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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
A bill to be entitled 1
An act relating to veterans; amending s. 295.21, F.S.; 2
revising the purpose of Florida Is For Veterans, Inc.; 3
revising the duties of the corporation to require that 4
it conduct specified activities directed toward its 5
target market; defining the term "targe t market"; 6
deleting obsolete language; providing that the 7
President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House 8
of Representatives may each appoint only one member 9
from his or her chamber to the corporation's board of 10
directors; making technical changes; am ending s. 11
295.22, F.S.; defining terms; revising the purpose of 12
the Veterans Employment and Training Services Program; 13
revising the functions that Florida Is For Veterans, 14
Inc., must perform in administering a specified 15
program; authorizing the program to prioritize grant 16
funds; revising the uses of specified grant funds; 17
authorizing a business to receive certain other grant 18
funds in addition to specified grant funds; 19
authorizing the use of grant funds to provide for a 20
specified educational stipend; requiri ng the 21
corporation and the University of Florida to enter 22
into a grant agreement before certain funds are 23
expended; requiring the corporation to determine the 24
amount of the stipend; providing that specified 25
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training must occur for a specified duration; 26
authorizing the corporation to provide certain 27
assistance to state agencies and entities, to provide 28
a website that has relevant hyperlinks, and to 29
collaborate with specified state agencies and other 30
entities for specified purposes;; conforming 31
provisions to changes made by the act; making 32
technical changes; creating s. 295.25, F.S.; 33
prohibiting the Department of State from charging 34
veterans who reside in this state fees for the filing 35
of specified documents; amending s. 379.353, F.S.; 36
providing free hunting, freshwater fishing, and 37
saltwater fishing licenses to certain disabled 38
veterans; amending s. 381.78, F.S.; revising the 39
membership, appointment, and meetings of the advisory 40
council on brain and spinal cord injuries; amending s. 41
1003.42, F.S.; requiring in struction on the history 42
and importance of Veterans' Day and Memorial Day; 43
requiring that certain instruction consist of two 45 -44
minute lessons that occur within a certain timeframe; 45
amending s. 288.0001, F.S.; conforming a cross -46
reference; reenacting ss. 3 79.3581(2)(b) and 47
379.401(2)(b) and (3)(b), F.S., relating to special 48
authorization hunting licenses and the suspension and 49
forfeiture of licenses and permits, respectively, to 50
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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
incorporate the amendment made to s. 379.353, F.S., in 51
references thereto; prov iding an effective date. 52
53
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 54
55
Section 1. Subsection (2), paragraph (a) of subsection 56
(3), and paragraph (a) of subsection (4) of section 295.21, 57
Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 58
295.21 Florida Is For Veterans, Inc. — 59
(2) PURPOSE.—The purpose of the corporation is to serve as 60
the state's initial point of military transition assistance 61
dedicated to promoting promote Florida as a veteran -friendly 62
state helping that seeks to provide veterans and their spouses 63
with employment opportunities and promoting that promotes the 64
hiring of veterans and their spouses by the business community. 65
The corporation shall encourage retired and recently separated 66
military personnel to remain in this the state or to make this 67
the state their permanent residence. The corporation shall 68
promote the value of military skill sets to businesses in this 69
the state, assist in tailoring the training of veterans and 70
their spouses to match the needs of the employment marke tplace, 71
and enhance the entrepreneurial skills of veterans and their 72
spouses. 73
(3) DUTIES.—The corporation shall: 74
(a) Conduct marketing, awareness, and outreach activities 75
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directed toward its target market. As used in this section, the 76
term "target market" means those members, and their spouses, of 77
the United States Armed Forces with 24 months or less until 78
discharge, veterans with 36 months or less since discharge, and 79
members of the Florida National Guard or reserves research to 80
identify the target mar ket and the educational and employment 81
needs of those in the target market. The corporation shall 82
contract with at least one entity pursuant to the competitive 83
bidding requirements in s. 287.057 and the provisions of s. 84
295.187 to perform the research. Suc h entity must have 85
experience conducting market research on the veteran 86
demographic. The corporation shall seek input from the Florida 87
