HB 1475

1	A bill to be entitled
2	An act relating to the Commission for the Transportation
3	Disadvantaged; amending s. 427.012, F.S.; revising
4	membership of the commission; prohibiting change of
5	appropriated Medicaid transportation funding amounts by
6	the commission or the Agency for Health Care
7	Administration; amending s. 427.013, F.S.; requiring the
8	commission use the same criteria to evaluate and provide
9	funding for all transportation providers; providing an
10	effective date.
11
12	Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
13
14	Section 1.  Subsections (1) and (8) of section 427.012,
15	Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
16	427.012  The Commission for the Transportation
17	Disadvantaged.--There is created the Commission for the
18	Transportation Disadvantaged in the Department of
19	Transportation.
20	(1)  The commission, which shall have no more than 11
21	members, shall consist of the following members:
22	(a)  The secretary of the Department of Transportation or
23	the secretary's designee.
24	(b)  The secretary of the Department of Children and Family
25	Services or the secretary's designee.
26	(c)  The Commissioner of Education or the commissioner's
27	designee.
28	(d)  The secretary of the Department of Labor and
29	Employment Security or the secretary's designee.
30	(e)  The executive director of the Department of Veterans'
31	Affairs or the executive director's designee.
32	(f)  The secretary of the Department of Elderly Affairs or
33	the secretary's designee.
34	(b)(g)  The director of the Agency for Health Care
35	Administration or the director's designee.
36	(c)(h)  A representative of the Florida Association for
37	Community Action, who shall serve at the pleasure of that
38	association.
39	(d)(i)  A representative of the Florida Transit
40	Association, who shall serve at the pleasure of that
41	association.
42	(e)(j)  A person over the age of 60 who is a member of a
43	recognized statewide organization representing elderly
44	Floridians. Such person shall be appointed by the Governor to
45	represent elderly Floridians and shall be appointed to serve a
46	term of 4 years.
47	(f)(k)  A handicapped person who is a member of a
48	recognized statewide organization representing handicapped
49	Floridians. Such person shall be appointed by the Governor to
50	represent handicapped Floridians and shall be appointed to serve
51	a term of 4 years.
52	(g)  Five additional members, one member appointed by the
53	Governor, two members appointed by the President of the Senate,
54	and two members appointed by the Speaker of the House of
55	Representatives.
56	(l)  Two citizen advocate representatives who shall be
57	appointed by the Governor for a term of 4 years, one
58	representing rural citizens and one representing urban citizens.
59	(m)  A representative of the community transportation
60	coordinators. Such person shall be appointed by the Governor to
61	represent all community transportation coordinators and shall be
62	appointed to serve a term of 4 years.
63	(n)  One member of the Early Childhood Council. Such person
64	shall be appointed by the Governor to represent maternal and
65	child health care providers and shall be appointed to serve a
66	term of 4 years.
67	(o)  Two representatives of current private for-profit or
68	private not-for-profit transportation operators each of which
69	have a minimum of 5 years of continuous experience operating a
70	broad-based system of ambulatory and wheelchair/stretcher type
71	transportation, utilizing not less than 50 vehicles and
72	including dispatch and scheduling responsibilities. Such persons
73	shall be appointed by the Commissioner of Agriculture to serve a
74	term of 4 years.
75	(p)  Four representatives of current private for-profit or
76	private not-for-profit transportation operators, each of which
77	having a minimum of 5 years of continuous experience operating a
78	broad-based system of ambulatory and wheelchair or stretcher-
79	type transportation, utilizing not less than 50 vehicles, and
80	including dispatch and scheduling responsibilities. Such persons
81	shall be appointed by the Commissioner of Agriculture to serve a
82	term of 4 years.
83	(q)  Six citizens representing the nontransportation
84	business community of the state, three members appointed by the
85	President of the Senate and three members appointed by the
86	Speaker of the House of Representatives.
87	(8)  The commission shall develop a budget pursuant to
88	chapter 216. The budget is not subject to change by the
89	department staff after it has been approved by the commission,
90	but it shall be transmitted to the Governor, as head of the
91	department, along with the budget of the department.
92	Notwithstanding any other law, the General Appropriations Act
93	shall provide for an exact funding amount to be allocated to the
94	commission for Medicaid transportation funding and such amount
95	shall not be subject to change by the commission or the Agency
96	for Health Care Administration.
97	Section 2.  Subsection (28) is added to section 427.013,
98	Florida Statutes, to read:
99	427.013  The Commission for the Transportation
100	Disadvantaged; purpose and responsibilities.--The purpose of the
101	commission is to accomplish the coordination of transportation
102	services provided to the transportation disadvantaged. The goal
103	of this coordination shall be to assure the cost-effective
104	provision of transportation by qualified community
105	transportation coordinators or transportation operators for the
106	transportation disadvantaged without any bias or presumption in
107	favor of multioperator systems or not-for-profit transportation
108	operators over single operator systems or for-profit
109	transportation operators. In carrying out this purpose, the
110	commission shall:
111	(28)  Notwithstanding any other provision of this part, use
112	the same criteria to evaluate and provide funding for all
113	transportation providers in the state.
114	Section 3.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2005.

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