Florida 2023 Regular Session

Florida House Bill H0723 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

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10	10	F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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14	14	A bill to be entitled 1
15	15	An act relating to Florida National Guard recruitment; 2
16	16	establishing the Florida National Guard Joint 3
17	17	Enlistment Enhancement Program within the Department 4
18	18	of Military Affairs; providing the purpose of the 5
19	19	program; defining the term "recruiting assistant"; 6
20	20	providing eligibility requirements for participation 7
21	21	in the program; requiring the Adjutant General to 8
22	22	provide compensation to recruiting assistants under 9
23	23	certain circumstances; requiring the department and 10
24	24	the Florida National Guard to adopt rules; providing 11
25	25	an effective date. 12
26	26	13
27	27	WHEREAS, the number of soldiers and airmen allocated to 14
28	28	each state's National Guard, known as its "force structure," is 15
29	29	determined by the United States National Guard Bureau in 16
30	30	Washington, D.C., and 17
31	31	WHEREAS, with approximately 21 million residents, Florida 18
32	32	is the third most populous state in the nation but nevertheless 19
33	33	has a force structure of just over 12,000 Guardsmen, and its 20
34	34	ratio of one Guardsman for every 1,833 residents ranks 53rd 21
35	35	among the 54 states and territories of the United States which 22
36	36	have a National Guard component, and 23
37	37	WHEREAS, the Florida National Guard continues to meet its 24
38	38	mission goals; however, the shortage of these invaluable citizen 25
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40	40	HB 723 2023
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47	47	F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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51	51	soldiers, combined with the state's growing population and 26
52	52	increased need for National Guard activation and response, has 27
53	53	resulted in the repeated deployment of the same soldiers, which 28
54	54	ultimately leads to their excessive fatig ue and negatively 29
55	55	impacts recruitment, retention, and readiness, NOW, THEREFORE, 30
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57	57	Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 32
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59	59	Section 1. Florida National Guard Joint Enlistment 34
60	60	Enhancement Program. — 35
61	61	(1) The Florida National Guard Joi nt Enlistment 36
62	62	Enhancement Program (JEEP) is established within the Department 37
63	63	of Military Affairs. The purpose of the program is to motivate 38
64	64	soldiers, airmen, and retirees of the Florida National Guard to 39
65	65	bolster recruitment efforts and increase the force structure of 40
66	66	the Florida National Guard. 41
67	67	(2) As used in this act, the term "recruiting assistant" 42
68	68	means a member of the Florida National Guard or a retiree of the 43
69	69	Florida National Guard who assists in the recruitment of a new 44
70	70	member and who provides moti vation, encouragement, and moral 45
71	71	support until the enlistment of such new member. Except for a 46
72	72	recruiting and retention non -commissioned officer, a current 47
73	73	member in pay grade E -1 to E-9 or O-1 to O-3 or a retiree in any 48
74	74	pay grade is eligible for participa tion in the JEEP as a 49
75	75	recruiting assistant. 50
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81	81	CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
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84	84	F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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88	88	(3) The Adjutant General shall provide compensation to 51
89	89	recruiting assistants participating in the JEEP. A recruiting 52
90	90	assistant shall receive $250 for each new member referred to the 53
91	91	Florida National Guard and $ 250 upon the enlistment of such 54
92	92	referred member. 55
93	93	(4) The Department of Military Affairs, in cooperation 56
94	94	with the Florida National Guard, shall adopt rules to administer 57
95	95	the program. 58
96	96	Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2023. 59