Senate Bill sb0416

    Florida Senate - 2004                                   SB 416

    By Senator Bullard





    39-542-04

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to the Florida Families

  3         Faith-Based Institute; creating the Florida

  4         Families Faith-Based Institute and providing

  5         for administration by the Florida Agricultural

  6         and Mechanical University; providing for open

  7         records and meetings; providing duties;

  8         prohibiting imposition of fees for certain

  9         purposes; requiring a report; providing an

10         appropriation; providing an effective date.

11  

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

13  

14         Section 1.  Florida Families Faith-Based Institute.--

15         (1)  CREATION.--The Florida Families Faith-Based

16  Institute is created at and shall be administered by the

17  Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University. The

18  Legislature determines that public policy dictates that the

19  Florida Families Faith-Based Institute operate in the most

20  open and accessible manner consistent with its public purpose.

21  To this end, the Legislature specifically declares that the

22  Florida Families Faith-Based Institute is subject to the

23  provisions of chapter 119, Florida Statutes, relating to

24  public records and the provisions of chapter 286, Florida

25  Statutes, relating to public meetings and records.

26         (2)  DEFINITION.--As used in this section, the term

27  "faith-based organization" means an organization that is owned

28  by, operated by, or affiliated with a religious entity and the

29  primary purpose of which is providing social services and

30  assistance to individuals in need of its services, without

31  

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    Florida Senate - 2004                                   SB 416
    39-542-04




 1  regard to the race or religion of the person in need of such

 2  services.

 3         (3)  DUTIES.--The Florida Families Faith-Based

 4  Institute shall:

 5         (a)  Examine barriers to state-funded or federally

 6  funded provision of services by faith-based organizations.

 7         (b)  Provide programmatic and managerial training and

 8  technical assistance to faith-based organizations that seek or

 9  use state or federal funds to provide services. Such training

10  and technical assistance must focus on critical areas of

11  faith-based social services management, including community

12  asset-based program development, research-based best program

13  practices, resource development for nonstate funding sources,

14  and financial management and budgeting.

15         (c)  Establish a statewide resource center and

16  clearinghouse for information related to technical assistance

17  and training resources for faith-based and community-based

18  organizations.

19         (d)  Serve, as required, as a fiscal intermediary for

20  faith-based and community-based organizations that receive

21  state funding.

22         (e)  To the maximum extent possible, leverage state

23  funding for the institute with any federal funding that the

24  institute may receive to support similar faith-based

25  activities.

26         (f)  Provide specific goals and objective criteria to

27  measure, evaluate, and document the quality and cost of

28  services provided by faith-based organizations with state or

29  federal funds.

30         (g)  Serve as liaison to the Centers for Faith-Based

31  and Community Initiatives established within the United States

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    Florida Senate - 2004                                   SB 416
    39-542-04




 1  Department of Justice, United States Department of Health and

 2  Human Services, United States Department of Education, United

 3  States Department of Labor, and United States Department of

 4  Housing and Urban Development to work in tandem with the White

 5  House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives.

 6  

 7  The Florida Families Faith-Based Institute shall perform its

 8  duties without imposing fees on faith-based organizations that

 9  receive its assistance.

10         (4)  REPORT.--By January 1 of each year, the institute

11  shall submit to the Governor, the President of the Senate, and

12  the Speaker of the House of Representatives an annual report

13  that describes the activities of the institute in fulfilling

14  its duties, describes expenditures of funds by the institute,

15  and recommends to the President of the Senate and the Speaker

16  of the House of Representatives changes to the Florida

17  Statutes that are necessary to fulfill its purposes and

18  duties.

19         Section 2.  Notwithstanding sections 216.181 and

20  216.292, Florida Statutes, and pursuant to section 216.351,

21  Florida Statutes, the sum of $700,000 is appropriated to the

22  Florida Families Faith-Based Institute for purposes of

23  administering this act during the 2004-2005 fiscal year.

24         Section 3.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2004.

25  

26            *****************************************

27                          SENATE SUMMARY

28    Creates the Florida Families Faith-Based Institute within
      the Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University.
29    Provides duties of the institute. Prohibits the
      imposition of fees for certain purposes. Requires an
30    annual report to the Governor and to legislative leaders.
      Provides for open records and meetings. Provides an
31    appropriation.

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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.