Florida 2025 Regular Session

Florida House Bill H1241 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 veterans; amending s. 295.124, 2
16	16	F.S.; updating a reference to federal law relating to 3
17	17	the designation of the Department of Veterans' Affairs 4
18	18	as the state approving agency for veterans' education 5
19	19	and training; amending s. 295.21, F.S.; rev ising the 6
20	20	membership of the board of directors of Florida is for 7
21	21	Veterans, Inc.; conforming provisions to changes made 8
22	22	by the act; amending s. 295.22, F.S.; renaming the 9
23	23	Veterans Employment and Training Services Program 10
24	24	administered by Florida Is For Veter ans, Inc., as the 11
25	25	Veterans Florida Opportunity Program; providing that 12
26	26	grant reimbursements are limited to a specified amount 13
27	27	per eligible trainee per fiscal year; deleting a 14
28	28	provision that allowed for reimbursement of only 15
29	29	permanent full-time employees; providing that training 16
30	30	costs for a trainee must be equal to or greater than a 17
31	31	specified amount; revising requirements for a grant 18
32	32	agreement between the corporation and a business 19
33	33	requesting funds; authorizing the use of grant funds 20
34	34	as educational stipends for specified individuals 21
35	35	while training at locations of the University of 22
36	36	Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences; 23
37	37	requiring Florida is for Veterans, Inc., and the 24
38	38	university to enter into a grant agreement; requiring 25
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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	the corporation to determ ine the amount and structure 26
52	52	of any educational stipend; specifying that such 27
53	53	stipends be used only for specified training; 28
54	54	providing an appropriation; creating s. 295.25, F.S.; 29
55	55	prohibiting the Department of State from charging 30
56	56	veterans who reside in this state fees for the filing 31
57	57	of specified documents; limiting a veteran's use of 32
58	58	the exemption; amending s. 322.21, F.S.; providing an 33
59	59	exemption from driver license fees to members of the 34
60	60	Florida National Guard and their spouses; amending s. 35
61	61	379.354, F.S.; providing a reduced fee for persons who 36
62	62	are active or retired members of the United States 37
63	63	Armed Forces, the United States Armed Forces Reserve, 38
64	64	the National Guard, the United States Coast Guard, and 39
65	65	the United States Coast Guard Reserve for resident 40
66	66	lifetime hunting licenses and resident lifetime 41
67	67	sportsman's licenses; amending s. 394.47891, F.S.; 42
68	68	providing that the chief judge of a judicial circuit 43
69	69	has the exclusive authority to determine whether 44
70	70	veterans may participate in the veterans treatment 45
71	71	court of that circuit; providing an effective date. 46
72	72	47
73	73	Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 48
74	74	49
75	75	Section 1. Section 295.124, Florida Statutes, is amended 50
76	76
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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	to read: 51
89	89	295.124 State approving agency for veterans' education and 52
90	90	training.—The Department of Veterans' Affairs shall act as the 53
91	91	state approving agency for purposes of veterans' education and 54
92	92	training, in accordance with 38 U.S.C. s. 3671 38 U.S.C. s. 1771 55
93	93	and the applicable annual contract between the state and the 56
94	94	Federal Government. 57
95	95	Section 2. Paragraph (d) of subsection (3), paragraph (a) 58
96	96	of subsection (4), and paragraph (c) of subsection (8) of 59
97	97	section 295.21, Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 60
98	98	295.21 Florida Is For Veterans, Inc. — 61
99	99	(3) DUTIES.—The corporation shall: 62
100	100	(d) Implement the Veterans Florida Opportunity Employment 63
101	101	and Training Services Program established by s. 295.22. 64
102	102	(4) GOVERNANCE.— 65
103	103	(a) The corporation shall be governed by a 12-member an 66
104	104	11-member board of directors. The Governor, the President of the 67
105	105	Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives shall 68
106	106	each appoint three voting members to the board. The appointments 69
107	107	made by the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House 70
108	108	of Representatives may not be from the body over which he or she 71
109	109	presides. In making appointments, the Governor, the President of 72
110	110	the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives 73
111	111	shall must consider representation by active or retired military 74
112	112	personnel and their spouses, representing a range of ages and 75
