Florida Senate - 2013 COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
Bill No. SB 1720
Barcode 226584
LEGISLATIVE ACTION
Senate . House
Comm: RCS .
03/12/2013 .
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The Committee on Education (Legg) recommended the following:
1 Senate Amendment (with title amendment)
2
3 Between lines 489 and 490
4 insert:
5 Section 5. Section 288.126, Florida Statutes, is created to
6 read:
7 288.126 Science, technology, engineering, arts, and
8 mathematics zone programs.—
9 (1) The Department of Economic Opportunity shall create
10 economic development zones relating to science, technology,
11 engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM). All incentives and
12 benefits provided for an enterprise zone pursuant to state law
13 must be available to a STEAM zone designated pursuant to this
14 section. A STEAM zone must be created in a county that has a
15 state university classified by the Carnegie Foundation for the
16 Advancement of Teaching as having very high research activity.
17 The integration of arts and technology is a subset of a STEAM
18 zone.
19 (2) Each county that has a qualifying research university
20 may apply to the department to receive the designation as a
21 STEAM zone. In the application, the county must appoint a STEAM
22 zone development agency. The STEAM zone development agency must:
23 (a) Be a nonuniversity not-for-profit corporation under s.
24 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
25 (b) Have experience with both private not-for-profit
26 partnerships and public not-for-profit partnerships.
27 (c) Have a facility with a minimum of 10,000 square feet of
28 exhibit educational conference space.
29 (d) Employ at least five full-time, in-house educational
30 and training staff employees.
31 (e) Have experience with federal educational and science
32 related grants.
33 (f) Create and submit quarterly reports to the governing
34 body of the county which evaluates the progress in implementing
35 the strategic plan or measurable goals set by the STEAM zone
36 development board as described in subsection (3).
37 (3)(a) The STEAM zone development agency shall appoint a
38 STEAM zone development board. The board shall consist of at
39 least nine, but not more than 12, commissioners. At least two
40 commissioners must be associated with the STEAM zone development
41 agency, two commissioners must come from the host county, and
42 two commissioners must be from local for-profit or not-for
43 profit corporations whose business is related to science,
44 technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics programs. At
45 least one commissioner must be from each of the following areas:
46 1. A qualifying research institution.
47 2. A local school district.
48 3. A municipality.
49 (b) The STEAM zone development board shall:
50 1. Assist in the development, implementation, and annual
51 review and update of the strategic plan or measurable goals.
52 2. Oversee and monitor the implementation of the strategic
53 plan or measurable goals.
54 3. Identify and recommend to the local governing body of
55 the county or the municipality ways to remove regulatory
56 barriers.
57 4. Identify for a county or municipality the financial
58 needs of and local resources or assistance available to eligible
59 businesses in the zone.
60 5. Promote the STEAM zone incentives to residents and
61 businesses within the STEAM zone.
62 6. Make recommendations to the county for boundary changes
63 in a STEAM zone such that a STEAM zone does not exceed 2 square
64 miles.
65 7. Work with organizations affiliated with a high-ranking
66 state research university to promote the purpose and goals of
67 the STEAM zone.
68 8. Dispense funds to promote, develop, and expand the STEAM
69 zone and educational training programs.
70 9. Work with companies within the STEAM zone to develop
71 training and certification programs needed to train a workforce
72 to have skills that are needed by companies and businesses in
73 this state.
74 10. Work with Workforce Florida, Inc., to retrain, educate,
75 and certify unemployed workers in industry certifications.
76 11. Work with Workforce Florida, Inc., to develop and make
77 available grant programs within the STEAM zone which foster the
78 expansion of workforce industry certification education and
79 training strategies, activities, and resources in conjunction
80 with one-stop career centers in the region.
81 12. Provide directives to the STEAM zone development
82 agency.