Tourism Industry Marketing Corporation on the scope, process, 88
and focus of such research . 89
(4) GOVERNANCE.— 90
(a) The corporation shall be governed by a nine -member 91
board of directors. The Governor, the President of the Senate, 92
and the Speaker of the House of Representatives shall each 93
appoint three members to the board. In making appointments, the 94
Governor, the President o f the Senate, and the Speaker of the 95
House of Representatives must consider representation by active 96
or retired military personnel and their spouses , representing a 97
range of ages and persons with expertise in business, education, 98
marketing, and information management. The President of the 99
Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives may each 100
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appoint only one member from the body over which he or she 101
presides. 102
Section 2. Section 295.22, Florida Statutes, is amended to 103
read: 104
295.22 Veterans Employment and Training Services Program. — 105
(1) LEGISLATIVE FINDINGS AND INTENT. —The Legislature finds 106
that the state has a compelling interest in ensuring that each 107
veteran or his or her spouse who is a resident of this the state 108
finds employment that meet s his or her professional goals and 109
receives the training or education necessary to meet those 110
goals. The Legislature also finds that connecting dedicated, 111
well-trained veterans with businesses that need a dedicated, 112
well-trained workforce is of paramount importance. The 113
Legislature recognizes that veterans or their spouses may not 114
currently have the skills to meet the workforce needs of Florida 115
employers and may require assistance in obtaining additional 116
workforce training or in transitioning their skills to meet the 117
demands of the marketplace. It is the intent of the Legislature 118
that the Veterans Employment and Training Services Program 119
coordinate and meet the needs of veterans and their spouses and 120
the business community to enhance the economy of this sta te. 121
(2) DEFINITIONS.—For the purposes of this section, the 122
term: 123
(a) "Secondary industry business" is a business that the 124
state has an additional interest in supporting and for which 125
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veterans and their spouses may have directly transferrable 126
skills. These businesses are in the fields of health care, 127
agriculture, commercial construction, education, law 128
enforcement, and public service. 129
(b) "Spouse" means a person who is married to a veteran, 130
or a person who was married to a veteran killed in action and is 131
not remarried. 132
(c) "Target industry business" is a business as defined in 133
s. 288.005. 134
(d) "Target market" has the same meaning as in s. 135
295.21(3)(a). 136
(e) "Veteran" means a person who the definition of veteran 137
in s. 1.01(14) or is an active or form er member of the National 138
Guard or United States Coast Guard, including reserve 139
components. 140
(3) CREATION.—The Veterans Employment and Training 141
Services Program is created within the Department of Veterans' 142
Affairs to assist in connecting linking veterans or their 143
spouses in search of employment with businesses seeking to hire 144
dedicated, well-trained workers and with opportunities for 145
entrepreneurship education, training, and resources . The purpose 146
of the program is to meet the workforce demands of busines ses in 147
this the state by facilitating access to training and education 148
in high-demand fields for veterans or their spouses and to 149
inspire the growth and development of veteran -owned small 150
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businesses. 151
(4)(3) ADMINISTRATION.—Florida Is For Veterans, Inc., 152
shall administer the Veterans Employment and Training Services 153
Program and perform all of the following functions: 154
(a) Conduct marketing and recruiting efforts directed at 155
veterans or their spouses within the target market who reside in 156
or who have an interest in relocating to this state and who are 157
seeking employment. Marketing must include information related 158
to how a veteran's military experience can be valuable to a 159
target industry or secondary industry business. Such efforts may 160
include attending vet eran job fairs and events, hosting events 161
for veterans and their spouses or the business community, and 162
using digital and social media and direct mail campaigns. The 163
corporation shall also include such marketing as part of its 164
main marketing campaign. 165
(b) Assist veterans or their spouses who reside in or 166
relocate to this state and who are seeking employment with 167
target industry or secondary industry businesses . The 168
corporation shall offer skills assessments to veterans or their 169
spouses and assist them in establishing employment goals and 170
applying for and achieving gainful employment. 171
1. Assessment may include skill match information, skill 172
gap analysis, résumé creation, translation of military skills 173