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121	121	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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125	125	persons with expertise in business, education, marketing, and 76
126	126	information management. Additionally, the President of the 77
127	127	Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives shall 78
128	128	each appoint one member from the body over which he or she 79
129	129	presides to serve on t he board as ex officio, nonvoting members , 80
130	130	and the Governor shall appoint one member who is a secretary, or 81
131	131	his or her designee, with experience in economic or workforce 82
132	132	development from an executive agency, as an ex officio, 83
133	133	nonvoting member. 84
134	134	(8) ANNUAL REPORT.—The corporation shall submit an annual 85
135	135	progress report and work plan by December 1 to the Governor, the 86
136	136	President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of 87
137	137	Representatives. The report must include: 88
138	138	(c) Status of the Veterans Florida Opportunity Employment 89
139	139	and Training Services Program administered under s. 295.22. 90
140	140	Section 3. Section 295.22, Florida Statutes, is amended to 91
141	141	read: 92
142	142	295.22 Veterans Florida Opportunity Employment and 93
143	143	Training Services Program.— 94
144	144	(1) LEGISLATIVE FINDINGS AND INTENT. —The Legislature finds 95
145	145	that the state has a compelling interest in ensuring that each 96
146	146	veteran or his or her spouse who is a resident of this state 97
147	147	finds employment that meets his or her professional goals and 98
148	148	receives the training or education necessary to meet those 99
149	149	goals. The Legislature also finds that connecting dedicated, 100
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158	158	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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162	162	well-trained veterans with businesses that need a dedicated, 101
163	163	well-trained workforce is of paramount importance. The 102
164	164	Legislature recognizes that ve terans or their spouses may not 103
165	165	currently have the skills to meet the workforce needs of Florida 104
166	166	employers and may require assistance in obtaining additional 105
167	167	workforce training or in transitioning their skills to meet the 106
168	168	demands of the marketplace. It is the intent of the Legislature 107
169	169	that the Veterans Florida Opportunity Employment and Training 108
170	170	Services Program coordinate and meet the needs of veterans and 109
171	171	their spouses and the business community to enhance the economy 110
172	172	of this state. 111
173	173	(2) DEFINITIONS.—For the purposes of this section, the 112
174	174	term: 113
175	175	(a) "Secondary industry business" is a business that the 114
176	176	state has an additional interest in supporting and for which 115
177	177	veterans and their spouses may have directly transferable 116
178	178	skills. Such businesses are in the fi elds of health care, 117
179	179	agriculture, commercial construction, education, law 118
180	180	enforcement, and public service. 119
181	181	(b) "Servicemember" means any person serving as a member 120
182	182	of the United States Armed Forces on active duty or state active 121
183	183	duty and all members of t he Florida National Guard and United 122
184	184	States Reserve Forces. 123
185	185	(c) "Target industry business" is a business as defined in 124
186	186	s. 288.005. 125
187	187
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195	195	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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199	199	(d) "Target market" means servicemembers of the United 126
200	200	States Armed Forces who have 24 months or less until discharge, 127
201	201	veterans with 36 months or less since discharge, and members of 128
202	202	the Florida National Guard or reserves. The term includes 129
203	203	spouses of such individuals, and surviving spouses of such 130
204	204	individuals who have not remarried. 131
205	205	(3) CREATION.—The Veterans Florida Opportunity Employment 132
206	206	and Training Services Program is created within the Department 133
207	207	of Veterans' Affairs to assist in connecting servicemembers, 134
208	208	veterans, or their spouses who are in the target market with 135
209	209	businesses seeking to hire dedicated, well -trained workers and 136
210	210	with opportunities for entrepreneurship education, training, and 137
211	211	resources. The purpose of the program is to meet the workforce 138
212	212	demands of businesses in this state by facilitating access to 139
213	213	training and education in high -demand fields for such 140
214	214	individuals and to inspire the growth and development of 141
