House Bill hb0337c1

    Florida House of Representatives - 2001              CS/HB 337

        By the Committee on Tourism and Representatives Garcia,
    Arza, Diaz de la Portilla and Alexander





  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to public libraries; amending

  3         s. 257.17, F.S.; providing additional

  4         conditions for receipt of operating grants;

  5         providing conditions for potential loss of

  6         eligibility to receive an operating grant;

  7         requiring a report to the Division of Library

  8         and Information Services of the Department of

  9         State; requiring a report to the Legislature;

10         revising a repeal date with respect to

11         authorizing certain municipalities to receive

12         operating grants for libraries; providing an

13         effective date.

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

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17         Section 1.  Subsection (4) of section 257.17, Florida

18  Statutes, is amended to read:

19         257.17  Operating grants.--A political subdivision that

20  has been designated by a county as the single library

21  administrative unit is eligible to receive from the state an

22  annual operating grant of not more than 25 percent of all

23  local funds expended by that political subdivision during the

24  second preceding fiscal year for the operation and maintenance

25  of a library, under the following conditions:

26         (4)(a)  A municipality with a population of 200,000 or

27  more that establishes or maintains a library is eligible to

28  receive from the state an annual operating grant of not more

29  than 25 percent of all local funds expended by that

30  municipality during the second preceding fiscal year for the

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    Florida House of Representatives - 2001              CS/HB 337

    177-267A-01






  1  operation and maintenance of a library, under the following

  2  conditions:

  3         (a)1.  The municipal library is operated under a single

  4  administrative head and expends its funds centrally;

  5         (b)2.  The municipal library has an operating budget of

  6  at least $20,000 per year from local sources; and

  7         (c)3.  The municipal library provides free library

  8  service to all residents of the municipality.

  9         (d)  The municipality enters into negotiations with the

10  county-designated single administrative unit, with

11  participation of the Division of Library and Information

12  Services of the Department of State, to form a public library

13  cooperative to extend library service to residents of both

14  legal service areas through interlocal agreement.  Failure by

15  either entity to work cooperatively toward forming a

16  cooperative may result in the loss of eligibility to receive

17  an operating grant for the 2002-2003 fiscal year.

18         (e)  The municipality and county-designated single

19  administrative unit shall submit a report on the progress made

20  toward forming a cooperative to the Division of Library and

21  Information Services by December 1, 2001.

22         (f)  By January 1, 2002, the Division of Library and

23  Information Services of the Department of State shall submit a

24  report to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the

25  House of Representatives which shall include a status report

26  on the progress of the negotiations described in paragraph (d)

27  and recommendations for any changes in law or funding as a

28  result of such report.  The report shall also include a review

29  of the state aid to libraries program to determine what

30  revisions, if any, need to be made to that program to

31  encourage and improve the delivery of free library service to

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    Florida House of Representatives - 2001              CS/HB 337

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  1  all residents of the state.  Finally, the report shall provide

  2  recommendations for statutory and funding changes based upon

  3  the review.

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  5  (b)  This subsection is repealed on July 1, 2002 2001.

  6         Section 2.  This act shall take effect upon becoming a

  7  law.

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