| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to job opportunities for youths; providing |
| 3 | legislative intent to support vocational training and |
| 4 | placement provided to at-risk youths through the |
| 5 | Professional Opportunities Program for Students; providing |
| 6 | for a pilot program; requiring program proposals to be |
| 7 | submitted to the Department of Juvenile Justice; requiring |
| 8 | a report to the Legislature; providing an appropriation; |
| 9 | providing an effective date. |
| 10 |
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| 11 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 12 |
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| 13 | Section 1. Professional Opportunities Program for |
| 14 | Students; legislative intent; pilot program.-- |
| 15 | (1) It is the intent of the Legislature to provide support |
| 16 | and funding for programs conducted by the Professional |
| 17 | Opportunities Program for Students, hereinafter referred to as |
| 18 | "POPS." POPS identifies and provides vocational-and- |
| 19 | employability-skills training and placement programs and |
| 20 | initiatives to youths between the ages of 16 and 18 years who |
| 21 | may also qualify for the Department of Juvenile Justice's |
| 22 | initiative programs for youth who have significant family |
| 23 | troubles; have significant school troubles; have experienced |
| 24 | drug or alcohol use, or both; or exhibit predelinquent behavior. |
| 25 | (2) During the 2005-2006 fiscal year, a pilot Professional |
| 26 | Opportunities Program for Students may be conducted in the |
| 27 | central region of the state. In order to receive funding under |
| 28 | this act, a POPS entity must submit to the Department of |
| 29 | Juvenile Justice by September 1, 2005, a proposal for a training |
| 30 | and placement program for youths between the ages of 16 and 18 |
| 31 | years who reside in Brevard County, Lake County, Osceola County, |
| 32 | Orange County, Seminole County, or Volusia County. The program |
| 33 | should include up to 6 months of education and training and |
| 34 | appropriate followup, including documentation of the percentage |
| 35 | of the youths who have been placed in jobs for which training |
| 36 | was provided under the program since its inception and the |
| 37 | percentage of those youths who remain in such jobs for at least |
| 38 | 3 months after their placement. By January 1, 2006, the POPS |
| 39 | entity that has received funding under this act shall provide to |
| 40 | the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of |
| 41 | Representatives a report that includes an itemized list of |
| 42 | program costs; the statistics on job placement and retention of |
| 43 | the youths served by the program; and recommendations for |
| 44 | further legislation, including an opinion as to the feasibility |
| 45 | of extending such programs throughout the state. |
| 46 | Section 2. There is appropriated from the General Revenue |
| 47 | Fund to the Department of Juvenile Justice for the 2005-2006 |
| 48 | fiscal year an amount sufficient to fund a pilot project that |
| 49 | has been proposed by the Professional Opportunities Program for |
| 50 | Students (POPS) and approved by the department as provided in |
| 51 | subsection (2) of section 1 of this act. |
| 52 | Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2005. |