HB 501

1	A bill to be entitled
2	An act relating to Choose Life license plates; amending s.
3	320.08058, F.S.; providing for the annual use fees to be
4	distributed to Choose Life, Inc., rather than the
5	counties; providing for Choose Life, Inc., to redistribute
6	a portion of such funds to nongovernmental, not-for-profit
7	agencies that assist certain pregnant women; authorizing
8	Choose Life, Inc., to use a portion of the funds to
9	administer and promote the Choose Life license plate
10	program; providing an effective date.
11
12	Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
13
14	Section 1.  Subsection (29) of section 320.08058, Florida
15	Statutes, is amended to read:
16	320.08058  Specialty license plates.-
17	(29)  CHOOSE LIFE LICENSE PLATES.-
18	(a)  The department shall develop a Choose Life license
19	plate as provided in this section. The word "Florida" must
20	appear at the bottom of the plate, and the words "Choose Life"
21	must appear at the top of the plate.
22	(b)  The annual use fees shall be distributed annually to
23	Choose Life, Inc., along with a report that specifies each
24	county in the ratio that the annual use fees collected by each
25	county bear bears to the total fees collected for the plates
26	within the state. Choose Life, Inc., Each county shall
27	distribute each county's share of the funds to nongovernmental,
28	not-for-profit agencies within each Florida county which 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, but not limited to, clothing, housing, medical care,
43	food, utilities, and transportation. Such funds may also be
44	expended on birth mothers for 60 days after delivery and on
45	infants awaiting placement 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 15 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.  If no qualified agency applies to receive funds in a
54	county in any year, that county's Choose Life funds shall be
55	distributed pro rata to any qualified agencies that apply and
56	maintain a place of business within a 100-mile radius of the
57	county seat of such county. If no qualified agencies apply, the
58	funds shall be held by Choose Life, Inc., until a qualified
59	agency under this section applies for the funds.
60	4.3.  Each agency that receives such funds must submit an
61	annual attestation to Choose Life, Inc. the county. Any unused
62	funds that exceed 10 percent of the funds received by an agency
63	each during its fiscal year must be returned to Choose Life,
64	Inc. the county, which shall distribute the funds them to other
65	qualified agencies within the State of Florida.
66	(c)  By October 1, 2011, the department and each county
67	shall transfer all of its Choose Life license plate funds to
68	Choose Life, Inc.
69	Section 2.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2011.

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.