| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to the Florida National Guard; requiring |
| 3 | the Florida National Guard, in conjunction with the |
| 4 | Division of Community Colleges and the community colleges |
| 5 | of the state, to develop a plan to provide educational |
| 6 | opportunities to enlisted members of the Florida National |
| 7 | Guard; requiring that the plan be submitted to the |
| 8 | Governor and Legislature by a certain date; providing an |
| 9 | effective date. |
| 10 |
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| 11 | WHEREAS, the Florida National Guard is a crucial component |
| 12 | of the Florida Emergency Response System in times of local and |
| 13 | statewide national disasters, civil disobedience, and other |
| 14 | catastrophic events and is a key component of the United States |
| 15 | Armed Forces, subject to be called upon for active federal duty, |
| 16 | including deployment for the War on Terrorism and other missions |
| 17 | in defense of the interests of the United States, and |
| 18 | WHEREAS, enlisted personnel in grades E-1 through E-9 |
| 19 | constitute approximately 80 percent of the strength of the |
| 20 | Florida National Guard, a large percentage of whom have |
| 21 | educational deficits, primarily in grades E-1 through E-4, which |
| 22 | can limit their performance capabilities, and |
| 23 | WHEREAS, collegiate-quality educational services that |
| 24 | address basic functional and intellectual deficits in areas such |
| 25 | as reading, writing, mathematics, social and behavioral |
| 26 | sciences, cultural awareness, and natural sciences would |
| 27 | increase the value of enlisted personnel to the Florida National |
| 28 | Guard by preparing them for progressively greater |
| 29 | responsibilities, and |
| 30 | WHEREAS, the community colleges of this state have |
| 31 | demonstrated their capabilities to respond expeditiously and |
| 32 | effectively to address unique training and education needs of |
| 33 | their students through customized associate degree programs, and |
| 34 | WHEREAS, a formalized partnership between the Florida |
| 35 | National Guard and the Division of Community Colleges of the |
| 36 | Department of Education and its statewide network of community |
| 37 | colleges dedicated to the improvement of the quality of the |
| 38 | noncommissioned ranks by the systematic reduction of basic |
| 39 | functional and intellectual deficits and the elevation of |
| 40 | educational attainment to the associate degree level would |
| 41 | strengthen the capabilities of the Florida National Guard, NOW |
| 42 | THEREFORE, |
| 43 |
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| 44 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 45 |
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| 46 | Section 1. (1) The commanding general of the Florida |
| 47 | National Guard, in conjunction with the Division of Community |
| 48 | Colleges of the Department of Education and the community |
| 49 | colleges of this state, shall develop a plan to implement a |
| 50 | program that provides educational opportunities for enlisted |
| 51 | members of the Florida National Guard. The program shall be |
| 52 | designed to increase the performance capabilities of members of |
| 53 | the Florida National Guard. |
| 54 | (2) The plan shall be submitted to the Governor, the |
| 55 | President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of |
| 56 | Representatives by November 1, 2009. |
| 57 | Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2009. |