HB 0729 2004
1	A bill to be entitled
2	An act relating to military personnel on duty; creating
3	the Citizen Soldier Matching Grant Program within the
4	Agency for Workforce Innovation; providing for matching
5	grants to be awarded to private sector employers that
6	provide wages to employees serving in the United States
7	Armed Forces Reserves or the Florida National Guard while
8	those employees are on federal active duty; providing
9	eligibility requirements for grant recipients; directing
10	the agency to develop a plan to administer the application
11	and payment procedures for the matching grants; providing
12	for the grant program to be funded by legislative
13	appropriations; providing an effective date.
14
15	Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
16
17	Section 1. Citizen Soldier Matching Grants Program.--The
18	Agency for Workforce Innovation shall establish a matching grant
19	program to award matching grants to private sector employers in
20	this state which provide wages to employees serving in the
21	United States Armed Forces Reserves or the Florida National
22	Guard while those employees are on federal active duty. Grants
23	shall be awarded for monthly wages paid to employees who are
24	residents of this state for the actual period of federal active
25	duty. Grants may not be provided for federal active duty served
26	prior to January 1, 2004. The monthly grant per employee may not
27	exceed one-half of the monthly wages paid by the employer to the
28	employee at the level paid prior to the date the employee was
29	called to federal active duty, minus the amount of the
30	employee's active duty base pay and benefit package. The agency
31	shall develop a plan, subject to the notice, review, and
32	objection procedures of s. 216.177, Florida Statutes, to
33	administer the application and payment procedures for the
34	matching grant program. The matching grant program shall be
35	funded by legislative appropriations.
36	Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2004.