Florida Senate - 2015 COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
Bill No. CS for SB 292
Ì4658707Î465870
LEGISLATIVE ACTION
Senate . House
Comm: WD .
03/06/2015 .
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Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Tourism, and
Economic Development (Diaz de la Portilla) recommended the
following:
1 Senate Amendment (with title amendment)
2
3 Delete everything after the enacting clause
4 and insert:
5 Section 1. Section 110.1121, Florida Statutes, is created
6 to read:
7 110.1121 Employment opportunity for veterans.—
8 (1) It is the policy of this state to assist in providing
9 the assurance of equal employment opportunity through programs
10 of affirmative and positive action that will allow full
11 utilization of veterans of the United States Armed Forces.
12 (2) The head of each executive agency shall:
13 (a) Develop and implement a veterans recruitment plan in
14 accordance with rules adopted by the department and approved by
15 a majority vote of the Administration Commission before their
16 adoption.
17 (b) Appoint a veterans employment officer. The veterans
18 employment officer’s responsibilities include developing annual
19 employment goals for veterans, monitoring agency compliance, and
20 providing consultation to agency management regarding progress,
21 deficiencies, and appropriate corrective action.
22 (3) Each executive agency shall establish annual goals for
23 ensuring full utilization of veterans in the agency’s workforce
24 as compared to the relevant labor market, as defined by the
25 agency. Each executive agency shall design its veterans
26 recruitment plan to meet its established goals.
27 (4) The department shall:
28 (a) Report information in its annual workforce report
29 relating to the implementation, continuance, updating, and
30 results of each executive agency’s veterans recruitment plan for
31 the previous fiscal year.
32 (b) Provide to all supervisory personnel of the executive
33 agencies training on the principles of veterans recruitment and
34 hiring, the development and implementation of a veterans
35 recruitment plan, and the establishment of veteran employment
36 goals. The department may contract for training services, and
37 each participating agency shall reimburse the department for
38 costs incurred through such contract. After the department
39 approves the contents of the training program for the agencies,
40 the department may delegate this training to the executive
41 agencies.
42 (c) Review and monitor executive agency actions in carrying
43 out the rules adopted by the department pursuant to this
44 section.
45 Section 2. Section 295.24, Florida Statutes, is created to
46 read:
47 295.24 Veterans Employment Small Business Grant Program.
48 The Veterans Employment Small Business Grant Program is created
49 within the Department of Veterans’ Affairs to be administered by
50 Florida Is For Veterans, Inc. The purpose of the program is to
51 stimulate investment in the state’s economy by providing grants
52 to small businesses that hire and employ honorably discharged
53 veterans or disabled veterans with a service-connected
54 disability.
55 (1) As used in this section, the term:
56 (a) “Corporation” means Florida Is For Veterans, Inc.
57 (b) “Small business” means an independently owned and
58 operated, for-profit, and privately held business that employs
59 200 or fewer persons; generates $2 million or less in annual
60 revenue; and has maintained its principal place of business in
61 this state for at least the previous 4 calendar years.
62 (2) The corporation may accept and administer moneys
63 appropriated to the department, for transfer to the corporation,
64 for providing grants to encourage small businesses in this state
65 to hire and employ veterans.
66 (3) A small business that hires a veteran as an employee
67 may receive a one-time grant of:
68 (a) Three thousand dollars for each veteran, as defined in
69 s. 1.01(14).
70 (b) Five thousand dollars for each disabled veteran, as
71 described in s. 295.07(1)(a)1.
72 (4) The grants awarded to a given small business under
73 subsection (3) may not exceed $25,000 per fiscal year.
74 (5) A small business must apply to and enter into an
75 agreement with the corporation in order to participate in the
76 program. The agreement must require that the small business:
77 (a) Employ a qualifying veteran for at least 1 year in
78 order to become eligible for grants awarded under subsection
79 (3).
