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