83 (4)(a) In order to provide incentives, each county that has
84 jurisdiction over a STEAM zone must, by local ordinance,
85 establish the boundary of the STEAM zone, specify applicable
86 standards, and determine eligibility criteria for the
87 application of state and local incentives and benefits in the
88 STEAM zone. However, in order to receive benefits provided under
89 s. 288.106, a business must be a qualified target industry
90 business under s. 288.106 for state purposes. A STEAM zone’s
91 boundary may be revised by local ordinance. Such incentives and
92 benefits include those in ss. 212.08, 212.096, 220.181, 220.182,
93 220.183, 220.196, 288.106, and 624.5105 and the public utility
94 discounts provided in s. 290.007(8). For purposes of this
95 section, any applicable requirements for employee residency for
96 higher refund or credit thresholds must be based on employee
97 residency in the STEAM zone or an enterprise zone.
98 (b) A county that has a designated STEAM zone in its
99 jurisdiction may waive impact fees for new construction within
100 the STEAM zone.
101 (c) The Department of Economic Opportunity and each county
102 that has a STEAM zone in its jurisdiction shall review rules or
103 regulations that affect the relocation or expansion of a
104 business to a STEAM zone to determine if a rule or regulation
105 may be modified or repealed to facilitate relocation or
106 expansion.
107 (5) The department shall develop a high-technology grant
108 program that applies to the STEAM zone. The grant program shall
109 solicit competitive applications from organizations that propose
110 to encourage and reward groundbreaking ideas that greatly expand
111 innovation, commercialization, and new enterprise formation
112 across the state. A grant shall be awarded to applicants who
113 submit the best strategies to:
114 (a) Create proof-of-concept centers that greatly increase
115 innovation within their organizations; or
116 (b) Create processes to commercialize or implement
117 innovation and build networks that can use that innovation and
118 entrepreneurship for local economic development.
119 (6) The STEAM zone development agency, with the cooperation
120 of other state agencies, shall:
121 (a) Partner with science, technology, engineering, arts, or
122 mathematics companies, Workforce Florida, Inc., and local
123 workforce boards to offer workforce training programs to train
124 unemployed, underemployed, and new workers in skills that are
125 needed in the science, technology, engineering, arts, or
126 mathematics field.
127 (b) Offer industry certifications from approved programs
128 for persons who traditionally are not typical candidates to
129 transition into science, technology, engineering, arts, or
130 mathematics careers; ease the transition for dislocated or
131 transitioning workers into science, technology, engineering,
132 arts, or mathematics field; and integrate state, regional, and
133 local efforts into a more powerful set of partnerships and
134 coordinated strategies.
135 (c) Enhance the production of more and better industry
136 certified workers in the science, technology, engineering, arts,
137 and mathematics fields through investment of department
138 resources and through greater integration and alignment of
139 existing public and private resources, so that more workers have
140 access to industry certification opportunities.
141 (d) Stimulate and support innovation, entrepreneurship, and
142 economic growth that can expand employment opportunities in the
143 science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics fields
144 by:
145 1. Increasing funding for grant opportunities in order to
146 implement additional educational programming related to science,
147 technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics.
148 2. Offering incentives to a school district, a charter
149 school, or a private school to implement and fully use an
150 industry certification program in science, technology,
151 engineering, arts, and mathematics.
152 3. Creating regional centers of education and research for
153 science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics. The
154 regional centers are a pipeline for students who excel in
155 science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics to their
156 respective research universities in this state.
157 4. Providing an industry certification program for science,
158 technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics to meet workforce
159 demands of industry.
160 5. Promoting the pursuit of careers in science, technology,
161 engineering, arts, and mathematics among underrepresented
162 students in grades kindergarten through 12.
163 6. Sponsoring an advertising campaign designed to encourage
164 local youth, particularly African Americans, Latin Americans,
165 and women, to consider careers in fields of science, technology,
166 engineering, arts, and mathematics.
