caucus and the
27  other of whom shall be a member of the Democratic caucus.
28         (m)  Two members of the Senate, who shall be ex
29  officio, nonvoting members of the council, appointed by the
30  President of the Senate, one of whom shall be a member of the
31  Republican caucus and the other of whom shall be a member of
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                                                  SENATE AMENDMENT
    Bill No. CS for SB 1226
    Amendment No. ___   Barcode 911990
 1  the Democratic caucus.
 2         (3)  TERMS OF APPOINTED MEMBERS OF COUNCIL; VACANCIES;
 3  COMPENSATION OF MEMBERS.--The appointed members of the council
 4  shall serve an initial term of 1 year commencing July 1, 2001,
 5  and ending June 30, 2002, and successor appointees shall serve
 6  a term of 2 years, the first of which shall commence July 1,
 7  2002, and end June 30, 2004. Successive 2-year terms shall
 8  commence and end on the same schedule in subsequent years. Any
 9  vacancy in the membership of the council resulting from
10  resignation, incapacity, or death shall be filled within 30
11  days after the date the vacancy is effective. The appointed
12  members of the council shall serve without compensation, but
13  such appointees and the other members of the council shall be
14  entitled to receive per diem and reimbursement for travel
15  expenses as provided in s. 112.061, Florida Statutes. Payment
16  of such per diem and reimbursement of such travel expenses may
17  be made from appropriations authorized to be used for such
18  purposes.
19         (4)  COUNCIL MEETINGS; ELECTION OF OFFICERS.--The
20  council shall conduct its initial meeting by August 1, 2001,
21  and shall meet thereafter at least once every 60 days. In its
22  initial meeting, the members of the council shall elect a
23  member to serve as chair and another to serve as vice chair,
24  each for a term of 1 year from the date of the election. Any
25  vacancy in the offices of chair and vice chair resulting from
26  resignation, incapacity, or death shall be filled by similar
27  election within 30 days after the date the vacancy is
28  effective.
29         (5)  ADMINISTRATIVE AND TECHNICAL SUPPORT; PAYMENT OF
30  SUPPORT COSTS.--The State Technology Office shall provide such
31  administrative and technical support to the council as is
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                                                  SENATE AMENDMENT
    Bill No. CS for SB 1226
    Amendment No. ___   Barcode 911990
 1  reasonably necessary for the council to effectively and timely
 2  carry out its duties and responsibilities. All direct and
 3  indirect costs of providing such support and performing the
 4  other duties assigned to the State Technology Office related
 5  to design and implementation of the programs authorized by
 6  this section may be paid from appropriations authorized to be
 7  used for such purposes.
 8         (6)  POWERS AND DUTIES OF COUNCIL.--The council,
 9  through the State Technology Office, is authorized and
10  empowered to facilitate the design and implementation of
11  programs that are aimed at achieving the objectives and goals
12  stated in this section. The State Technology Office shall
13  present and demonstrate to the council the design
14  characteristics and functional elements of each program
15  proposed to be implemented to achieve the objectives and goals
16  stated in this section and each such program shall be reviewed
17  and approved by the council before being implemented. Such
18  programs shall initially be implemented as pilot programs in a
19  minimum of six different areas of the state to develop model
20  programs that are likely to be successful if implemented
21  throughout the state. The areas of the state where the pilot
22  programs are implemented shall be selected by the council with
23  the objectives of testing the merits of the programs in each
24  geographic region of the state and providing equal exposure of
25  the programs to urban and rural communities alike.
26  Implementation of all such pilot and model programs shall be
27  administered by and through the local workforce development
28  boards and each such board shall coordinate and confirm the
29  ready availability and timely delivery of all elements of such
30  programs to ensure the highest probability of such programs
31  achieving their intended results.
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                                                  SENATE AMENDMENT
    Bill No. CS for SB 1226
    Amendment No. ___   Barcode 911990
 1         (7)  PROGRAM OBJECTIVES AND GOALS.--The programs
 2  authorized by this section shall have the following objectives
 3  and goals:
 4         (a)  Maximizing efficient and productive use of
 5  existing facilities, equipment, personnel, programs, and funds
 6  available from federal, state, and local government agencies
 7  and from any private person or entity.
 8         (b)  Using innovative concepts employing newly
 9  developed technologies in educating and training those who are
10  enrolled in the programs authorized by this section.
11         (c)  Developing viable partnerships between public
12  agencies and private persons and entities based on mutual
13  commitment to responsible and dedicated participation in
14  designing and implementing the programs authorized by this
15  section.
