Florida Senate - 2016                                     SB 556
       
       
        
       By Senator Altman
       
       
       
       
       
       16-00283A-16                                           2016556__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to the Florida Commission on Poverty;
    3         creating the commission within the Department of
    4         Economic Opportunity; specifying the membership of the
    5         commission and the duration of members’ terms;
    6         authorizing reimbursement for per diem and travel
    7         expenses; prescribing the powers and duties of the
    8         commission; requiring the commission to annually
    9         submit a report to the Governor and the Legislature;
   10         providing an effective date.
   11          
   12  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   13  
   14         Section 1. Florida Commission on Poverty.—
   15         (1) The Florida Commission on Poverty is established and
   16  assigned to the Department of Economic Opportunity. The
   17  commission shall serve as an advisory board to the Governor and
   18  Cabinet, the Legislature, and appropriate state agencies and
   19  entities on matters relating to poverty.
   20         (2) The commission shall consist of one voting member
   21  appointed by the Governor, one voting member appointed by the
   22  Chief Financial Officer, one voting member appointed by the
   23  President of the Senate, one voting member appointed by the
   24  Speaker of the House of Representatives, and one voting member
   25  from the Florida Association for Community Action, Inc. All
   26  appointees must be confirmed by the Senate. The Governor may
   27  additionally appoint any number of nonvoting members who may
   28  concurrently hold public office with his or her term of service.
   29  Members of the commission must be residents of this state.
   30         (3) Members of the commission shall be appointed for 4-year
   31  terms and may be reappointed for successive terms. A vacancy
   32  shall be filled for the remainder of the unexpired term in the
   33  same manner as the original appointment.
   34         (4) The commission shall meet at least twice each year at
   35  the call of the chair or at the request of a majority of its
   36  total voting membership. A majority of the total voting
   37  membership constitutes a quorum, and the affirmative vote of a
   38  majority of a quorum is necessary to take official action.
   39         (5) Members of the commission shall serve without
   40  compensation, but voting members are entitled to reimbursement
   41  for per diem and travel expenses in accordance with s. 112.061,
   42  Florida Statutes.
   43         (6) The commission shall:
   44         (a) Annually elect a chair, who must be a voting member of
   45  the commission, and a vice chair.
   46         (b) Conduct a study and develop strategies to address the
   47  causes of poverty in the state.
   48         (c) Solicit the participation of counties in the study. A
   49  county that wishes to participate must submit an application to
   50  the commission that outlines current issues relating to poverty
   51  in that county. The commission shall develop procedures to
   52  approve or deny applications for participation.
   53         (7) The commission may:
   54         (a) Procure information and assistance from the state or
   55  any political subdivision, municipality, public officer, or
   56  governmental department or agency thereof.
   57         (b) Contract for necessary goods and services.
   58         (c) Apply for and accept funds, grants, gifts, and services
   59  from any local government, state government, or the Federal
   60  Government, or an agency thereof, or any other public or private
   61  source for the purpose of defraying clerical and administrative
   62  costs as may be necessary to carry out its duties under this
   63  section.
   64         (8) By January 15 of each year, the commission shall submit
   65  an annual report to the Governor, the President of the Senate,
   66  and the Speaker of the House of Representatives containing an
   67  accounting of its activities and recommendations for
   68  legislative, administrative, and regulatory reforms to
   69  facilitate efforts in mitigating the existence of poverty in
   70  this state.
   71         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2016.