into civilian workforce skills, and translation of mil itary 174
achievements and experience into generally understood civilian 175
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workforce skills. 176
2. Assistance may include providing the veteran or his or 177
her spouse with information on current workforce demand by 178
industry or geographic region, creating employment goals, and 179
aiding or teaching general knowledge related to completing 180
applications. The corporation may provide information related to 181
industry certifications approved by the Department of Education 182
under s. 1008.44 as well as information related to earni ng 183
academic college credit at public postsecondary educational 184
institutions for college -level training and education acquired 185
in the military under s. 1004.096. 186
3. The corporation shall encourage veterans or their 187
spouses to register with the state's job bank system and may 188
refer veterans to local one -stop career centers for further 189
services. The corporation shall provide each veteran with 190
information about state workforce programs and shall consolidate 191
information about all available resources on one web site that, 192
if possible, includes a hyperlink to each resource's website and 193
contact information, if available. 194
4. Assessment and assistance may be in person or by 195
electronic means, as determined by the corporation to be most 196
efficient and best meet the n eeds of veterans or their spouses. 197
(c) Assist Florida target industry and secondary industry 198
businesses in recruiting and hiring veterans and veterans' 199
spouses. The corporation shall provide services to Florida 200
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businesses to meet their hiring needs by co nnecting businesses 201
with suitable veteran applicants for employment. Suitable 202
applicants include veterans or veterans' spouses who have 203
appropriate job skills or may need additional training to meet 204
the specific needs of a business. The corporation shall a lso 205
provide information about the state and federal benefits of 206
hiring veterans. 207
(d) Create a grant program to provide funding to assist 208
veterans in meeting the workforce -skill needs of target industry 209
and secondary industry businesses seeking to hire, p romote, or 210
generally improve specialized skills of veterans, establish 211
criteria for approval of requests for funding, and maximize the 212
use of funding for this program. Grant funds may be used only in 213
the absence of available veteran -specific federally fund ed 214
programs. Grants may fund specialized training specific to a 215
particular business. 216
1. The program may prioritize If grant funds to be are 217
used to provide a technical certificate, a license licensure, or 218
nondegree training from the Master Credentials Li st pursuant to 219
s. 445.004(4)(h); any federally created certifications or 220
licenses; and any skills -based industry certifications or 221
licenses deemed relevant or necessary by the corporation. a 222
degree, Funds may be allocated only upon a review that includes, 223
but is not limited to, documentation of accreditation and 224
licensure. Instruction funded through the program terminates 225
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when participants demonstrate competence at the level specified 226
in the request but may not exceed 12 months. Preference shall be 227
given to target industry businesses, as defined in s. 288.005, 228
and to businesses in the defense supply, cloud virtualization, 229
health care, or commercial aviation manufacturing industries. 230
2. Costs and expenditures are shall be limited to $8,000 231
per veteran trainee. Qualified businesses must cover the entire 232
cost for all of the training provided before receiving 233
reimbursement from the corporation equal to 50 percent of the 234
cost to train a veteran who is a permanent, full -time employee. 235
Eligible costs and expenditu res include, but are not limited to : 236
a. Tuition and fees. 237
b. Books and classroom materials. 238
c. Rental fees for facilities. 239
3. Before funds are allocated for a request pursuant to 240
this section, the corporation shall prepare a grant agreement 241
between the business requesting funds and the corporation. Such 242
agreement must include, but need not be limited to: 243
a. Identification of the personnel necessary to conduct 244
the instructional program, instructional program description, 245
and any vendors used to con duct the instructional program. 246
b. Identification of the estimated duration of the 247
instructional program. 248
c. Identification of all direct, training -related costs. 249
d. Identification of special program requirements that are 250
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not otherwise addressed in t he agreement. 251
e. Permission to access aggregate information specific to 252
the wages and performance of participants upon the completion of 253
instruction for evaluation purposes. The agreement must specify 254
