| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to the Department of Health; amending s. |
| 3 | 154.02, F.S.; providing for additional uses of funds in |
| 4 | the County Health Department Trust Fund; deleting a |
| 5 | provision increasing the emergency reserve each year in |
| 6 | line with increases in the Consumer Price Index; repealing |
| 7 | s. 216.2625, F.S., relating to disbursement of Department |
| 8 | of Health trust funds and appropriation of authorized |
| 9 | positions; 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. Subsections (3), (4), and (5) of section |
| 14 | 154.02, Florida Statutes, are renumbered as subsections (4), |
| 15 | (5), and (6), respectively, paragraph (b) of present subsection |
| 16 | (5) is amended, and a new subsection (3) is added to that |
| 17 | section, to read: |
| 18 | 154.02 County Health Department Trust Fund.-- |
| 19 | (3) Funds from the County Health Department Trust Fund may |
| 20 | be expended by the Department of Health for the respective |
| 21 | county health departments in accordance with budgets and plans |
| 22 | agreed upon by the county authorities of each county and the |
| 23 | Department of Health. |
| 24 | (6)(5) At a minimum, the trust fund shall consist of: |
| 25 | (b) An emergency reserve of $500,000, derived from an |
| 26 | annual assessment on county health department funds based upon |
| 27 | their proportionate share of state general revenue, maintained |
| 28 | for county health departments to respond to public health |
| 29 | emergencies such as epidemics and natural disasters. The |
| 30 | emergency reserve shall be increased each July 1 by the increase |
| 31 | in the Consumer Price Index that occurred during the previous 12 |
| 32 | months. |
| 33 | Section 2. Section 216.2625, Florida Statutes, is |
| 34 | repealed. |
| 35 | Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2009. |