| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to the Black Cultural Tourism |
| 3 | Enhancement Commission; creating the commission within |
| 4 | the Department of State; directing the department to |
| 5 | provide administrative and staff support services for |
| 6 | the commission; providing the powers and duties of the |
| 7 | commission; providing for the appointment of |
| 8 | commission members; providing for the reimbursement of |
| 9 | per diem and travel expenses for commission members; |
| 10 | authorizing the commission to establish or designate a |
| 11 | direct-support organization for specified purposes; |
| 12 | providing an effective date. |
| 13 |
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| 14 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 15 |
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| 16 | Section 1. Black Cultural Tourism Enhancement Commission.- |
| 17 | (1) There is created the Black Cultural Tourism |
| 18 | Enhancement Commission. The commission shall be administratively |
| 19 | housed within the Department of State but shall independently |
| 20 | exercise the powers and duties specified in this section. The |
| 21 | department staff shall provide administrative and staff support |
| 22 | services for the commission. |
| 23 | (2) The commission shall: |
| 24 | (a) Provide financial and technical assistance to |
| 25 | facilities and events in the state that have the potential to |
| 26 | expand tourism, create jobs, and stimulate economic development |
| 27 | in the state through the marketing of the state's black cultural |
| 28 | sites. |
| 29 | (b) Provide training and technical assistance for staff of |
| 30 | the state's black cultural sites in order to develop tour guides |
| 31 | and tour operators for the sites. |
| 32 | (c) Provide resources and technical assistance for |
| 33 | educators of the state related to the teaching of black history, |
| 34 | promote the state's black cultural sites as historical venues, |
| 35 | and support tourism in the state through student tours of the |
| 36 | sites. |
| 37 | (d) Serve as a resource for the Florida Tourism Industry |
| 38 | Marketing Corporation in order to expand cultural tourism in the |
| 39 | state. |
| 40 | (3) The commission is composed of the following members: |
| 41 | (a) Three members appointed by the Governor. |
| 42 | (b) Two members appointed by the President of the Senate. |
| 43 | (c) Two members appointed by the Speaker of the House of |
| 44 | Representatives. |
| 45 | (d) Two members appointed by the Secretary of State. |
| 46 | (e) Two members appointed by the Commissioner of |
| 47 | Education. |
| 48 | (f) Two members appointed by the Florida Conference of |
| 49 | Black State Legislators. |
| 50 | (4) Members of the commission shall serve without |
| 51 | compensation but are entitled to reimbursement for per diem and |
| 52 | travel expenses as provided in s. 112.061, Florida Statutes. |
| 53 | (5) The commission may establish or designate a direct- |
| 54 | support organization that may receive grants, bequests, and |
| 55 | other resources to support the state's black cultural sites and |
| 56 | the functions of the commission. |
| 57 | Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2012. |