167 7. Working with the state universities and colleges to
168 incorporate industry certification programs and internships for
169 students who are pursing degrees related to science, technology,
170 engineering, arts, and mathematics which further enhance their
171 education.
172 (7) The department, in cooperation with the STEAM zone
173 development agency, the Department of Education, and Workforce
174 Florida, Inc., shall develop accountability requirements and
175 measureable objectives that include:
176 (a) Requiring companies to:
177 1. Sign an agreement with the STEAM zone development agency
178 to agree to be a partner in some form of education,
179 volunteerism, internship, or event in order to encourage and
180 excite the community and children in this state’s education
181 system about fields related to science, technology, engineering,
182 arts, or mathematics.
183 2. Participate in a corporate training program.
184 3. Submit to an annual audit by the state or local board if
185 a tax credit, grant, loan, or other public assistance is
186 received.
187 (b) Establishing outcome-based, quantitative performance
188 metrics to ensure the mission of the STEAM zone is being carried
189 out.
190 (c) Reporting annually to the Legislature on the progress
191 of administering this section.
192 (d) Developing measurable objectives for each STEAM zone to
193 be monitored by the STEAM zone development board with the goal
194 of creating more jobs in the fields of science, technology,
195 engineering, arts, and mathematics; producing a workforce that
196 is highly qualified; and improving the quality of life in the
197 state.
198 (8)(a) Effective July 1, 2013, the total amount of state
199 credits, refunds, and exemptions that may be provided in a given
200 state fiscal year by each county that has jurisdiction over a
201 STEAM zone to eligible businesses for STEAM zone economic
202 incentives pursuant to this section is $300,000 per designated
203 STEAM zone. The county that has jurisdiction over a STEAM zone
204 shall disallow a credit or refund for which an application is
205 submitted after the zone’s respective $300,000 limit is reached.
206 If the $300,000 incentive cap is not fully used in any one state
207 fiscal year by a STEAM zone, the county that has jurisdiction
208 over a STEAM zone shall allocate the incentives, verify that
209 businesses receiving such incentives are eligible for the
210 incentives provided, and ensure that the incentives provided do
211 not exceed the cap for the state fiscal year.
212 (b) Upon approving an incentive for an eligible business,
213 the county that has jurisdiction over a STEAM zone shall provide
214 the taxpayer with a certificate indicating the name and federal
215 employer identification number of the eligible business, the
216 date the incentive is provided, the name of the STEAM zone, the
217 incentive type, and the incentive amount. The county that has
218 jurisdiction over a STEAM zone shall certify to the Department
219 of Revenue or the Department of Economic Opportunity, whichever
220 is applicable, the businesses or properties that are eligible to
221 receive the state incentives under statutory requirements. The
222 county that has jurisdiction over a STEAM zone shall provide a
223 copy of the certificate to the Department of Revenue and the
224 Department of Economic Opportunity as notification that such
225 incentives were approved for the specific eligible business or
226 property. For incentives to be claimed against the sales and use
227 tax under chapter 212, the Department of Revenue shall send,
228 within 14 days after receipt, written instructions to an
229 eligible business on how to claim the credit on a sales and use
230 tax return initiated through an electronic data interchange. Any
231 credit against the sales and use tax shall be deducted from any
232 sales and use tax remitted by the business to the Department of
233 Revenue by electronic funds transfer and may be deducted only on
234 a sales and use tax return initiated through an electronic data
235 interchange. The business shall separately state the credit on
236 the electronic return. The net amount of tax due and payable
237 must be remitted by electronic funds transfer.
238 Section 6. Section 1002.312, Florida Statutes, is created
239 to read:
240 1002.312 Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and
241 Mathematics (STEAM) schools.—
242 (1) A district school board may establish a Science,
243 Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) school by
244 contracting with a nonprofit organization or a state or local
245 governmental unit to provide a full educational STEAM program
246 that integrates science, technology, engineering, or mathematics
247 with the visual or performing arts, creative writing, or design.
