Florida Senate - 2016                              CS for SB 556
       
       
        
       By the Committee on Fiscal Policy; and Senator Altman
       
       594-04395-16                                           2016556c1
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to the Florida Council on Poverty;
    3         establishing the council within the Department of
    4         Economic Opportunity; specifying the membership of the
    5         council; providing for organization of the council;
    6         authorizing reimbursement for per diem and travel
    7         expenses; prescribing the scope of the council’s
    8         activities; requiring the council to annually submit a
    9         report to the Governor and Legislature; requiring the
   10         council’s abolition by a specific date; providing an
   11         effective date.
   12          
   13  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   14  
   15         Section 1. Florida Council on Poverty.—
   16         (1)ESTABLISHMENT OF THE COUNCIL.—The Florida Council on
   17  Poverty is established and assigned to the Department of
   18  Economic Opportunity as an advisory council, as defined in s.
   19  20.03, Florida Statutes. The council shall be administratively
   20  housed within the Department of Economic Opportunity.
   21         (2)COUNCIL MEMBERSHIP.—The council shall consist of five
   22  members who shall be residents of this state. The members shall
   23  be appointed as follows:
   24         (a)The Governor shall appoint one member who must be from
   25  the Florida Association for Community Action, Inc.
   26         (b)The Chief Financial Officer shall appoint one member.
   27         (c)The Commissioner of Agriculture shall appoint one
   28  member.
   29         (d)The President of the Senate shall appoint one member.
   30         (e)The Speaker of the House of Representatives shall
   31  appoint one member.
   32         (3)MEETINGS; ORGANIZATION.—
   33         (a)The first meeting of the council shall be held no later
   34  than August 1, 2016. Thereafter, the council shall meet at least
   35  twice each year. Meetings may be held via teleconference or
   36  other electronic means.
   37         (b)Members of the council shall annually elect from its
   38  membership a chair and vice chair. The council shall meet at the
   39  call of the chair or at such times as may be prescribed by the
   40  council.
   41         (c)Three members of the council constitute a quorum, and a
   42  meeting may not be held unless a quorum is present. The
   43  affirmative vote of a majority of the members of the council
   44  present is necessary for any official action by the council.
   45         (d)Members of the council shall serve without compensation
   46  but may be reimbursed for per diem and travel expenses in
   47  accordance with s. 112.061, Florida Statutes.
   48         (4)SCOPE OF ACTIVITIES.—The council shall:
   49         (a)Conduct a review of policies and programs that work to
   50  move people out of poverty.
   51         (b)Develop strategies to address the causes of poverty in
   52  the state.
   53         (c)Develop recommendations to reduce the percentage of
   54  people living in poverty in the state.
   55         (d)Study the academic outcomes for children in poverty and
   56  develop recommendations on how to improve such outcomes.
   57         (5)REPORT.—By January 15 of each year, beginning in 2018,
   58  the council shall submit an annual report to the Governor, the
   59  President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of
   60  Representatives containing an accounting of its activities and
   61  recommendations for legislative, administrative, and regulatory
   62  reforms to facilitate efforts in mitigating the existence of
   63  poverty in this state.
   64         (6)TERMINATION.—The Florida Council on Poverty shall be
   65  abolished on July 1, 2019.
   66         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2016.