Bill Text: FL S0702 | 2012 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Seaport Employment Training Grant Program
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Failed) 2012-03-09 - Died in Commerce and Tourism [S0702 Detail]
Download: Florida-2012-S0702-Introduced.html
Florida Senate - 2012 SB 702 By Senator Smith 29-00425A-12 2012702__ 1 A bill to be entitled 2 An act relating to the Seaport Employment Training 3 Grant Program; reviving, reenacting, and amending s. 4 288.386, F.S.; requiring the Department of Economic 5 Opportunity under certain circumstances to establish 6 and administer the Florida-Caribbean Basin Trade 7 Initiative within the program; providing the purpose 8 of, and the department’s responsibilities for, the 9 initiative; providing for coordination and alliances 10 with certain organizations and funding programs; 11 requiring the department to develop performance 12 measures for the initiative; providing an effective 13 date. 14 15 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 16 17 Section 1. Notwithstanding the repeal of section 288.386, 18 Florida Statutes, by section 52 of chapter 2011-213, Laws of 19 Florida, section 288.386, Florida Statutes, is revived, 20 reenacted, and amended to read: 21 288.386 Florida-Caribbean Basin Trade Initiative.— 22 (1) Contingent upon a specific appropriation, the 23 department shall, within the Seaport Employment Training Grant 24 Program,(STEP) shallestablish and administer the Florida 25 Caribbean Basin Trade Initiative for the purpose of assisting 26 small and medium-sized businesses to become involved in 27 international activities and helping them to identify markets 28 with product demand, identify strategic alliances in those 29 markets, and obtain the financing to effectuate trade 30 opportunities in the Caribbean Basin. The initiative must focus 31 assistance to businesses located in urban communities. The 32 initiative shall offer export readiness, assistance and referral 33 services, internships, seminars, workshops, conferences, and e 34 commerce plus mentoring and matchmaking services, but shall 35 coordinate with and not duplicate those services provided by 36 Enterprise Florida, Inc. 37 (2) To enhance initiative effectiveness and leverage 38 resources, the departmentSTEPshall coordinate initiative 39 activities with Enterprise Florida, Inc., United States Export 40 Assistance Centers, the Florida Export Finance Corporation, 41Florida Trade Data Center,Small Business Development Centers, 42 and any other organizations that the departmentSTEPdeems 43 appropriate. The coordination may encompass export assistance 44 and referral services, export financing, job-training programs, 45 educational programs, market research and development, market 46 promotion, trade missions, e-commerce, and mentoring and 47 matchmaking services relative to the expansion of trade between 48 this stateFloridaand the Caribbean Basin. The initiative shall 49 also form alliances with multilateral, international, and 50 domestic funding programs from this stateFlorida, the United 51 States, and the Caribbean Basin to coordinate systems and 52 programs for fundamental assistance in facilitating trade and 53 investment. 54 (3)STEP shall administer the Florida-Caribbean Basin Trade55Initiative pursuant to a performance-based contract with the56Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development.The 57 departmentOffice of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development58 shall develop performance measures, standards, and sanctionsfor 59 the initiative, which. Performance measuresmust include, but 60 are not limited to, the number of businesses assisted,;the 61 number of urban businesses assisted,;and the increase in value 62 of exports to the Caribbean which is attributable to the 63 initiative. 64 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2012.