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| 1 | CHAMBER ACTION | ||
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| 6 | The Committee on Judiciary recommends the following: | ||
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| 8 | Committee Substitute | ||
| 9 | Remove the entire bill and insert: | ||
| 10 | A bill to be entitled | ||
| 11 | An act relating to trust funds; creating the Child | ||
| 12 | Advocacy Trust Fund within the Department of Children and | ||
| 13 | Family Services; providing for sources of funds and | ||
| 14 | purposes; requiring the development of an allocation | ||
| 15 | methodology for distributing funds deposited in the trust | ||
| 16 | fund; providing for funds to establish children's advocacy | ||
| 17 | centers; providing for an annual carryforward of funds; | ||
| 18 | providing for future legislative review and termination or | ||
| 19 | re-creation of the trust fund; providing a contingent | ||
| 20 | effective date. | ||
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| 22 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: | ||
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| 24 | Section 1. Child Advocacy Trust Fund.-- | ||
| 25 | (1)(a) The Child Advocacy Trust Fund is created within the | ||
| 26 | Department of Children and Family Services for the purpose of | ||
| 27 | receiving funds collected from the additional court cost imposed | ||
| 28 | in cases of certain crimes against minors under s. 938.10, | ||
| 29 | Florida Statutes. Funds shall be appropriated to the Department | ||
| 30 | of Children and Family Services as a grants-in-aid for the | ||
| 31 | specific purpose of funding children's advocacy centers. Funds | ||
| 32 | shall be disbursed to the Florida Network of Children's Advocacy | ||
| 33 | Centers, Inc., as established under s. 39.3035, Florida | ||
| 34 | Statutes, for the purpose of providing community-based services | ||
| 35 | that augment, but that do not duplicate, services provided by | ||
| 36 | state agencies. | ||
| 37 | (b) The Board of Directors of the Florida Network of | ||
| 38 | Children's Advocacy Centers, Inc., shall retain 10 percent of | ||
| 39 | all revenues collected for network expenditures and to provide | ||
| 40 | funds to match local contributions in communities establishing | ||
| 41 | children's advocacy centers. The board of directors shall also | ||
| 42 | develop funding criteria and an allocation methodology that | ||
| 43 | ensures an equitable distribution of remaining funds among | ||
| 44 | network participants. The criteria and methodologies shall take | ||
| 45 | into account factors that include, but need not be limited to, | ||
| 46 | the center's accreditation status with respect to the National | ||
| 47 | Children's Alliance, the number of clients served, and the | ||
| 48 | population of the area being served by the children's advocacy | ||
| 49 | center. | ||
| 50 | (2) Notwithstanding s. 216.301, Florida Statutes, and | ||
| 51 | pursuant to s. 216.351, Florida Statutes, any balance in the | ||
| 52 | trust fund at the end of any fiscal year shall remain in the | ||
| 53 | trust fund at the end of the year and shall be available for | ||
| 54 | carrying out the purposes of the trust fund. | ||
| 55 | (3) Pursuant to s. 19(f)(2), Art. III of the State | ||
| 56 | Constitution, the trust fund shall, unless terminated sooner, be | ||
| 57 | terminated on July 1, 2007. Before its scheduled termination, | ||
| 58 | the trust fund shall be reviewed as provided in s. 215.3206(1) | ||
| 59 | and (2), Florida Statutes. | ||
| 60 | Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2003, if | ||
| 61 | House Bill 1533 or similar legislation is adopted in the same | ||
| 62 | legislative session, or an extension thereof, and becomes law. | ||