Florida Senate - 2024                                     SB 408
       
       
        
       By Senator Burgess
       
       
       
       
       
       23-00591C-24                                           2024408__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to the Florida Veterans’ History
    3         Program; creating s. 265.8021, F.S.; defining the term
    4         “veteran”; creating the Florida Veterans’ History
    5         Program within the Division of Arts and Culture of the
    6         Department of State as a Florida Folklife Program;
    7         providing the program’s purpose; authorizing the
    8         division to request assistance from the Department of
    9         Veterans’ Affairs; requiring the division’s
   10         folklorists to seek out and identify certain veterans;
   11         authorizing the division or a folklorist to interview
   12         such veterans or invite them to submit written or
   13         electronic accounts of their experiences; authorizing
   14         the division to contract with a third-party vendor for
   15         a specified purpose; authorizing the division to adopt
   16         rules; providing an effective date.
   17          
   18  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   19  
   20         Section 1. Section 265.8021, Florida Statutes, is created
   21  to read:
   22         265.8021 Florida Veterans’ History Program.—
   23         (1) As used in this section, the term “veteran” has the
   24  same meaning as in s. 1.01(14).
   25         (2) There is created the Florida Veterans’ History Program
   26  within the Division of Arts and Culture as a Florida Folklife
   27  Program to collect and preserve the stories and experiences of
   28  Florida’s veterans and the State of Florida’s military
   29  contributions throughout the nation’s history. The division may
   30  request assistance with the program from the Department of
   31  Veterans’ Affairs.
   32         (3) In order to collect and preserve the stories and
   33  experiences of Florida’s veterans and the State of Florida’s
   34  military contributions throughout the nation’s history, the
   35  division’s folklorists shall seek out and identify those
   36  veterans who are willing to share their experiences. The
   37  division or a folklorist may interview veterans or invite
   38  veterans to submit written or electronic accounts of their
   39  experiences for inclusion in the program.
   40         (4) As provided in s. 265.802, the division may contract
   41  with a third-party vendor to fulfill its responsibilities under
   42  subsection (3).
   43         (5) The division may adopt rules to implement the program.
   44         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2024.