215	215	veteran-owned small businesses. 142
216	216	(4) ADMINISTRATION. —Florida Is For Veterans, Inc., shall 143
217	217	administer the Veterans Florida Opportunity Employment and 144
218	218	Training Services Program and perform all of the f ollowing 145
219	219	functions: 146
220	220	(a) Conduct marketing and recruiting efforts directed at 147
221	221	individuals within the target market who reside in or have an 148
222	222	interest in relocating to this state and who are seeking 149
223	223	employment. Marketing must include information related to how 150
224	224
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232	232	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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236	236	military experience can be valuable to a target industry or 151
237	237	secondary industry business. Such efforts may include attending 152
238	238	job fairs and events; hosting events for servicemembers, 153
239	239	veterans, and their spouses or the business community; and using 154
240	240	digital and social media and direct mail campaigns. The 155
241	241	corporation shall also include such marketing as part of its 156
242	242	main marketing campaign. 157
243	243	(b) Assist individuals in the target market who reside in 158
244	244	or relocate to this state and who are seeking employment wit h 159
245	245	target industry or secondary industry businesses. The 160
246	246	corporation shall offer skills assessments to such individuals 161
247	247	and assist them in establishing employment goals and applying 162
248	248	for and achieving gainful employment. 163
249	249	1. Assessment may include skill mat ch information, skill 164
250	250	gap analysis, résumé creation, translation of military skills 165
251	251	into civilian workforce skills, and translation of military 166
252	252	achievements and experience into generally understood civilian 167
253	253	workforce skills. 168
254	254	2. Assistance may include pro viding the servicemember, 169
255	255	veteran, or his or her spouse with information on current 170
256	256	workforce demand by industry or geographic region, creating 171
257	257	employment goals, and aiding or teaching general knowledge 172
258	258	related to completing applications. 173
259	259	3. Assessment and assistance may be in person or by 174
260	260	electronic means, as determined by the corporation to be most 175
261	261
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269	269	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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273	273	efficient and best meet the needs of veterans or their spouses. 176
274	274	(c) Assist Florida target industry and secondary industry 177
275	275	businesses in recruiting and hiri ng individuals in the target 178
276	276	market. The corporation shall provide services to Florida 179
277	277	businesses to meet their hiring needs by connecting businesses 180
278	278	with suitable applicants for employment. Suitable applicants 181
279	279	include veterans or veterans' spouses who hav e appropriate job 182
280	280	skills or may need additional training to meet the specific 183
281	281	needs of a business. The corporation shall also provide 184
282	282	information about the state and federal benefits of hiring 185
283	283	veterans. 186
284	284	(d) Create a grant program to provide funding to as sist 187
285	285	individuals in the target market in meeting the workforce -skill 188
286	286	needs of target industry and secondary industry businesses 189
287	287	seeking to hire, promote, or generally improve specialized 190
288	288	skills of veterans, establish criteria for approval of requests 191
289	289	for funding, and maximize the use of funding for this program. 192
290	290	Grant funds may be used only in the absence of available 193
291	291	veteran-specific federally funded programs. Grants may fund 194
292	292	specialized training specific to a particular business. 195
293	293	1. The program may prio ritize grant funds to be used to 196
294	294	provide a certificate, a license, or nondegree training from the 197
295	295	Master Credentials List pursuant to s. 445.004(4)(h); any 198
296	296	federally created certifications or licenses; and any skills -199
297	297	based industry certifications or licens es deemed relevant or 200
298	298
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306	306	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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308	308
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310	310	necessary by the corporation. Funds may be allocated only upon a 201
311	311	review that includes, but is not limited to, documentation of 202
312	312	accreditation and licensure. 203
313	313	2. Grant reimbursements Costs and expenditures are limited 204
