Florida Senate - 2024                              CS for SB 408
       
       
        
       By the Appropriations Committee on Transportation, Tourism, and
       Economic Development; and Senators Burgess, Perry, and Collins
       
       
       
       
       606-02462-24                                           2024408c1
    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 appropriation and authorizing a
   17         position; providing an effective date.
   18          
   19  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   20  
   21         Section 1. Section 265.8021, Florida Statutes, is created
   22  to read:
   23         265.8021 Florida Veterans’ History Program.—
   24         (1) As used in this section, the term “veteran” has the
   25  same meaning as in s. 1.01(14).
   26         (2) There is created the Florida Veterans’ History Program
   27  within the Division of Arts and Culture as a Florida Folklife
   28  Program to collect and preserve the stories and experiences of
   29  Florida’s veterans and the State of Florida’s military
   30  contributions throughout the nation’s history. The division may
   31  request assistance with the program from the Department of
   32  Veterans’ Affairs.
   33         (3) In order to collect and preserve the stories and
   34  experiences of Florida’s veterans and the State of Florida’s
   35  military contributions throughout the nation’s history, the
   36  division’s folklorists shall seek out and identify those
   37  veterans who are willing to share their experiences. The
   38  division or a folklorist may interview veterans or invite
   39  veterans to submit written or electronic accounts of their
   40  experiences for inclusion in the program.
   41         (4) As provided in s. 265.802, the division may contract
   42  with a third-party vendor to fulfill its responsibilities under
   43  subsection (3).
   44         (5) The division may adopt rules to implement the program.
   45         Section 2. For the 2024-2025 fiscal year, the sum of
   46  $91,207 in recurring funds from the General Revenue Fund is
   47  appropriated to the Division of Arts and Culture of the
   48  Department of State, and one full-time equivalent position with
   49  associated salary rate of 68,771 is authorized, to implement and
   50  administer the Florida Veterans’ History Program as created by
   51  this act.
   52         Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2024.