that any evaluation published subsequent to the instr uction may 255
not identify the employer or any individual participant. 256
4. A business may receive a grant under any state program 257
the Quick-Response Training Program created under s. 288.047 and 258
a grant under this section for the same veteran trainee. 259
5. A portion of grant funds, as determined by the 260
corporation, may be used for veterans who are not active members 261
of the United States Armed Forces for educational stipends while 262
training at any location of the University of Florida's 263
Institute of Food and Ag ricultural Sciences within this state. 264
The corporation and the University of Florida shall enter into a 265
grant agreement before funds are expended. The corporation must 266
determine the amount of the stipend. The training for any 267
individual may not be less tha n 4 months and not more than 6 268
months. 269
(e) Contract with one or more entities to administer an 270
entrepreneur initiative program for veterans in this state which 271
connects business leaders in the state with veterans seeking to 272
become entrepreneurs. 273
1. The corporation shall award each contract in accordance 274
with the competitive bidding requirements in s. 287.057 to one 275
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or more public or private entities that: 276
a. Demonstrate the ability to implement the program and 277
the commitment of resources, including financial resources, to 278
such programs. 279
b. Have a demonstrated experience working with veteran 280
entrepreneurs. 281
c. As determined by the corporation, have been recognized 282
for their performance in assisting entrepreneurs to launch 283
successful businesses in this the state. 284
2. Each contract must include performance metrics, 285
including a focus on employment and business creation. The 286
entity may also work with a university or college offering 287
related programs to refer veterans or to provide services. The 288
entrepreneur initiative program may include activities and 289
assistance such as peer -to-peer learning sessions, mentoring, 290
technical assistance, business roundtables, networking 291
opportunities, support of student organizations, speaker series, 292
or other tools within a virtual environment. 293
(f) Administer a As the state's principal assistance 294
organization under the United States Department of Defense's 295
SkillBridge initiative program for target industry and secondary 296
industry qualified businesses in this state and for eligible 297
veterans transitioning servicemembers who reside in, or who wish 298
to reside in, this state . In administering the initiative , the 299
corporation shall: 300
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1. Establish and maintain, as applicable, its 301
certification for the SkillBridge initiative program or any 302
other similar workforce training and transition programs 303
established by the United States Department of Defense; 304
2. Educate businesses, business associations, and eligible 305
veterans transitioning servicemembers on the SkillBridge 306
initiative program and its benefits, and educate military 307
command and personnel within the state on the opportunities 308
available to eligible veterans transitioning servicemembers 309
through the SkillBridge program ; 310
3. Assist businesses in obtaining approval for skilled 311
workforce training curricula under the SkillBridge initiative 312
program, including, but not limited to, apprenticeships, 313
internships, or fellowships; and 314
4. Match eligible veterans transitioning servicemembers 315
who are deemed eligible for SkillBridge participati on by their 316
military command with training opportunities offered by the 317
corporation or participating businesses, with the intent of 318
having them transitioning servicemembers achieve gainful 319
employment in this state upon completion of their SkillBridge 320
training. 321
(g) Assist veterans and their spouses in accessing 322
training, education, and employment in health care professions. 323
(h) Coordinate with the Office of Veteran Licens ure 324
Services within the Department of Health to assist veterans and 325
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their spouses in obtaining licensure pursuant to s. 456.024. 326
(5) COLLABORATION.—The corporation may assist state 327
agencies and entities with recruiting veteran talent into their 328
workforce. The corporation is encouraged to, and may collaborate 329
with, state agencies and other entities in efforts to, maximize 330
access to and to provide information on one website that, if 331
possible, includes hyperlinks to the websites of and contact 332
information, if available, for state agencies and other entities 333
that maintain benefits, services, training, education, and other 334
resources that are available to veterans and their spouses. 335
(a) Outreach, information exchange, marketing, and 336
referrals between agencies, entities, and the corporation 337
regarding programs and initiatives that may be conducted 338
