Florida Senate - 2021 CS for CS for SB 414
By the Committees on Appropriations; and Children, Families, and
Elder Affairs; and Senators Perry, Boyd, and Rouson
576-04661-21 2021414c2
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to economic self-sufficiency; amending
3 s. 1002.81, F.S.; deleting obsolete language; amending
4 s. 1002.87, F.S.; requiring an early learning
5 coalition to give priority for participation in a
6 school readiness program to certain children;
7 requiring the Office of Early Learning within the
8 Department of Education to coordinate with the
9 University of Florida Anita Zucker Center for
10 Excellence in Early Childhood Studies to conduct an
11 analysis of certain assistance programs; providing
12 requirements for the analysis; requiring certain
13 agencies to enter into a data-sharing agreement with
14 certain entities and annually provide certain data by
15 a specified date; requiring the Department of Children
16 and Families to provide certain assistance; requiring
17 the University of Florida Anita Zucker Center for
18 Excellence in Early Childhood Studies to provide an
19 annual report on the analysis to the Office of Early
20 Learning by a specified date; requiring the Office of
21 Early Learning to provide an annual report to the
22 Governor and the Legislature within a certain
23 timeframe; providing for the scheduled expiration of
24 the assistance program analysis project; providing an
25 effective date.
26
27 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
28
29 Section 1. Subsections (6) and (15) of section 1002.81,
30 Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
31 1002.81 Definitions.—Consistent with the requirements of 45
32 C.F.R. parts 98 and 99 and as used in this part, the term:
33 (6) “Earned income” means gross remuneration derived from
34 work, professional service, or self-employment. The term
35 includes commissions, bonuses, back pay awards, and the cash
36 value of all remuneration paid in a medium other than cash.
37 (15) “Unearned income” means income other than earned
38 income. The term includes, but is not limited to:
39 (a) Documented alimony and child support received.
40 (b) Social security benefits.
41 (c) Supplemental security income benefits.
42 (d) Workers’ compensation benefits.
43 (e) Reemployment assistance or unemployment compensation
44 benefits.
45 (f) Veterans’ benefits.
46 (g) Retirement benefits.
47 (h) Temporary cash assistance under chapter 414.
48 Section 2. Paragraph (a) of subsection (1) of section
49 1002.87, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
50 1002.87 School readiness program; eligibility and
51 enrollment.—
52 (1) Each early learning coalition shall give priority for
53 participation in the school readiness program as follows:
54 (a) Priority shall be given first to a child younger than
55 13 years of age from a family that includes a parent who is
56 receiving temporary cash assistance under chapter 414 and
57 subject to the federal work requirements or a parent who has an
58 Intensive Service Account or an Individual Training Account
59 under s. 445.009.
60 Section 3. (1) The Office of Early Learning within the
61 Department of Education shall coordinate with the University of
62 Florida Anita Zucker Center for Excellence in Early Childhood
63 Studies to conduct an analysis of, at a minimum, recipients of
64 the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program established under
65 7 U.S.C. ss. 2011 et seq., the temporary cash assistance program
66 under s. 414.095, Florida Statutes, the Medicaid program under
67 s. 409.963, Florida Statutes, the school readiness program under
68 part VI of chapter 1002, Florida Statutes, and the Housing
69 Choice Voucher Program established under 42 U.S.C. s. 1437f.
70 (2) The analysis must include a review of eligibility
71 criteria, the manner in which each program establishes and
72 documents eligibility and disbursement policies, the frequency
73 of eligibility determinations, and the number of families
74 receiving multiple program services out of the total number of
75 eligible families.
76 (3) The University of Florida Anita Zucker Center for
77 Excellence in Early Childhood Studies shall, through its
78 analysis, develop participant profiles based on the number of
79 families receiving multiple program services that include family
80 composition and the most frequent program services or
81 combination of services families are accessing in each county or
82 geographic region.
83 (4)(a) Each agency responsible for the administration of a
84 program to be analyzed under subsection (1) shall enter into a
85 data sharing agreement with the Office of Early Learning and the
86 University of Florida Anita Zucker Center for Excellence in
87 Early Childhood Studies by September 1, 2021. Upon execution of
88 the data sharing agreement, and subject to any federal
89 requirements, each agency shall submit a program services data
90 file to the University of Florida Anita Zucker Center for
91 Excellence in Early Childhood Studies by November 1, 2021,
92 containing program service data from the preceding 10 federal
93 fiscal years, if available. By November 1, 2022, and each year
94 thereafter if applicable, each agency shall submit a
95 supplemental data file to the University of Florida Anita Zucker
96 Center for Excellence in Early Childhood Studies containing
97 program service data from the preceding federal fiscal year.
98 (b) The Department of Children and Families shall assist
99 the University of Florida Anita Zucker Center for Excellence in
100 Early Childhood Studies with receiving information required to
101 be analyzed under subsection (1) that is related to the
102 department’s programs, including, but not limited to, providing
103 assistance with seeking any required approvals or waivers from
104 applicable federal agencies.
105 (5) The University of Florida Anita Zucker Center for
106 Excellence in Early Childhood Studies shall provide a report to
107 the Office of Early Learning based on the results of its
108 analysis by May 31 of each year.
109 (6) The Office of Early Learning within 30 days after
110 receiving the report shall submit it to the Governor, the
111 President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of
112 Representatives.
113 (7) This section expires on June 30, 2023, unless reviewed
114 and reenacted by the Legislature before that date.
115 Section 4. This act shall take effect July 1, 2021.