314	314	to $5,000 $8,000 per eligible trainee per fiscal year. Qualified 205
315	315	businesses must cover the entire cost for all of the training 206
316	316	provided before receiving reimbursement from the corporation 207
317	317	equal to 50 percent of the cost to train a veteran who is a 208
318	318	permanent, full-time employee. Training costs for a trainee in a 209
319	319	fiscal year must be equal to or greater than $5,000. Eligible 210
320	320	costs and expenditures include, but are not limited to: 211
321	321	a. Tuition and fees. 212
322	322	b. Books and classroom materials. 213
323	323	c. Rental fees for facilities. 214
324	324	3. Before funds are allocated for a request pursuant to 215
325	325	this section, the corporation shall prepare a grant agreement 216
326	326	between the business requesting funds and the corporation. Such 217
327	327	agreement must include, but need not be limited to: 218
328	328	a. Identification of the personnel necessary to conduct 219
329	329	the instructional program, instructional program description, 220
330	330	and any vendors used to conduct the instructional program. 221
331	331	b. Identification of the estimated duration of the 222
332	332	instructional program. 223
333	333	c. Identification of all direct, training-related costs. 224
334	334	d. Identification of special program requirements that are 225
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343	343	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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347	347	not otherwise addressed in the agreement. 226
348	348	e. Permission to access aggregate information specific to 227
349	349	the wages and performance of participants upon the completion of 228
350	350	instruction for evaluation purposes. The agreement must specify 229
351	351	that any evaluation published subsequent to the instruction may 230
352	352	not identify the employer or any individual participant. 231
353	353	4. A business may receive a grant under any state program 232
354	354	and a grant under this section for the same veteran trainee. 233
355	355	5. Notwithstanding subparagraph 2., grant funds may be 234
356	356	used as educational stipends for individuals in the target 235
357	357	market while training at any location of the University of 236
358	358	Florida Institute of Food a nd Agricultural Sciences within this 237
359	359	state. The corporation and the University of Florida shall enter 238
360	360	into an agreement before any grant funds are expended, and the 239
361	361	corporation shall determine the amount and structure of any 240
362	362	educational stipend. Such stipe nd may be used only for such 241
363	363	training for a period of no less than 4 months and no more than 242
364	364	6 months, in the absence of veteran -specific federally funded 243
365	365	programs. 244
366	366	(e) Contract with one or more entities to administer an 245
367	367	entrepreneur initiative program f or individuals in the target 246
368	368	market in this state which connects business leaders in the 247
369	369	state with such individuals seeking to become entrepreneurs. 248
370	370	1. The corporation shall award each contract in accordance 249
371	371	with the competitive bidding requirements in s. 287.057 to one 250
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380	380	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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384	384	or more public or private entities that: 251
385	385	a. Demonstrate the ability to implement the program and 252
386	386	the commitment of resources, inclu ding financial resources, to 253
387	387	such programs. 254
388	388	b. Have a demonstrated experience working with veteran 255
389	389	entrepreneurs. 256
390	390	c. As determined by the corporation, have been recognized 257
391	391	for their performance in assisting entrepreneurs to launch 258
392	392	successful businesses in this state. 259
393	393	2. Each contract must include performance metrics, 260
394	394	including a focus on employment and business creation. The 261
395	395	entity may also work with a university or college offering 262
396	396	related programs to refer individuals in the target market or to 263
397	397	provide services. The entrepreneur initiative program may 264
398	398	include activities and assistance such as peer -to-peer learning 265
399	399	sessions, mentoring, technical assistance, business roundtables, 266
400	400	networking opportunities, support of student organizations, 267
401	401	speaker series, or other tools within a virtual environment. 268
402	402	(f) Administer a SkillBridge initiative for target 269
403	403	industry and secondary industry businesses in this state and for 270
404	404	eligible individuals in the target market who reside in, or who 271
405	405	wish to reside in, this st ate. In administering the initiative, 272
