Florida Senate - 2015 CS for CS for SB 1296
By the Committees on Appropriations; and Military and Veterans
Affairs, Space, and Domestic Security; and Senator Bean
576-04244-15 20151296c2
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to military and veterans affairs;
3 creating the Military and Overseas Voting Assistance
4 Task Force within the Department of State; specifying
5 membership of the task force; authorizing
6 reimbursement for per diem and travel expenses;
7 prescribing duties of the task force; requiring
8 submission of a report to the Governor and the
9 Legislature by a specified date; providing for
10 expiration of the task force; providing for staffing;
11 providing legislative findings regarding continuing
12 education for veterans of the United States Armed
13 Forces; providing legislative intent for the State
14 Board of Education and the Board of Governors of the
15 State University System to work collaboratively to
16 align existing degree programs at state universities
17 and Florida College System institutions, train
18 faculty, incorporate outreach services into existing
19 disability services, facilitate statewide meetings for
20 personnel, and provide sufficient courses and priority
21 registration to veterans; amending s. 322.08, F.S.;
22 requiring the application form for an original,
23 renewal, or replacement driver license or
24 identification card to include a voluntary checkoff
25 authorizing veterans to request written or electronic
26 information on federal, state, and local benefits and
27 services for veterans; requiring the requested
28 information to be delivered by a third-party provider;
29 requiring the Department of Highway Safety and Motor
30 Vehicles to report monthly to the Department of
31 Veterans’ Affairs the names and mailing or e-mail
32 addresses of veterans who request information;
33 requiring the Department of Veterans’ Affairs to
34 disseminate veteran contact information to the third
35 party provider; requiring that the third-party
36 provider be a nonprofit organization; defining the
37 term “nonprofit organization”; requiring that the
38 Department of Veterans’ Affairs provide veteran
39 contact information to the appropriate county or city
40 veteran service officer; specifying that a third-party
41 provider may use veteran contact information only as
42 authorized; prohibiting a third-party provider from
43 selling veteran contact information; requiring a
44 third-party provider to maintain confidentiality of
45 veteran contact information under specified
46 provisions; providing a penalty; providing an
47 effective date.
48
49 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
50
51 Section 1. Military and Overseas Voting Assistance Task
52 Force.—The Military and Overseas Voting Assistance Task Force, a
53 task force as defined in s. 20.03, Florida Statutes, is created
54 within the Department of State. The task force is created for
55 the express purpose of studying issues involving the development
56 and implementation of an online voting system that allows absent
57 uniformed services voters who are overseas to electronically
58 submit voted ballots.
59 (1) The task force is composed of 20 members, as follows:
60 (a) The Secretary of State or his or her designee, who
61 shall serve as chair of the task force.
62 (b) The Adjutant General or his or her designee.
63 (c) The executive director of the Department of Veterans’
64 Affairs or his or her designee.
65 (d) The executive director of the Agency for State
66 Technology or his or her designee.
67 (e) One member of the Senate appointed by the President of
68 the Senate.
69 (f) One member of the House of Representatives appointed by
70 the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
71 (g) One member of the Senate appointed by the Minority
72 Leader of the Senate.
73 (h) One member of the House of Representatives appointed by
74 the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives.
75 (i) One member appointed by the Governor.
76 (j) Six supervisors of elections appointed by the Secretary
77 of State.
78 (k) Five individuals appointed by the Secretary of State,
79 with relevant expertise in computers, the Internet, or other
80 associated technologies.
81 (2) Members of the task force shall serve without
82 compensation, but are entitled to reimbursement for per diem and
83 travel expenses pursuant to s. 112.061, Florida Statutes.
84 (3) The task force, at a minimum, shall study and report on
85 the following issues:
86 (a) Any factor that limits the ability of absent uniformed
87 services voters who are overseas to request, receive, and return
88 absentee ballots within the current statutory time period for
89 casting absentee ballots.
90 (b) The costs associated with the development and
91 implementation of an online voting system.
92 (c) The feasibility of absent uniformed services voters who
93 are overseas using an online voting system to electronically
94 submit a voted ballot.
95 (d) The security of electronically submitting a voted
96 ballot through an online voting system.
97 (e) Procedures adopted by other states to facilitate
98 greater electoral participation among absent uniformed services
99 voters who are overseas.
