HB 0837 2003
1	CHAMBER ACTION
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6	The Committee on Future of Florida's Families recommends the
7	following:
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9	Committee Substitute
10	Remove the entire bill and insert:
11	A bill to be entitled
12	An act relating to the Florida Faith-Based Initiative;
13	creating the Florida Families Faith-Based Initiative and
14	providing for administration by the Florida Agricultural
15	and Mechanical University; providing duties; prohibiting
16	imposition of fees for certain purposes; requiring a
17	report; providing for open records and meetings; providing
18	an appropriation; providing an effective date.
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20	Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
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22	Section 1. Florida Faith-Based Initiative.--
23	(1) CREATION.--The Florida Families Faith-Based Institute
24	is created at and shall be administered by the Florida
25	Agricultural and Mechanical University. The Legislature
26	determines that public policy dictates that the Florida Families
27	Faith-Based Institute operate in the most open and accessible
28	manner consistent with its public purpose. To this end, the
29	Legislature specifically declares that the Florida Families
30	Faith-Based Institute is subject to the provisions of chapter
31	119, Florida Statutes, relating to public records and those
32	provisions of chapter 286, Florida Statutes, relating to public
33	meetings and records.
34	(2) DEFINITIONS.--“Faith-based organization” means an
35	organization which is owned by, operated by, or affiliated with
36	a religious entity and whose primary purpose is providing social
37	services and assistance to individuals in need of its services,
38	without regard to the race or religion of the person in need of
39	such services.
40	(3) DUTIES.--The Florida Families Faith-Based Institute
41	shall:
42	(a) Examine barriers to state-funded or federally funded
43	provision of services by faith-based organizations.
44	(b) Provide programmatic and managerial training and
45	technical assistance to faith-based organizations seeking or
46	using state or federal funds to provide services. Such training
47	and technical assistance shall focus on critical areas of faith-
48	based social services management, including community asset-
49	based program development, research-based "best program
50	practices," resource development for nonstate funding sources,
51	and financial management and budgeting.
52	(c) Establish a statewide resource center and
53	clearinghouse for information related to technical assistance
54	and training resources for faith-based and community-based
55	organizations.
56	(d) Serve, as required, as a fiscal intermediary for
57	faith-based and community-based organizations receiving state
58	funding.
59	(e) To the maximum extent possible, leverage state funding
60	for the initiative with any federal funding that the initiative
61	may receive to support similar faith-based activities.
62	(f) Provide specific goals and objective criteria to
63	measure, evaluate, and document the quality and cost of services
64	provided by faith-based organizations with state or federal
65	funds.
66	(g) Serve as liaison to the Centers for Faith-Based and
67	Community Initiatives established within the United States
68	Department of Justice, United States Department of Health and
69	Human Services, United States Department of Education, United
70	States Department of Labor, and United States Department of
71	Housing and Urban Development to work in tandem with the White
72	House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives.
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74	The Florida Families Faith-Based Institute shall perform its
75	duties without imposing fees on faith-based organizations
76	receiving its assistance.
77	(4) REPORT.--By January 1 of each year, the institute
78	shall submit to the Governor, the President of the Senate, and
79	the Speaker of the House of Representatives an annual report,
80	which shall describe the activities of the institute in
81	fulfilling its duties, describe expenditures of funds by the
82	institute, and recommend to the President of the Senate and the
83	Speaker of the House of Representatives changes to the Florida
84	Statutes necessary to fulfill its purposes and duties.
85	Section 2. Notwithstanding ss. 216.181 and 216.292,
86	Florida Statutes, and pursuant to s. 216.351, Florida Statutes,
87	the sum of $700,000 is appropriated to the Florida Families
88	Faith-Based Institute for purposes of administering the Florida
89	Faith-Based Initiative.
90	Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2003.