Florida Senate - 2013                          SENATOR AMENDMENT
       Bill No. SB 1852
       
       
       
       
       
       
                                Barcode 620912                          
       
                              LEGISLATIVE ACTION                        
                    Senate             .             House              
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                 Floor: WD/2R          .                                
             04/25/2013 11:21 AM       .                                
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       Senator Soto moved the following:
       
    1         Senate Amendment to Amendment (754392) 
    2  
    3         Delete lines 37 - 179
    4  and insert:
    5         Section 5. The nonrecurring sum of $20 million is
    6  appropriated from the General Revenue Fund to the Office of the
    7  Attorney General, who must contract directly with regional legal
    8  aid service providers to provide legal aid services to low
    9  income and moderate-income homeowners facing foreclosure.
   10  Administrative costs or fees may not be collected or used by the
   11  Office of the Attorney General, any association, or any
   12  foundation for providing services with the funds appropriated in
   13  this section.
   14         Section 6. The nonrecurring sum of $10 million is
   15  appropriated from the General Revenue Fund in a fixed capital
   16  outlay appropriation category to the Department of Children and
   17  Families for capital improvement grants to certified domestic
   18  violence centers in accordance with s. 39.9055, Florida
   19  Statutes. The Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence shall
   20  serve as the lead entity to create a competitive request for
   21  proposals with the primary focus of increasing bed space and
   22  expanding capacity of emergency shelter services. Award
   23  decisions shall be completed within 60 days after the effective
   24  date of this act.
   25         Section 7. (1) The nonrecurring sum of $20 million is
   26  appropriated from the General Revenue Fund to the Department of
   27  Economic Opportunity to provide a grant to Habitat for Humanity
   28  of Florida for the acquisition and rehabilitation or
   29  reconstruction of existing housing stock to provide affordable
   30  housing to low-income applicants. Habitat for Humanity of
   31  Florida may use up to 1 percent of the grant award for direct
   32  administrative costs.
   33         (2) Habitat for Humanity of Florida shall provide
   34  compliance and oversight for the grant award and shall:
   35         (a) Provide to the Department of Economic Opportunity the
   36  name and contact information for the Habitat for Humanity of
   37  Florida compliance officer, to be updated within 10 business
   38  days after any change.
   39         (b) Develop a request for proposals to be released to the
   40  58 Habitat for Humanity of Florida affiliates no later than 60
   41  days after the effective date of this act. The request for
   42  proposals shall be limited to projects that undertake the
   43  acquisition and rehabilitation or reconstruction of existing
   44  housing stock and provide affordable housing to low-income
   45  applicants.
   46         (c) Use the grant award within 2 years, the start date of
   47  which is 30 days after the request for proposals is released to
   48  the 58 Habitat for Humanity of Florida affiliates.
   49         (d) Provide the 58 Habitat for Humanity of Florida
   50  affiliates a minimum of 30 days to respond to the request for
   51  proposals.
   52         (e) Establish a volunteer committee of at least six members
   53  from any of the 58 Habitat for Humanity of Florida affiliates to
   54  evaluate and rank project proposals received and determine
   55  project awards based on that evaluation and ranking.
   56         1. Project awards shall be provided on a cost-reimbursement
   57  basis for work completed and paid for by the Habitat for
   58  Humanity of Florida affiliate for a qualifying home that was
   59  acquired and rehabilitated or reconstructed for a low-income
   60  applicant.
   61         2. The Habitat for Humanity of Florida compliance officer
   62  is responsible for verifying that all project work is completed
   63  and has been paid for by the Habitat for Humanity of Florida
   64  affiliate before a cost reimbursement.
   65         3. A Habitat for Humanity of Florida affiliate may not
   66  receive cost reimbursements in excess of 10 percent of the total
   67  appropriation, except that an affiliate may receive cost
   68  reimbursements in excess of 10 percent during the second year if
   69  the only project proposals remaining are from Habitat for
   70  Humanity of Florida affiliates that have reached the 10-percent
   71  cap.