406	406	the corporation shall: 273
407	407	1. Establish and maintain, as applicable, its 274
408	408	certification for the SkillBridge initiative or any other 275
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417	417	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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421	421	similar workforce training and transition programs established 276
422	422	by the United States Depar tment of Defense; 277
423	423	2. Educate businesses, business associations, and eligible 278
424	424	individuals in the target market on the SkillBridge initiative 279
425	425	and its benefits, and educate military command and personnel 280
426	426	within the state on the opportunities available to el igible 281
427	427	individuals in the target market; 282
428	428	3. Assist businesses in obtaining approval for skilled 283
429	429	workforce training curricula under the SkillBridge initiative, 284
430	430	including, but not limited to, apprenticeships, internships, or 285
431	431	fellowships; and 286
432	432	4. Match eligible individuals in the target market with 287
433	433	training opportunities offered by the corporation or 288
434	434	participating businesses, with the intent of having them achieve 289
435	435	gainful employment in this state upon completion of their 290
436	436	SkillBridge training. 291
437	437	(5) COLLABORATION.— 292
438	438	(a) The corporation may assist state agencies and entities 293
439	439	with recruiting veteran talent into their workforces. 294
440	440	(b) The corporation is encouraged to, and may collaborate 295
441	441	with state agencies and other entities in efforts to, maximize 296
442	442	access to and provide information on one website that, if 297
443	443	possible, includes hyperlinks to the websites of and contact 298
444	444	information, if available, for state agencies and other entities 299
445	445	that maintain benefits, services, training, education, and other 300
446	446
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454	454	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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458	458	resources that are available to veterans and their spouses. 301
459	459	(c) The corporation may collaborate with other state 302
460	460	agencies and entities for outreach, information exchange, 303
461	461	marketing, and referrals regarding programs and initiatives that 304
462	462	include, but are not limited to, th e program created by this 305
463	463	section and those within any of the following: 306
464	464	1. The Department of Veterans' Affairs: 307
465	465	a. Access to benefits and assistance programs. 308
466	466	b. Hope Navigators Program. 309
467	467	2. The Department of Commerce: 310
468	468	a. The Disabled Veteran Out reach Program and local veteran 311
469	469	employment representatives. 312
470	470	b. CareerSource Florida, Inc., and local workforce boards 313
471	471	employment and recruitment services. 314
472	472	c. The Quick-Response Training Program. 315
473	473	d. Efforts of the Florida Defense Support Task Force 316
474	474	created under s. 288.987, the Florida Small Business Development 317
475	475	Center Network, and the direct support organization established 318
476	476	in s. 288.012(6). 319
477	477	3. The Department of Business and Professional Regulation, 320
478	478	reciprocity and the availability of certain licens e and fee 321
479	479	waivers. 322
480	480	4. The Department of Education: 323
481	481	a. CAPE industry certifications under s. 1008.44. 324
482	482	b. Information related to earning postsecondary credit at 325
483	483
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491	491	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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495	495	public postsecondary educational institutions for college -level 326
496	496	training and education acqu ired in the military under s. 327
497	497	1004.096. 328
498	498	5. The Department of Health: 329
499	499	a. The Office of Veteran Licensure Services. 330
500	500	b. The Florida Veterans Application for Licensure Online 331
501	501	Response expedited licensing. 332
502	502	6. The Office of Reimagining Education and Career Help. 333
503	503	Section 4. For the 2025-2026 fiscal year, the sum of $2.5 334
504	504	million in recurring funds from the General Revenue Fund is 335
505	505	appropriated to the Department of Veterans' Affairs for the 336
506	506	purposes of funding the Florida Is For Veterans, Inc., 337
507	507	implementation and administration of the programs described in 338
508	508	ss. 295.21(3)(d), 295.21(3)(f), and 295.22, Florida Statutes. 339
509	509	Section 5. Section 295.25, Florida Statutes, is created to 340
510	510	read: 341
511	511	295.25 Veterans exempt from certain filing fees. —The 342
