Florida Senate - 2011 SB 1926
By Senator Latvala
16-01315A-11 20111926__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to the State Employee Bonus
3 Initiative; creating the State Employee Bonus
4 Initiative, an online state employee suggestion
5 program for reducing the cost of state government;
6 providing duties of the Legislative Budget Commission
7 relating to the program, including creating and
8 maintaining a program website; providing program
9 requirements; providing for a monetary award;
10 protecting employees from certain adverse and
11 discriminatory actions; prohibiting state agency heads
12 and elected and appointed officials from participating
13 in the program; requiring the commission to annually
14 create and make available to all state agencies a
15 poster providing certain information and meeting
16 specified requirements; providing an effective date.
17
18 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
19
20 Section 1. State Employee Bonus Initiative.—
21 (1) The Legislative Budget Commission shall establish the
22 State Employee Bonus Initiative, an online state employee
23 suggestion program through which state employees may submit
24 suggestions for cost reductions through increased efficiencies
25 or other economies or savings in the operations of the state.
26 The commission is responsible for the creation and maintenance
27 of the State Employee Bonus Initiative website at the Internet
28 address www.myfloridabonus.gov.
29 (2) Each employee making a suggestion for a cost reduction
30 under subsection (1) shall be paid a monetary award in the
31 amount specified in subsection (3) if:
32 (a) The suggestion is adopted, in whole or in part, by a
33 state agency; and
34 (b) The suggestion results in actual savings of at least
35 $50,000 to funds appropriated pursuant to the General
36 Appropriations Act.
37 (3) A monetary award under this section shall be in the
38 amount of 1.5 percent of the estimated budget reduction to the
39 General Appropriations Act resulting from the employee
40 suggestion under subsection (1), as certified by the Legislative
41 Budget Commission.
42 (4)(a) Except as otherwise provided in paragraph (b):
43 1. A monetary award for a suggestion that results in
44 savings of less than $1 million shall be awarded immediately
45 upon the certification by the Legislative Budget Commission
46 under subsection (3).
47 2. A monetary award for a suggestion that results in
48 savings of $1 million or more, as certified by the Legislative
49 Budget Commission under subsection (3), requires approval by the
50 Legislature.
51 (b) The Legislative Budget Commission may refer any
52 suggestion or portion of a suggestion subject to an award to the
53 Legislature for approval.
54 (5) A monetary award under this section shall be based on
55 annualized savings even if only partial reductions were made
56 based on part of the budget year having elapsed. However, when a
57 budget reduction to the General Appropriations Act is only
58 partially implemented in the first fiscal year and additional
59 aspects of the suggestions need to be implemented in the
60 succeeding fiscal year, the employee who submitted the
61 suggestion shall receive award compensation over both years
62 which is proportioned and paid at the time of implementation for
63 each component of the suggestion that was implemented.
64 (6)(a) A suggestion shall be anonymous during the
65 evaluation process. Upon the submission of a suggestion through
66 the program’s website, the employee shall be assigned an
67 anonymous employee suggestion program number.
68 (b) After certifying a budget reduction subject to an award
69 under subsection (3), the Legislative Budget Commission shall
70 post the employee’s anonymous employee suggestion program number
71 on the program’s website and shall provide the employee with
72 instructions on who to contact on behalf of the commission.
73 (c) Upon the adoption of a suggestion that results in a
74 monetary award, the employee shall be named and recognized on
75 the program’s website.
76 (7) An employee may not be harassed, terminated from
77 employment, or subject to any other adverse or discriminatory
78 action for making a suggestion under this section. However, an
79 employee is not a victim of adverse employment action under this
80 subsection if the employee’s suggestion includes and results in
81 the elimination of his or her position.
82 (8) State agency heads and elected and appointed officials
83 may not participate in the program.
84 (9) On or before December 31 of each year, the commission
85 shall create and make available to all state agencies a poster
86 in English and Spanish that explains the program and provides
87 the program’s website address. The poster must be at least 8.5
88 inches by 11 inches in size, be in a format easily seen by
89 employees, and have text of a conspicuous size.
90 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2011.