248 An organization that contracts with a district school board to
249 establish a STEAM school may include, but is not limited to, an
250 art museum, a performing arts organization, a state university,
251 a Florida College System institution, a charter school, a civic
252 organization, or a state or local governmental unit.
253 (2) The contract between the district school board and the
254 organization that provides the STEAM school must specify:
255 (a) That the STEAM school will be located at the site of
256 the nonprofit organization.
257 (b) That the STEAM educational program will be supervised
258 by the district school board’s curriculum office.
259 (c) The percentage of FTE funding that the district school
260 board will pay to the STEAM school.
261 (d) Sources of funding in addition to FEFP funding, such as
262 state or local funds, if the district school board contracts
263 with a state or local governmental unit to establish the STEAM
264 school.
265 (e) A description of the STEAM school’s property insurance
266 and liability insurance.
267 (f) That each employee, contract worker, or volunteer that
268 has direct student contact will undergo a state and national
269 background screening pursuant to s. 943.0542, and that the STEAM
270 school will deny employment to, or terminate, an employee or
271 volunteer if he or she fails to meet the screening standards
272 under s. 435.04.
273 (3) Performance outcomes must demonstrate an integration of
274 technology and the arts.
275
276 ================= T I T L E A M E N D M E N T ================
277 And the title is amended as follows:
278 Delete line 66
279 and insert:
280 in other state universities; creating s. 288.126,
281 F.S.; requiring the Department of Economic Opportunity
282 to create economic development zones for science,
283 technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics;
284 authorizing a science, technology, engineering, arts,
285 and mathematics (STEAM) zone in a county with a state
286 university classified as having very high research
287 activity located in the county’s jurisdiction;
288 authorizing the county to apply to the department for
289 a STEAM zone designation; requiring the county to
290 appoint a STEAM zone development agency in its
291 application; providing criteria for the STEAM zone
292 development agency; requiring the STEAM zone
293 development agency to appoint a STEAM zone development
294 board; providing criteria for the board; providing
295 duties of the board; requiring a local governing body
296 that has jurisdiction over a STEAM zone to establish
297 the boundary of the STEAM zone, specify applicable
298 standards, and determine certain eligibility criteria;
299 specifying the incentives and benefits available in
300 the STEAM zones; requiring the department to develop a
301 grant program that applies to a STEAM zone; providing
302 criteria for the awarding of a grant; directing the
303 STEAM zone development agency to perform certain
304 functions; requiring the department to work with the
305 STEAM zone development agency, the Department of
306 Education, and Workforce Florida, Inc., to develop
307 accountability requirements and measurable objectives;
308 providing criteria; providing a monetary incentive cap
309 on the total amount of state credits, refunds, and
310 exemptions that may be provided to eligible businesses
311 for STEAM zone economic incentives; assigning duties
312 for the administration of STEAM zones to the counties
313 that have jurisdiction over STEAM zones; providing for
314 the issuance of certificates to eligible businesses;
315 requiring the county that has jurisdiction over a
316 STEAM zone to certify to the Department of Revenue or
317 the Department of Economic Opportunity the businesses
318 or properties that are eligible for the incentives;
319 requiring the Department of Revenue to send written
320 instructions to eligible businesses for claiming the
321 credit on a sales and use tax return initiated through
322 an electronic data interchange; providing a procedure
323 to deduct a credit against the sales and use tax from
324 the sales and use tax remitted by the business;
325 creating s. 1002.312, F.S.; authorizing a district
326 school board to contract with a nonprofit organization
327 or a state or local governmental unit to establish a
328 STEAM school; specifying the organizations that are
329 authorized to contract with a district school board to
330 establish a STEAM school; requiring certain provisions
331 to be included in a contract to establish a STEAM
332 school; providing that performance outcomes must
333 demonstrate an integration of technology and the arts;
334 amending s. 1004.02,