100 (4) The Secretary of State shall submit a report to the
101 Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the
102 House of Representatives by July 1, 2016, containing the task
103 force’s recommendation concerning whether the state should
104 pursue the development and implementation of an online voting
105 system that allows absent uniformed services voters who are
106 overseas to electronically submit voted ballots. If the task
107 force favorably recommends an online voting system, the report
108 must include recommended steps for developing and implementing
109 such a system. Upon submission of the report, the task force
110 shall expire.
111 (5) The Division of Elections of the Department of State
112 shall provide support staff for the task force. The Agency for
113 State Technology shall assist the task force upon request.
114 Section 2. The Legislature finds that many veterans of the
115 United States Armed Forces in this state have completed training
116 and coursework during their military service, including overseas
117 deployments, resulting in tangible and quantifiable strides in
118 their pursuit of a postsecondary degree. The Legislature further
119 finds that the State Board of Education and the Board of
120 Governors of the State University System must work together to
121 ensure that military training and coursework are granted
122 academic credit in order to assist veterans in continuing their
123 education. Therefore, it is the intent of the Legislature that
124 the State Board of Education and the Board of Governors work
125 collaboratively to:
126 (1) Align existing degree programs, including, but not
127 limited to, vocational and technical degrees, at each state
128 university and Florida College System institution with
129 applicable military training and experience to maximize academic
130 credit awarded for such training and experience.
131 (2) Appoint and train specific faculty within each degree
132 program at each state university and Florida College System
133 institution as liaisons and contacts for veterans.
134 (3) Incorporate outreach services tailored to disabled
135 veterans into existing disability services on the campus of each
136 state university and Florida College System institution to make
137 available to such veterans information on disability services
138 provided by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs,
139 other federal and state agencies, and private entities.
140 (4) Facilitate statewide meetings for personnel at state
141 universities and Florida College System institutions who provide
142 student services for veterans to discuss and develop best
143 practices, exchange ideas and experiences, and attend
144 presentations by individuals with expertise in the unique needs
145 of veterans.
146 (5) Make every effort to provide veterans with sufficient
147 courses required for graduation, including, but not limited to,
148 giving priority registration to veterans.
149 Section 3. Present subsection (8) of section 322.08,
150 Florida Statutes, is redesignated as subsection (9), and a new
151 subsection (8) is added to that section, to read:
152 322.08 Application for license; requirements for license
153 and identification card forms.—
154 (8)(a) To support the carrying out of the duties of the
155 Department of Veterans’ Affairs prescribed in s. 292.05 and to
156 facilitate outreach to veterans residing in this state, the
157 application form for an original, renewal, or replacement driver
158 license or identification card must include a voluntary checkoff
159 authorizing a veteran of the United States Armed Forces to
160 request written or electronic information on federal, state, and
161 local benefits and services available to veterans. The veteran
162 may elect to receive requested information through United States
163 mail or by e-mail. The requested information shall be delivered
164 to the veteran by any third party provider selected by the
165 Department of Veterans’ Affairs to act on its behalf.
166 (b) The department shall collaborate with the Department of
167 Veterans’ Affairs to administer this subsection. The department
168 shall report monthly to the Department of Veterans’ Affairs the
169 name and mailing address or e-mail address of each veteran who
170 requests information as provided in paragraph (a). Following
171 receipt of the monthly report, the Department of Veterans’
172 Affairs shall disseminate the contact information for each such
173 veteran to the third-party provider acting on its behalf. The
174 third-party provider must be a nonprofit organization with
175 sufficient ability to communicate with veterans residing
176 throughout this state. For purposes of this paragraph, the term
177 “nonprofit organization” means an organization exempt from the
178 federal income tax under s. 501 of the Internal Revenue Code of
179 1986 or any federal, state, or local governmental entity.
180 (c) In addition to the requirements of paragraph (b), the
181 Department of Veterans’ Affairs shall disseminate the contact
182 information for a veteran who selects the voluntary checkoff to
183 the appropriate county or city veteran service officer in order
184 to facilitate further outreach to veterans.
185 (d)1. The contact information of a veteran which is
186 obtained by a third-party provider pursuant to this subsection
187 may be used only as authorized by this subsection. The third
188 party provider may not sell such contact information. Except as
189 otherwise provided, the third-party provider must maintain the
190 confidentiality of the contact information in accordance with
191 chapter 119 and the federal Driver’s Privacy Protection Act of
192 1994, 18 U.S.C. ss. 2721 et seq.
193 2. A person who willfully and knowingly violates this
194 paragraph commits a misdemeanor of the first degree, punishable
195 as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083.
196 Section 4. This act shall take effect July 1, 2015.