80 (b) Upon the request of the corporation, report information
81 regarding the employment status of each qualifying veteran.
82 (c) Pay each qualifying veteran an amount equal to at least
83 80 percent of the annual median income for veterans in this
84 state based on the most recent federal census or the most recent
85 American Community Survey 5-year estimates published by the
86 United States Census Bureau.
87 (d) Reinvest any awarded grant moneys in the small business
88 to facilitate further job creation. Reinvestments under this
89 subsection are limited to manufacturing, equipment, and
90 facilities expenditures, or other operating or fixed capital
91 outlay projects.
92 (e) Not receive an additional award for rehiring a veteran
93 previously claimed as an employee within the same small business
94 for purposes of obtaining funds under the program.
95 (f) May receive a grant award only for a veteran initially
96 hired on or after October 1, 2015.
97 (6) The corporation shall notify the regional small
98 business center serving the county in which a participating
99 small business is located of a small business’s participation in
100 the grant program in order to facilitate improved access to the
101 resources of the Florida Small Business Development Center
102 Network.
103 (7) The grant program terminates on the date that all funds
104 appropriated for the program are expended or on October 1, 2025,
105 whichever occurs first.
106 (8) The Department of Veterans’ Affairs may adopt rules to
107 implement and administer this section, including, but not
108 limited to, rules specifying requirements for the application
109 and approval process and the documentation necessary to claim
110 grant moneys awarded under this section.
111 Section 3. Effective July 1, 2015 for the 2015-2016 fiscal
112 year, the sum of $10 million in nonrecurring funds from the
113 General Revenue Fund is appropriated to the Department of
114 Veterans’ Affairs for transfer to Florida Is For Veterans, Inc.,
115 to implement and administer this act. The corporation may award
116 grant moneys up to a maximum of $850,000 per fiscal year. The
117 corporation may spend up to $150,000 per fiscal year of funds
118 transferred by the department for staffing and administrative
119 costs associated with implementation and administration of the
120 program. If any appropriated funds remain upon termination of
121 the program, Florida Is For Veterans, Inc., shall transfer such
122 funds to the Department of Veterans’ Affairs to revert to the
123 General Revenue Fund.
124 Section 4. Except as otherwise expressly provided in this
125 act and except for this section, which shall take effect July 1,
126 2015, this act shall take effect October 1, 2015.
127
128 ================= T I T L E A M E N D M E N T ================
129 And the title is amended as follows:
130 Delete everything before the enacting clause
131 and insert:
132 A bill to be entitled
133 An act relating to veteran support; creating s.
134 110.1121, F.S.; establishing state policy with respect
135 to the employment of veterans in state agencies;
136 requiring the head of each executive agency to develop
137 and implement a veterans recruitment plan and appoint
138 a veterans employment officer; requiring each
139 executive agency to establish annual goals regarding
140 utilization of veterans in the agency’s workforce;
141 requiring the Department of Management Services to
142 report veterans’ employment information in the annual
143 workforce report; requiring the department to provide
144 training to executive agency supervisory personnel;
145 requiring the department to review and monitor
146 executive agency actions; creating s. 295.24, F.S.;
147 creating the Veterans Employment Small Business Grant
148 Program within the Department of Veterans’ Affairs;
149 directing Florida Is For Veterans, Inc., to administer
150 the program; defining terms; authorizing the
151 corporation to accept and administer moneys
152 appropriated for such grants; specifying grant
153 amounts; limiting the amount that a small business may
154 receive under the program; requiring a small business
155 to apply to and enter into an agreement with the
156 corporation to receive grants; providing requirements
157 for participation in the program; providing that a
158 small business may not receive an additional award for
159 rehiring a veteran previously claimed as an employee
160 for purposes of obtaining funds under the program;
161 requiring the corporation to notify the appropriate
162 regional small business center of a small business’s
163 participation; providing for termination of the
164 program; authorizing the department to adopt rules;
165 providing an appropriation; providing effective dates.