512	512	Department of State may not charge veterans who reside in this 343
513	513	state the applicable fees for filing articles of organization, 344
514	514	articles of incorporation, a certificate of limited partnership, 345
515	515	or a partnership registration statement, or for the designation 346
516	516	of a registered agent, if applicable, as provided in s. 347
517	517	605.0213, s. 607.0122, s. 617.0122, s. 620.1109, or s. 348
518	518	620.81055. A veteran may apply for this exemption only once. 349
519	519	Section 6. Subsection (7) of section 322.21, Florida 350
520	520
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528	528	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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532	532	Statutes, is amended to read: 351
533	533	322.21 License fees; procedure for handling and collecting 352
534	534	fees.— 353
535	535	(7)(a) Any veteran honorably discharged from the Armed 354
536	536	Forces who has been issued a valid identification card by the 355
537	537	Department of Veterans' Affairs in accordance with s. 295.17, 356
538	538	has been determined by the United States Department of Veterans 357
539	539	Affairs or its predecessor to have a 100 -percent total and 358
540	540	permanent service-connected disability rating for compensation, 359
541	541	or has been determined to have a service -connected total and 360
542	542	permanent disability rating of 100 percent, is in receipt of 361
543	543	disability retirement pay from any branch of the United States 362
544	544	Armed Services, and who is qualified to obtain a driver license 363
545	545	under this chapter is exempt from all fees required by this 364
546	546	section. 365
547	547	(b) A member of the Florida National Guard who has been 366
548	548	issued a valid identification card by the Department of Military 367
549	549	Affairs and his or her spouse are exempt from all fees required 368
550	550	by this section. 369
551	551	Section 7. Paragraph (a) of subsection (11) and paragraph 370
552	552	(a) of subsection (12) of section 379.354, Florida Statutes, are 371
553	553	amended to read: 372
554	554	379.354 Recreational licenses, permits, and authorization 373
555	555	numbers; fees established. — 374
556	556	(11) RESIDENT LIFETIME HUNTING LICENSES. — 375
557	557
558	558	HB 1241 2025
559	559
560	560
561	561
562	562	CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
563	563	hb1241-00
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565	565	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
566	566
567	567
568	568
569	569	(a) Lifetime hunting licenses are available to re sidents 376
570	570	only, as follows, for: 377
571	571	1. Persons 4 years of age or younger, for a fee of $200. 378
572	572	2. Persons 5 years of age or older, but under 13 years of 379
573	573	age, for a fee of $350. 380
574	574	3. Persons 13 years of age or older, for a fee of $500. 381
575	575	4. Persons who are act ive or retired members of the United 382
576	576	States Armed Forces, the United States Armed Forces Reserve, the 383
577	577	National Guard, the United States Coast Guard, or the United 384
578	578	States Coast Guard Reserve, for a fee of $250. 385
579	579	(12) RESIDENT LIFETIME SPORTSMAN'S LICENSES. — 386
580	580	(a) Lifetime sportsman's licenses are available to 387
581	581	residents only, as follows, for: 388
582	582	1. Persons 4 years of age or younger, for a fee of $400. 389
583	583	2. Persons 5 years of age or older, but under 13 years of 390
584	584	age, for a fee of $700. 391
585	585	3. Persons 13 years of age or older, for a fee of $1,000. 392
586	586	4. Persons who are active or retired members of the United 393
587	587	States Armed Forces, the United States Armed Forces Reserve, the 394
588	588	National Guard, the United States Coast Guard, or the United 395
589	589	States Coast Guard Reserve, for a fee of $400. 396
590	590	Section 8. Paragraph (d) of subsection (3) of section 397
591	591	394.47891, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 398
592	592	394.47891 Veterans treatment court programs. — 399
593	593	(3) AUTHORIZATION.— 400
594	594
595	595	HB 1241 2025
596	596
597	597
598	598
599	599	CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
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602	602	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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604	604
605	605
606	606	(d) The chief judge and state attorney of the judicial 401
607	607	circuit that creates and administers a veterans treatment court 402
608	608	program has have the exclusive authority to determine whether 403
609	609	veterans who have been dishonorably discharged may participate 404
610	610	in the veterans treatment court program of within the circuit. 405
611	611	Section 9. This act shall take effect July 1, 2025. 406