include, but are not limited to, the Veterans Employment and 339
Training Services Program and those within any of the following: 340
1. The Department of Veterans' Affairs: 341
a. Access to benefits and assistance programs. 342
b. Hope Navigators Program. 343
2. The Department of Commerce: 344
a. The Disabled Veteran Outreach Program and Local Veteran 345
Employment Representatives. 346
b. CareerSource Florida, Inc., and local workforce bo ards 347
employment and recruitment services. 348
c. The Quick-Response Training Program. 349
d. Select Florida. 350
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3. The Department of Business and Professional Regulation, 351
reciprocity and the availability of certain license and fee 352
waivers. 353
4. The Department o f Education: 354
a. CAPE industry certifications under s. 1008.44. 355
b. Information related to earning postsecondary credit at 356
public postsecondary educational institutions for college -level 357
training and education acquired in the military under s. 358
1004.096. 359
5. The Department of Health: 360
a. The Office of Veteran Licensure Services. 361
b. The Florida Veterans Application for Licensure Online 362
Response expedited licensing. 363
(b) The corporation may coordinate and collaborate with 364
the Office of Reimagining Educa tion and Career Help, the State 365
University System, the Florida College System, the Florida 366
Defense Support Task Force, the Florida Small Business 367
Development Center Network, and the Florida Talent Development 368
Council, as necessary. 369
Section 3. Section 295.25, Florida Statutes, is created to 370
read: 371
295.25 Veterans exempt from certain filing fees. —The 372
Department of State may not charge veterans who reside in this 373
state the applicable fees for filing articles of organization, 374
articles of incorporation, a certificate of limited partnership, 375
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or a partnership registration statement, or for the designation 376
of a registered agent, if applicable, as provided in s. 377
605.0213, s. 607.0122, s. 617.0122, s. 620.1109, or s. 378
620.81055. 379
Section 4. Subsection (1) of s ection 379.353, Florida 380
Statutes, is amended to read: 381
379.353 Recreational licenses and permits; exemptions from 382
fees and requirements. — 383
(1) The commission shall issue without fee hunting, 384
freshwater fishing, and saltwater fishing licenses and permits 385
shall be issued without fee to any resident who is certified or 386
determined to be: 387
(a) To be Totally and permanently disabled for purposes of 388
workers' compensation under chapter 440 as verified by an order 389
of a judge of compensation claims or written conf irmation by the 390
carrier providing workers' compensation benefits, or to be 391
totally and permanently disabled by the Railroad Retirement 392
Board, by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs or 393
its predecessor, or by any branch of the United States Arme d 394
Forces, or who holds a valid identification card issued under 395
the provisions of s. 295.17, upon proof of such certification or 396
determination same. Any license issued under this paragraph 397
after January 1, 1997, expires after 5 years and must be 398
reissued, upon request, every 5 years thereafter. 399
(b) To be Disabled by the United States Social Security 400
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Administration, upon proof of such certification or 401
determination same. Any license issued under this paragraph 402
after October 1, 1999, expires after 2 years a nd must be 403
reissued, upon proof of certification of disability, every 2 404
years thereafter. 405
(c) A disabled veteran of the United States Armed Forces 406
who was honorably discharged upon separation from service and 407
who is certified by the United States Departm ent of Veterans 408
Affairs or its predecessor or by any branch of the United States 409
Armed Forces as having a service -connected disability percentage 410
rating of 50 percent or greater, upon proof of such 411
certification or determination. 412
413
A disability license issu ed after July 1, 1997, and before July 414
1, 2000, retains the rights vested thereunder until the license 415
has expired. 416
Section 5. Subsections (1), (2), and (3) of section 417
381.78, Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 418
381.78 Advisory council on brain an d spinal cord 419
injuries.— 420
(1) There is created within the department a 16 -member 421
advisory council on brain and spinal cord injuries. The council 422
shall be composed of a minimum of : 423
(a) Two four individuals who have brain injuries or are 424
family members of individuals who have brain injuries ., a 425
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minimum of four 426
(b) Two individuals who have spinal cord injuries or are 427
family members of individuals who have spinal cord injuries ., 428
and a minimum of 429
(c) Two individuals who represent the special needs of 430
children who have brain or spinal cord injuries. 431
