Bill Text: FL S0024 | 2024 | Regular Session | Comm Sub
Bill Title: Dozier School for Boys and Okeechobee School Victim Compensation Program
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Republican 26-12-2)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2024-03-04 - Laid on Table, refer to CS/HB 21 [S0024 Detail]
Download: Florida-2024-S0024-Comm_Sub.html
Florida Senate - 2024 CS for CS for SB 24 By the Committees on Fiscal Policy; and Governmental Oversight and Accountability; and Senators Rouson, Davis, Osgood, Burgess, Pizzo, Jones, Garcia, Torres, and Stewart 594-03802-24 202424c2 1 A bill to be entitled 2 An act relating to the Dozier School for Boys and 3 Okeechobee School Victim Compensation Program; 4 creating s. 16.63, F.S.; establishing the Dozier 5 School for Boys and Okeechobee School Victim 6 Compensation Program within the Department of Legal 7 Affairs; specifying the purpose of the program; 8 requiring the department to accept and process 9 applications for the payment of compensation claims 10 under the program; requiring the department to provide 11 specified notice of the program; specifying 12 application procedures and requirements; requiring the 13 department to issue application approvals or denials 14 under specified conditions; requiring the department, 15 subject to the appropriation of funds for that 16 purpose, to pay a specified compensation amount to 17 approved applicants; requiring notice of application 18 approval or denial; authorizing an applicant whose 19 application is rejected to submit a new application; 20 providing that a person compensated under the program 21 is ineligible for further compensation related to his 22 confinement; requiring the department to adopt by rule 23 specified procedures and forms; authorizing the 24 Commissioner of Education to award a standard high 25 school diploma to specified persons under certain 26 circumstances; providing an appropriation; providing 27 an effective date. 28 29 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 30 31 Section 1. Section 16.63, Florida Statutes, is created to 32 read: 33 16.63 Dozier School for Boys and Okeechobee School Victim 34 Compensation Program.— 35 (1) The Dozier School for Boys and Okeechobee School Victim 36 Compensation Program is established within the Department of 37 Legal Affairs. The purpose of the program is to compensate 38 living persons who were confined to the Dozier School for Boys 39 or the Okeechobee School at any time between 1940 and 1975 and 40 who were subjected to mental, physical, or sexual abuse 41 perpetrated by school personnel while they were so confined. 42 (2) The Department of Legal Affairs shall accept, review, 43 and approve or deny applications for the payment of compensation 44 claims under this section. Notice of the availability of such 45 compensation must be given and any relevant forms made available 46 for download on a page of the department’s official website 47 accessible through a direct link on the website’s homepage, 48 which link and page must be titled “The Dozier School for Boys 49 and Okeechobee School Victim Compensation Program.” 50 (3) An application for compensation under this section must 51 be made by a living person who was confined to the Dozier School 52 for Boys or the Okeechobee School between 1940 and 1975; the 53 personal representative or estate of a decedent may not file an 54 application for or receive compensation under this section. Such 55 application must be made on a form approved by the department 56 and include: 57 (a) The applicant’s name, date of birth, mailing address, 58 telephone number, and, if available, electronic mail address. 59 (b) The name of the school in which the applicant was 60 confined and the approximate dates of the applicant’s 61 confinement. 62 (c) Reasonable proof submitted as attachments establishing 63 that the applicant was both: 64 1. Confined to the Dozier School for Boys or the Okeechobee 65 School between 1940 and 1975, which proof may include school 66 records submitted with a notarized certificate of authenticity 67 signed by the records custodian or certified court records. 68 2. A victim of mental, physical, or sexual abuse 69 perpetrated by school personnel during the applicant’s 70 confinement, which proof may include a notarized statement 71 signed by the applicant attesting to the abuse the applicant 72 suffered. 73 (d) A signed statement from the applicant acknowledging 74 that, by accepting compensation under this section, the 75 applicant waives any right to further compensation related to 76 the applicant’s confinement at the Dozier School for Boys or the 77 Okeechobee School or any abuse suffered during such confinement. 78 79 An application for compensation under this section must be 80 signed by the applicant under oath. A false statement in such 81 application, including in any attachment or exhibit submitted 82 therewith, is subject to the penalty of perjury under s. 83 837.012. 84 (4) Applications for compensation under this section must 85 be submitted no later than December 31, 2024. 86 (5) Upon completed review of an application submitted under 87 this section, the department shall either: 88 (a) Subject to appropriation, approve a one-time payment to 89 an applicant whose application meets the criteria specified in 90 this section. Each approved applicant shall receive an equal 91 share of the funds appropriated for this purpose. 92 (b) Deny the payment of compensation under this section to 93 an applicant whose application does not meet the criteria 94 specified in this section. 95 96 Written notice of such approval or denial must be sent by 97 certified mail, return receipt requested, to the mailing address 98 provided by the applicant on the application form. An applicant 99 whose application is rejected for providing insufficient 100 information may submit a new application as provided in 101 subsection (4). 102 (6) A person compensated under this section is ineligible 103 for any further compensation related to the person’s confinement 104 at the Dozier School for Boys or the Okeechobee School or any 105 abuse suffered during such confinement. 106 (7) The department shall adopt by rule procedures and forms 107 necessary to administer this section. 108 Section 2. Pursuant to rules adopted by the State Board of 109 Education, the Commissioner of Education may award a standard 110 high school diploma to a person compensated pursuant to s. 111 16.63, Florida Statutes, who has not completed high school 112 graduation requirements. 113 Section 3. For the 2024-2025 fiscal year, the sum of $20 114 million in nonrecurring funds from the General Revenue Fund is 115 appropriated to the Department of Legal Affairs for the Dozier 116 School for Boys and Okeechobee School Victim Compensation 117 Program. 118 Section 4. This act shall take effect July 1, 2024.