   72         (f) Provide technical support and assistance for the use of
   73  grant award funds by the Habitat for Humanity of Florida
   74  affiliates, which shall not exceed 2 percent of the grant award.
   75         (g) Submit a quarterly progress report to the Department of
   76  Economic Opportunity within 30 days after the end of each
   77  quarter until all grant award funds have been expended. The
   78  quarterly progress report shall include, but need not be limited
   79  to:
   80         1. Events occurring during the quarter, or anticipated to
   81  occur in the near future, which affect the ability of Habitat
   82  for Humanity of Florida to use the grant award for the intended
   83  purpose pursuant to this section.
   84         2. Action plans for addressing any policy and
   85  administrative issues.
   86         3. Habitat for Humanity of Florida efforts related to
   87  collecting and verifying data.
   88         4. Data collected and verified, such as the number of
   89  existing housing stock acquired and rehabilitated or
   90  reconstructed for the quarter and to date, the number of
   91  requests for proposals received, and income data on applicants
   92  who are using the provided housing.
   93         5. Grant award data disaggregated by recipient and
   94  activity, such as technical support and assistance, direct
   95  administrative costs, housing acquisition, and housing
   96  rehabilitation or reconstruction.
   97         6. Activities related to technical support and assistance.
   98         7. The name of each volunteer committee member and his or
   99  her Habitat for Humanity of Florida affiliate.
  100         8. Progress toward meeting the goal of spending the full
  101  grant award within 2 years, the start date of which is 30 days
  102  after the request for proposals is released to the 58 Habitat
  103  for Humanity of Florida affiliates.
  104         (h) Submit annually by September 1 to the Department of
  105  Economic Opportunity a financial audit performed by an
  106  independent certified public accountant for the most recently
  107  completed fiscal year which establishes that no material
  108  weaknesses or instances of material noncompliance exist.
  109         (3) The Department of Economic Opportunity shall submit a
  110  copy of each financial audit from Habitat for Humanity of
  111  Florida to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the
  112  House of Representatives within 15 days after its receipt.
  113         (4) Any funds that are not expended or encumbered by June
  114  30, 2015, and any funds that were deemed encumbered on June 30,
  115  2015, and not expended by September 30, 2015, shall be repaid by
  116  Habitat for Humanity of Florida to the Department of Financial
  117  Services for deposit into the State Housing Trust Fund within
  118  the Department of Economic Opportunity. A final audit shall be
  119  submitted to the Department of Economic Opportunity by January
  120  30, 2016, for any expenditures made after June 30, 2015.
  121         Section 8. The nonrecurring sum of $50 million is
  122  appropriated from the General Revenue Fund to the Department of
  123  Economic Opportunity for transfer to the Florida Housing Finance
  124  Corporation (FHFC) to provide funding to reduce rents on new or
  125  existing rental units through the State Apartment Incentive Loan
  126  Program created under s. 420.5087, Florida Statutes.
  127  Notwithstanding s. 420.5087, Florida Statutes, $25 million of
  128  these funds shall be reserved for rental units for the elderly
  129  as defined in s. 420.0004, Florida Statutes, and $25 million
  130  shall be reserved for rental units for extremely-low-income
  131  persons as defined in s. 420.0004, Florida Statutes.
  132         Section 9. (1) The nonrecurring sum of $10 million is
  133  appropriated from the General Revenue Fund to the Department of
  134  Economic Opportunity for transfer to the Florida Housing Finance
  135  Corporation (FHFC) to fund the construction or rehabilitation of
  136  units through the State Apartment Incentive Loan Program (SAIL).
  137         (2) Each SAIL development that receives funds under this
  138  section must include up to 25 percent, but not less than 10
  139  percent, of its units designed, constructed, and targeted for
  140  persons with developmental disabilities as defined in s.
  141  393.063, Florida Statutes. Each development shall be required to
  142  enter into an agreement with at least one designated supportive
  143  services lead agency, such as the local Center for Independent
  144  Living, the Agency for Persons with Disabilities, or any other
  145  such agency approved by FHFC, for the purpose of coordinating
  146  services and housing for persons with disabilities.
  147         Section 10. (1) The nonrecurring sum of $30 million is