(d) Two individuals who have, or who are family members of 432
individuals who have or had, a traumatic brain injury, chronic 433
traumatic encephalopathy, or subconcussive impacts due to 434
sports. 435
(e) Two veterans as defined in s. 1.01(14) who have or 436
have had a traumatic brain injury, chronic traumatic 437
encephalopathy, or subconcussive impacts due to military 438
service, or family members of such veterans. 439
(f) Six individuals who are The balance of the council 440
members shall be physicians, other allied health professionals, 441
administrators of brain and spinal cord injury programs, or and 442
representatives from support groups who that have expertise in 443
areas related to the rehabilitation of individuals who have 444
brain or spinal cord injuries. 445
(2) Members of the council specified in paragraphs (1)(a) -446
(e) shall be appointed by the Speaker of the House of 447
Representatives. Members of the council specified in paragraph 448
(1)(f) shall be appointed to serve by the State Surgeon Gener al. 449
All members' terms shall be staggered terms of for 4 years. An 450
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individual may not serve more than two terms. Any council member 451
who is unwilling or unable to properly fulfill the duties of the 452
office shall be succeeded by an individual chosen by the St ate 453
Surgeon General to serve out the unexpired balance of the 454
replaced council member's term. If the unexpired balance of the 455
replaced council member's term is less than 18 months, then, 456
notwithstanding the provisions of this subsection, the 457
succeeding council member may be reappointed by the State 458
Surgeon General twice. 459
(3) The council shall meet at least quarterly and may 460
adjourn a meeting only by unanimous consent two times annually. 461
Section 6. Paragraph (u) of subsection (2) of section 462
1003.42, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 463
1003.42 Required instruction. — 464
(2) Members of the instructional staff of the public 465
schools, subject to the rules of the State Board of Education 466
and the district school board, shall teach efficiently and 467
faithfully, using the books and materials required that meet the 468
highest standards for professionalism and historical accuracy, 469
following the prescribed courses of study, and employing 470
approved methods of instruction, the following: 471
(u)1. In order to encourage patr iotism, the sacrifices 472
that veterans and Medal of Honor recipients have made in serving 473
our country and protecting democratic values worldwide. Such 474
instruction must occur on or before Medal of Honor Day , 475
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Veterans' Day, and Memorial Day . Members of the ins tructional 476
staff are encouraged to use the assistance of local veterans and 477
Medal of Honor recipients when practicable. 478
2. The history and importance of Veterans' Day and 479
Memorial Day. Such instruction must include two 45 -minute 480
lessons that occur on or before the respective holidays. 481
482
The State Board of Education is encouraged to adopt standards 483
and pursue assessment of the requirements of this subsection. 484
Instructional programming that incorporates the values of the 485
recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor and that is 486
offered as part of a social studies, English Language Arts, or 487
other schoolwide character building and veteran awareness 488
initiative meets the requirements of paragraph (u). 489
Section 7. Paragraph (c) of subsection (2) of section 490
288.0001, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 491
288.0001 Economic Development Programs Evaluation. —The 492
Office of Economic and Demographic Research and the Office of 493
Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability (OPPAGA) 494
shall develop and present to the Governor, the President of the 495
Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the 496
chairs of the legislative appropriations committees the Economic 497
Development Programs Evaluation. 498
(2) The Office of Economic and Demographic Research and 499
OPPAGA shall provide a detailed analysis of economic development 500
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programs as provided in the following schedule: 501
(c) By January 1, 2016, and every 3 years thereafter, an 502
analysis of the following: 503
1. The tax exemption for semiconductor, defense, or space 504
technology sales established under s. 212.08(5)(j). 505
2. The Military Base Protection Program established under 506
s. 288.980. 507
3. The Quick Response Training Program established under 508
s. 288.047. 509
4. The Incumbent Worker Training Program established under 510
s. 445.003. 511
5. The direct-support organization and international trade 512
and business development programs established or funded under s. 513
288.012 or s. 288.826. 514
6. The program established under s. 295.22(3) s. 515
295.22(2). 516
Section 8. For the purpose of incorporating the amendment 517
made by this act to section 379.353, Florida Statutes, in a 518
