Florida Senate - 2011                                     SB 196
       
       
       
       By Senator Fasano
       
       
       
       
       11-00219-11                                            2011196__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to Choose Life license plates;
    3         amending s. 320.08058, F.S.; providing for the annual
    4         use fees to be distributed to Choose Life, Inc.,
    5         rather than the counties; providing for Choose Life,
    6         Inc., to redistribute a portion of such funds to
    7         nongovernmental, not-for-profit agencies that assist
    8         certain pregnant women; authorizing Choose Life, Inc.,
    9         to use a portion of the funds to administer and
   10         promote the Choose Life license plate program;
   11         providing an effective date.
   12  
   13  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   14  
   15         Section 1. Subsection (29) of section 320.08058, Florida
   16  Statutes, is amended to read:
   17         320.08058 Specialty license plates.—
   18         (29) CHOOSE LIFE LICENSE PLATES.—
   19         (a) The department shall develop a Choose Life license
   20  plate as provided in this section. The word “Florida” must
   21  appear at the bottom of the plate, and the words “Choose Life”
   22  must appear at the top of the plate.
   23         (b) The annual use fees shall be distributed annually to
   24  Choose Life, Inc., along with a report that specifies each
   25  county in the ratio that the annual use fees collected by each
   26  county bears to the total fees collected for the plates within
   27  the state. Choose Life, Inc., Each county shall distribute the
   28  funds to nongovernmental, not-for-profit agencies that assist
   29  within the county, which agencies’ services are limited to
   30  counseling and meeting the physical needs of pregnant women who
   31  are making an adoption plan for their children committed to
   32  placing their children for adoption. Funds may not be
   33  distributed to any agency that is involved or associated with
   34  abortion activities, including counseling for or referrals to
   35  abortion clinics, providing medical abortion-related procedures,
   36  or proabortion advertising, and funds may not be distributed to
   37  any agency that charges women for services received.
   38         1. Agencies that receive the funds must use at least 70
   39  percent of the funds to provide for the material needs of
   40  pregnant women who are making an adoption plan for their
   41  children committed to placing their children for adoption,
   42  including clothing, housing, medical care, food, utilities, and
   43  transportation. Such funds may also be expended on birth mothers
   44  for 60 days after delivery and on infants awaiting placement
   45  with adoptive parents.
   46         2. The remaining Funds may also be used for adoption
   47  related adoption, counseling, training, or advertising, but may
   48  not be used for administrative expenses, legal expenses, or
   49  capital expenditures. However, a maximum of 20 percent of the
   50  total funds received annually may be used by Choose Life, Inc.,
   51  for the administration and promotion of the Choose Life license
   52  plate program.
   53         3. Each agency that receives such funds must submit an
   54  annual attestation to Choose Life, Inc. the county. Any unused
   55  funds that exceed 10 percent of the funds received by an agency
   56  each during its fiscal year must be returned to Choose Life,
   57  Inc. the county, which shall distribute the funds them to other
   58  qualified agencies.
   59         (c) By October 1, 2011, the department and each county
   60  shall transfer all of its Choose Life license plate funds to
   61  Choose Life, Inc.
   62         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2011.