| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to motor vehicle insurance for foster |
| 3 | children; creating a pilot program to reimburse foster |
| 4 | parents, residential facilities, or foster children who |
| 5 | live independently a portion of the increased costs of |
| 6 | motor vehicle insurance for a foster child who has a |
| 7 | driver's license; directing the Department of Children and |
| 8 | Family Services to establish the pilot program in DeSoto, |
| 9 | Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, and Sarasota |
| 10 | Counties; requiring that the person who incurs the |
| 11 | increased cost submit to the department documentation of |
| 12 | that increase; requiring that foster children be |
| 13 | encouraged to pay the remaining portion of the increase in |
| 14 | cost; directing the department to develop procedures for |
| 15 | operating the pilot program; requiring the department to |
| 16 | submit a report with recommendations to the Governor and |
| 17 | the Legislature by a specified date each year of the pilot |
| 18 | program; providing a contingent effective date. |
| 19 |
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| 20 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 21 |
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| 22 | Section 1. (1) The Legislature finds that the increased |
| 23 | cost of motor vehicle insurance for a foster child after that |
| 24 | child obtains a driver's license is borne by the foster parents, |
| 25 | the authorized representative of the residential facility, or |
| 26 | the foster child if living independently. This increase in the |
| 27 | cost of insurance creates an additional barrier for a foster |
| 28 | child in gaining independence and may limit the child's |
| 29 | opportunities for obtaining employment. In accordance with these |
| 30 | findings, the Department of Children and Family Services shall |
| 31 | establish a 3-year pilot program in Desoto, Hillsborough, |
| 32 | Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, and Sarasota Counties to pay a portion |
| 33 | of the cost of motor vehicle insurance for foster children who |
| 34 | have obtained a driver's license. |
| 35 | (2) To the extent that funding is available, the pilot |
| 36 | program shall provide funds to pay for a portion of the increase |
| 37 | in the cost of motor vehicle insurance incurred by foster |
| 38 | parents, residential facilities, and foster children living |
| 39 | independently. To be eligible for payment under the pilot |
| 40 | program, the person incurring the cost must submit to the |
| 41 | department appropriate documentation demonstrating the increase |
| 42 | in the cost of insurance. The amount of the payment provided to |
| 43 | the foster parent, residential facility, or foster child living |
| 44 | independently shall be one-half of the amount of the increase in |
| 45 | the cost of motor vehicle insurance which is incurred as a |
| 46 | result of adding the foster child to the policy or less than |
| 47 | one-half if another source of funding is available to pay for |
| 48 | the increase. The foster child must be encouraged to pay the |
| 49 | other half of the increase in insurance costs. |
| 50 | (3) The department shall develop procedures for operating |
| 51 | the pilot program, including, but not limited to, determining |
| 52 | eligibility, providing the payment, ensuring that payment is |
| 53 | limited solely to the additional cost of including the foster |
| 54 | child in the insurance policy, and ensuring that the payments |
| 55 | are made to eligible persons in the order each person is |
| 56 | determined eligible until the funds are exhausted. |
| 57 | (4) The department shall examine and use, to the extent |
| 58 | possible, other available options for funding the cost of the |
| 59 | motor vehicle insurance increase, such as, but not limited to, |
| 60 | through the child's master trust fund, social security income, |
| 61 | child support payments, and other income available to the child. |
| 62 | (5) Beginning January 1, 2008, and continuing for the |
| 63 | duration of the pilot program, the department shall submit to |
| 64 | the Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of |
| 65 | the House of Representatives an annual report on the success and |
| 66 | outcomes achieved by the pilot program, with a recommendation as |
| 67 | to whether the pilot program should be continued, terminated, or |
| 68 | expanded. |
| 69 | Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2007, only |
| 70 | if a specific appropriation to fund the provisions of this act |
| 71 | is made in the General Appropriations Act for fiscal year 2007- |
| 72 | 2008. |