reference thereto, paragraph (b) of subsection (2) of section 519
379.3581, Florida Statutes, is reenacted to read: 520
379.3581 Hunter safety course; requirements; penalty. — 521
(2) 522
(b) A person born on or after June 1, 1975, who has not 523
successfully completed a hunter safety course may apply to the 524
commission for a special authorization to hunt under 525
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supervision. The special authorization for supervised hunting 526
shall be designated on any license or permit required under this 527
chapter for a person to take game or fur -bearing animals. A 528
person issued a license with a special authorization to hunt 529
under supervision must hunt under the supervision of, and in the 530
presence of, a person 21 years of age or older who is licensed 531
to hunt pursuant to s. 379.354 or who is exempt from licensing 532
requirements or eligible for a free license pursuant to s. 533
379.353. 534
Section 9. For the purpose of incorporating the amendment 535
made by this act to section 379.353, Florida Statutes, in 536
references thereto, paragraph (b) of subsection (2) and 537
paragraph (b) of subsection (3) of section 379.401, Florida 538
Statutes, are reenacted to read: 539
379.401 Penalties and violations; civil penalties for 540
noncriminal infractions; criminal penalties; suspension and 541
forfeiture of licenses and permits. — 542
(2) LEVEL TWO VIOLATIONS. — 543
(b)1. A person who commits a Level Two violation but who 544
has not been convicted of a Level Two or higher violation within 545
the past 3 years commits a misdemeanor of the second degree, 546
punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083. 547
2. Unless the stricter penalties in subparagraph 3. or 548
subparagraph 4. apply, a person who commits a Level Two 549
violation within 3 years after a previous convic tion for a Level 550
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Two or higher violation commits a misdemeanor of the first 551
degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083, with 552
a minimum mandatory fine of $250. 553
3. Unless the stricter penalties in subparagraph 4. apply, 554
a person who commits a Level Two violation within 5 years after 555
two previous convictions for a Level Two or higher violation, 556
commits a misdemeanor of the first degree, punishable as 557
provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083, with a minimum mandatory 558
fine of $500 and a suspension of any recreational license or 559
permit issued under s. 379.354 for 1 year. Such suspension shall 560
include the suspension of the privilege to obtain such license 561
or permit and the suspension of the ability to exercise any 562
privilege granted under any exemption in s. 379.353. 563
4. A person who commits a Level Two violation within 10 564
years after three previous convictions for a Level Two or higher 565
violation commits a misdemeanor of the first degree, punishable 566
as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083, with a minim um 567
mandatory fine of $750 and a suspension of any recreational 568
license or permit issued under s. 379.354 for 3 years. Such 569
suspension shall include the suspension of the privilege to 570
obtain such license or permit and the suspension of the ability 571
to exercise any privilege granted under s. 379.353. If the 572
recreational license or permit being suspended was an annual 573
license or permit, any privileges under ss. 379.353 and 379.354 574
may not be acquired for a 3 -year period following the date of 575
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the violation. 576
(3) LEVEL THREE VIOLATIONS. — 577
(b)1. A person who commits a Level Three violation but who 578
has not been convicted of a Level Three or higher violation 579
within the past 10 years commits a misdemeanor of the first 580
degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083. 581
2. A person who commits a Level Three violation within 10 582
years after a previous conviction for a Level Three or higher 583
violation commits a misdemeanor of the first degree, punishable 584
as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083, with a minimum 585
mandatory fine of $750 and a suspension of any recreational 586
license or permit issued under s. 379.354 for the remainder of 587
the period for which the license or permit was issued up to 3 588
years. Such suspension shall include the suspension of the 589
privilege to obtain such license or permit and the ability to 590
exercise any privilege granted under s. 379.353. If the 591
recreational license or permit being suspended was an annual 592
license or permit, any privileges under ss. 379.353 and 379.354 593
may not be acquired for a 3 -year period following the date of 594
the violation. 595
3. A person who commits a violation of s. 379.354(17) 596
shall receive a mandatory fine of $1,000. Any privileges under 597
ss. 379.353 and 379.354 may not be acquired for a 5 -year period 598
following the date of t he violation. 599
Section 10. This act shall take effect July 1, 2024. 600