Bill Text: FL S0802 | 2015 | Regular Session | Comm Sub
Bill Title: Vocational Rehabilitation
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Failed) 2015-04-28 - Died in Messages [S0802 Detail]
Download: Florida-2015-S0802-Comm_Sub.html
Florida Senate - 2015 CS for SB 802 By the Committee on Appropriations; and Senator Gaetz 576-02887-15 2015802c1 1 A bill to be entitled 2 An act relating to vocational rehabilitation; amending 3 s. 413.202, F.S.; providing for the future repeal of 4 the designation of the Division of Vocational 5 Rehabilitation as the administrative unit for purposes 6 of the Vocational Rehabilitation Act of 1973, subject 7 to legislative review of a required report; amending 8 s. 413.207, F.S.; requiring the Division of Vocational 9 Rehabilitation to initiate, by a specified date, a 10 performance improvement plan designed to achieve 11 specified goals; requiring the division to submit a 12 performance report annually, by a specified date, to 13 the Governor and the Legislature which includes 14 specified information; amending s. 413.23, F.S.; 15 authorizing the division to develop and implement a 16 pilot program; creating s. 413.80, F.S.; requiring the 17 division to develop and implement a pilot program to 18 improve the state vocational rehabilitation program; 19 requiring the division to enter into partnership 20 agreements with local, nonprofit organizations; 21 authorizing the division to issue an invitation to 22 negotiate under certain circumstances; requiring that 23 the agreements include specific performance goals in 24 certain areas; requiring the division to report 25 activities and results of the pilot program to the 26 Governor and the Legislature annually by a specified 27 date; providing an effective date. 28 29 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 30 31 Section 1. Section 413.202, Florida Statutes, is amended to 32 read: 33 413.202 Designated administrative unit.—Effective on the 34 effective date of this act, for the purposes of effecting 35 compliance with the Vocational Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as 36 amended, the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation is designated 37 as the administrative unit. This section is repealed June 30, 38 2016, unless reenacted by the Legislature after review of the 39 progress report on the achievement of the performance goals 40 required by s. 413.207. 41 Section 2. Section 413.207, Florida Statutes, is amended to 42 read: 43 413.207 Division of Vocational Rehabilitation; quality 44 assurance.— 45 (1) The Division of Vocational Rehabilitation shall 46 maintain an internal system of quality assurance, have proven 47 functional systems, perform due diligence, review provider 48 systems of quality assurance, and be subject to monitoring for 49 compliance with state and federal laws, rules, and regulations. 50 (2) No later than October 1, 2015, the division shall 51 develop and implement a performance improvement plan designed to 52 achieve the following goals: 53 (a) Increase the number and percentage of persons with a 54 program record who receive services. 55 (b) Increase the number of persons receiving postsecondary 56 workforce education as defined in s. 1004.02(25). 57 (c) Increase the number of persons earning CAPE industry 58 certifications and CAPE postsecondary industry certifications 59 approved pursuant to s. 1008.44. 60 (d) Increase the number of cases closed due to the 61 employment of the person who has a disability. 62 (e) Decrease the average cost per employment outcome, as 63 that term is defined in s. 413.20. 64 (f) Decrease the proportion of full-time equivalent 65 positions in the division devoted to administration. 66 (3) The improvement plan goals shall be designed to elevate 67 the state vocational rehabilitation program to one of the top 10 68 in the nation. 69 (4) By December 1 of each year, the division shall submit a 70 performance report to the Governor, the President of the Senate, 71 and the Speaker of the House of Representatives which includes 72 the following information for each of the 5 most recent fiscal 73 years: 74 (a) Caseload data, including the number of individuals who 75 apply for, and the number who receive, services, statewide and 76 by service area, by service type. 77 (b) Service use data, including the number of units of 78 service provided, statewide and by service area, by service 79 type. 80 (c) Financial data, including expenditures for 81 administration and the provision of services, by service type. 82 Expenditure data shall be reported on a statewide basis and by 83 service area, and expenditures for education-related services 84 shall be identified in specific categories such as tuition and 85 fees, program fees, and support services. 86 (d) Outcome data, statewide and by service area, including 87 the number of cases closed without employment and with 88 employment. Employment data must specify whether the employment 89 was supported or integrated. 90 Section 3. Section 413.23, Florida Statutes, is amended to 91 read: 92 413.23 Administration.—The division shall provide 93 vocational rehabilitation services to persons who have 94 disabilities determined to be eligible therefor and, in carrying 95 out the purposes of this part, is authorized, among other 96 things: 97 (1) To cooperate with other departments, agencies, and 98 institutions, both public and private, in providing for the 99 vocational rehabilitation of persons who have disabilities, in 100 studying the problems involved therein, and in establishing, 101 developing, and providing, in conformity with the purposes of 102 this part, such programs, facilities, and services as may be 103 necessary or desirable.;104 (2) To enter into reciprocal agreements with other states 105 to provide for the vocational rehabilitation of residents of the 106 states concerned.;107 (3) To conduct research and compile statistics relating to 108 the vocational rehabilitation of persons who have disabilities.;109 (4) To prepare a federally required state plan for 110 vocational rehabilitation, as required by the act. The state 111 plan must contain all of the elements required by s. 101 of the 112 act, including an assessment of the needs of persons who have 113 disabilities and how those needs may be most effectively met. 114 The division is authorized to make amendments to the state plan 115 considered necessary to maintain compliance with the act and to 116 implement such changes in order to qualify for and maintain 117 federal funding. After completion of the state plan or making 118 amendments to the state plan, the division must distribute 119 copies of the state plan to the Governor, the President of the 120 Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the 121 United States Secretary of Education. 122 (5) To develop and implement a pilot program under s. 123 413.80 using such resources and operating in designated regions 124 of the state as may be specified in the General Appropriations 125 Act. 126 Section 4. Section 413.80, Florida Statutes, is created to 127 read: 128 413.80 Partnership for Employment of Persons with Unique 129 Abilities.— 130 (1) The division shall develop and implement a Partnership 131 for Employment of Persons with Unique Abilities pilot program 132 aimed at achieving specific, measureable performance goals for 133 the employment of persons who have a disability. To that end, 134 the division shall partner with one or more local, nonprofit 135 organizations with experience assisting persons who have a 136 disability in gaining employment. If more than one qualifying 137 organization in the pilot areas designated by the General 138 Appropriations Act requests a partnership agreement, the 139 division may issue an invitation to negotiate pursuant to s. 140 287.057(1)(c). 141 (2) The partner organizations must agree to performance 142 goals established by the division based on improvement over past 143 performance in at least the following areas: 144 (a) The number and percentage of individuals with open 145 records who receive services. 146 (b) The number of individuals with open records who receive 147 postsecondary workforce education pursuant to s. 1004.02(25). 148 (c) The number of persons earning CAPE industry 149 certifications and CAPE postsecondary industry certifications 150 approved pursuant to s. 1008.44. 151 (d) The number and percentage of cases closed due to the 152 employment of the eligible individual. 153 (e) The proportion of full-time equivalent positions in the 154 organization devoted to administration. 155 (3) The division shall report activities and results of the 156 pilot program to the Governor, the President of the Senate, and 157 the Speaker of the House of Representatives by December 31 of 158 each year. 159 Section 5. This act shall take effect July 1, 2015.