16         (d)  Recruiting, enrolling, retaining, and graduating
17  as many at-risk family members as feasible to ensure that they
18  have reasonable opportunities to obtain access to frequent use
19  of information technology and the education and training
20  necessary to competitively qualify them for high-skill,
21  high-wage employment.
22         (e)  Reducing the number of underachieving and failing
23  students in the state's public school systems who are members
24  of at-risk families.
25         (f)  Reducing the number of underemployed and
26  unemployed members of at-risk families.
27         (g)  Using information technology to facilitate
28  achievement of the Sunshine State Standards by all children
29  enrolled in the state's K-12 school system who are members of
30  at-risk families.
31         (h)  Training teachers in the state's K-12 school
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                                                  SENATE AMENDMENT
    Bill No. CS for SB 1226
    Amendment No. ___   Barcode 911990
 1  system to efficiently and effectively use information
 2  technology to plan, teach, and administer all courses of
 3  instruction required and available by election of children
 4  enrolled in the system.
 5         (i)  Using information technology to enable members of
 6  at-risk families who are no longer enrolled in K-12 schools to
 7  obtain the education needed to achieve successful completion
 8  of general education development test preparation to earn a
 9  high school diploma, an applied technology diploma, a
10  vocational certificate, an associate of arts degree, or a
11  baccalaureate degree.
12         (j)  Bridge the digital divide in developing a
13  competitive workforce to meet the employment needs of
14  state-based information technology businesses and establish
15  this state as having the most information technology ready
16  workforce in the western hemisphere.
17         (8)  MONITORING, REVIEWING, AND EVALUATING PROGRAM
18  PERFORMANCES; REPORTING RESULTS.--The council, through the
19  State Technology Office, shall continually monitor, review,
20  and evaluate the progress of performances realized from
21  implementation of the programs authorized by this section. The
22  State Technology Office shall prepare and submit a report to
23  the council at least 10 days before each of its meetings
24  subsequent to its initial meeting and each such report shall,
25  at a minimum, identify and describe the functional elements of
26  each program being implemented and identify and describe the
27  facilities, equipment, personnel, programs, and funds used to
28  design and implement the program. For each such program, the
29  report shall also identify by name, address, age, and sex the
30  school-age children, and their older siblings and parents, who
31  are enrolled in the program, state the educational level
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                                                  SENATE AMENDMENT
    Bill No. CS for SB 1226
    Amendment No. ___   Barcode 911990
 1  achieved by each enrollee as of the date he or she enrolled in
 2  the program, state the attendance and achievement level
 3  recorded for each enrollee in the program, evaluate the
 4  progress each enrollee is making toward successful completion
 5  of the program, and identify by name, address, age, and sex
 6  each enrollee who successfully completes the program. For each
 7  such program that is designed to prepare enrollees for
 8  high-skill, high-wage employment, the report shall identify
 9  each enrollee who successfully completes the program, describe
10  each such employment position for which each enrollee has
11  applied, identify by name, address, and nature of business
12  each employer based in this state to whom each such
13  application for employment has been addressed, state the
14  results each enrollee obtained from making each such
15  application, and describe the nature of any employment
16  obtained and terms of compensation being earned from such
17  employment by each enrollee as a result of making such
18  applications.
19         (9)  ANNUAL REPORT.--By March 1, 2002, the council,
20  through the State Technology Office, shall report to the
21  Executive Office of the Governor, the Speaker of the House of
22  Representatives, and the President of the Senate the results
23  of the council's monitoring, reviewing, and evaluating such
24  programs since their inception and the council's
25  recommendations as to whether such programs should be
26  continued and expanded to achieve the objectives and goals
27  stated in this section.
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29  (Redesignate subsequent sections.)
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                                                  SENATE AMENDMENT
    Bill No. CS for SB 1226
    Amendment No. ___   Barcode 911990
 1  ================ T I T L E   A M E N D M E N T ===============
 2  And the title is amended as follows:
 3         On page 1, line 7, after the semicolon
 4  
 5  insert:
 6         providing legislative findings and intent;
 7         creating the Digital Divide Council in the
 8         State Technology Office; specifying membership;
 9         providing for terms, filling vacancies, and
10         compensation; providing for council meetings
11         and officers; requiring the State Technology
12         Office to provide administrative and technical
13         support; providing powers and duties of the
14         council; authorizing design and implementation
15         of certain programs; providing program
16         objectives and goals; requiring the council to
17         monitor, review, and assess program
18         performances; requiring reports;
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