Bill Amendment: FL S0136 | 2020 | Regular Session
NOTE: For additional amemendments please see the Bill Drafting List
Bill Title: Adoption Benefits
Status: 2020-02-19 - Laid on Table, refer to CS/CS/HB 61 [S0136 Detail]
Download: Florida-2020-S0136-Senate_Committee_Amendment_716126.html
Bill Title: Adoption Benefits
Status: 2020-02-19 - Laid on Table, refer to CS/CS/HB 61 [S0136 Detail]
Download: Florida-2020-S0136-Senate_Committee_Amendment_716126.html
Florida Senate - 2020 COMMITTEE AMENDMENT Bill No. SB 136 Ì716126"Î716126 LEGISLATIVE ACTION Senate . House . . . . . ————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————— ————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————— Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and Human Services (Bean) recommended the following: 1 Senate Amendment (with title amendment) 2 3 Delete everything after the enacting clause 4 and insert: 5 Section 1. Section 409.1664, Florida Statutes, is amended 6 to read: 7 409.1664 Adoption benefits for qualifying adoptive 8 employees of state agencies, veterans, and servicemembers.— 9 (1) As used in this section, the term: 10 (a) “Child within the child welfare system” has the same 11 meaning as provided in s. 409.166. 12 (b) “Qualifying adoptive employee” means a full-time or 13 part-time employee of a state agency, a charter school 14 established under s. 1002.33, or the Florida Virtual School 15 established under s. 1002.37, who is not an independent 16 contractorpaid from regular salary appropriations, or otherwise17meets his or her employer’s definition of a regular rather than18temporary employee,and who adopts a child within the child 19 welfare system pursuant to chapter 63 on or after July 1, 2015. 20 The term includes instructional personnel, as defined in s. 21 1012.01, who are employed by the Florida School for the Deaf and 22 the Blind, and includes other-personal-services employees who 23 have been continuously employed full time or part time by a 24 state agency for at least 1 year. 25 (c) “Servicemember” has the same meaning as in s. 26 250.01(19). 27 (d) “State agency” means a branch, department, or agency of 28 state government for which the Chief Financial Officer processes 29 payroll requisitions, a state university or Florida College 30 System institution as defined in s. 1000.21, a school district 31 unit as defined in s. 1001.30, or a water management district as 32 defined in s. 373.019. 33 (e) “Veteran” has the same meaning as in s. 1.01(14). 34 (2) A qualifying adoptive employee, veteran, or 35 servicemember who adopts a child within the child welfare system 36 who has special needs described in s. 409.166(2)(a)2. is 37 eligible to receive a lump-sum monetary benefit in the amount of 38 $10,000 per such child, subject to applicable taxes. A 39 qualifying adoptive employee, veteran, or servicemember who 40 adopts a child within the child welfare system who does not have 41 special needs described in s. 409.166(2)(a)2. is eligible to 42 receive a lump-sum monetary benefit in the amount of $5,000 per 43 such child, subject to applicable taxes. A qualifying adoptive 44 employee of a charter school or the Florida Virtual School may 45 retroactively apply for the monetary benefit provided in this 46 subsection if such employee was employed by a charter school or 47 the Florida Virtual School when he or she adopted a child within 48 the child welfare system pursuant to chapter 63 on or after July 49 1, 2015. A veteran or servicemember may apply for the monetary 50 benefit provided in this subsection if he or she is domiciled in 51 this state and adopts a child within the child welfare system 52 pursuant to chapter 63 on or after July 1, 2020. 53 (a) Benefits paid to a qualifying adoptive employee who is 54 a part-time employee must be prorated based on the qualifying 55 adoptive employee’s full-time equivalency at the time of 56 applying for the benefits. 57 (b) Monetary benefits awarded under this subsection are 58 limited to one award per adopted child within the child welfare 59 system. 60 (c) The payment of a lump-sum monetary benefit for adopting 61 a child within the child welfare system under this section is 62 subject to a specific appropriation to the department for such 63 purpose. 64 (3) A qualifying adoptive employee must apply to his or her 65 agency head, or to his or her school director in the case of a 66 qualifying adoptive employee of a charter school or the Florida 67 Virtual School, to obtain the monetary benefit provided in 68 subsection (2). A veteran or servicemember must apply to the 69 department to obtain the benefit. Applications must be on forms 70 approved by the department and must include a certified copy of 71 the final order of adoption naming the applicant as the adoptive 72 parent. Monetary benefits shall be approved on a first-come, 73 first-served basis based upon the date that each fully completed 74 application is received by the department. 75 (4) This section does not preclude a qualifying adoptive 76 employee, veteran, or servicemember from receiving adoption 77 assistance for which he or she may qualify under s. 409.166 or 78 any other statute that provides financial incentives for the 79 adoption of children. 80 (5) Parental leave for a qualifying adoptive employee must 81 be provided in accordance with the personnel policies and 82 procedures of his or her employer. 83 (6) The department may adopt rules to administer this 84 section. The rules may provide for an application process such 85 as, but not limited to, an open enrollment period during which 86 qualifying adoptive employees, veterans, or servicemembers may 87 apply for monetary benefits under this section. 88 (7) The Chief Financial Officer shall disburse a monetary 89 benefit to a qualifying adoptive employee upon the department’s 90 submission of a payroll requisition. The Chief Financial Officer 91 shall transfer funds from the department to a state university, 92 a Florida College System institution, a school district unit, a 93 charter school, the Florida Virtual School, or a water 94 management district, as appropriate, to enable payment to the 95 qualifying adoptive employee through the payroll systems as long 96 as funds are available for such purpose. 97 (8) To receive an approved monetary benefit under this 98 section, a veteran or servicemember must be registered as a 99 vendor with the state. 100 (9) Each state agency shall develop a uniform procedure for 101 informing employees about this benefit and for assisting the 102 department in making eligibility determinations and processing 103 applications. Any procedure adopted by a state agency is valid 104 and enforceable if the procedure does not conflict with the 105 express terms of this section. 106 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2020. 107 108 ================= T I T L E A M E N D M E N T ================ 109 And the title is amended as follows: 110 Delete everything before the enacting clause 111 and insert: 112 A bill to be entitled 113 An act relating to adoption benefits; amending s. 114 409.1664, F.S.; revising the definition of the term 115 “qualifying adoptive employee” with retroactive 116 applicability; defining the terms “servicemember” and 117 “veteran”; providing that adoptive servicemembers and 118 veterans are eligible to receive certain monetary 119 benefits; specifying eligibility criteria; requiring 120 servicemembers and veterans seeking a benefit to apply 121 to the Department of Children and Families; revising 122 construction; providing applicability of 123 servicemembers and veterans under certain department 124 rules; requiring servicemembers and veterans seeking a 125 benefit to be registered as a vendor with the state; 126 providing an effective date.