Florida Tenth Amendment Center
Two bills have been introduced in the Florida legislature that would require firearms dealers to charge an additional four percent on all guns and ammo sales.
In the Senate, SB 1234 and in the House, HB 1209 if passed, would establish an additional four percent tax on firearm and ammunition sales.
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GENERAL BILL by Joyner
Sale of Firearms and Ammunition; Providing an administrative fee to be imposed on the sale of firearms and ammunition by licensed dealers in this state; requiring fees collected to be deposited into the Behavioral Health Intervention and Treatment Trust Fund; providing for carry forward of unexpended funds in the trust fund at the end of fiscal year; providing for distributions from the trust fund, etc.
Senate Committee References: Criminal Justice (CJ) , Commerce and Tourism (CM) , Appropriations Subcommittee on Finance and Tax (AFT) ,Appropriations (AP)
Last Action: 03/01/2013 Referred to Criminal Justice; Commerce and Tourism; Appropriations Subcommittee on Finance and Tax; Appropriations
Effective Date: July 1, 2013
| 02/27/2013 | Senate | • Filed |
| 03/01/2013 | Senate | • Referred to Criminal Justice; Commerce and Tourism; Appropriations Subcommittee on Finance and Tax; Appropriations |
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With passage of the first two bills, additional bills SB 1220 and HB 1211 would then create the ”Behavioral Health Intervention and Treatment Trust Fund/DCF.”
The monies collected would supposedly then go into the newly created fund. The bill to set up the trust fund reads as follows:
Florida Senate – 2013 SB 1220
By Senator Joyner
19-01776-13 20131220__
Page 1 of 2
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to trust funds; creating s. 20.1955,
3 F.S.; creating the Behavioral Health Intervention and
4 Treatment Trust Fund within the Department of Children
5 and Families; providing purposes of the trust fund;
6 providing for future review and termination or re-
7 creation of the trust fund; providing a contingent
8 effective date.
9
10 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
11
12 Section 1. Section 20.1955, Florida Statutes, is created to
13 read:
14 20.1955 Behavioral Health Intervention and Treatment Trust
15 Fund; Department of Children and Families.—
16 (1) The Behavioral Health Intervention and Treatment Trust
17 Fund is created within the Department of Children and Families.
18 (2) The trust fund is established for the purpose of
19 receiving funds collected from the fees imposed on the sale of
20 firearms and ammunition by licensed dealers pursuant to s.
21 790.065(14).
22 (3) In accordance with s. 19(f)(2), Art. III of the State
23 Constitution, the trust fund shall, unless terminated sooner, be
24 terminated on July 1, 2017. Before its scheduled termination,
25 the trust fund shall be reviewed as provided in s. 215.3206(1)
26 and (2).
27 Section 2. This act shall take effect on the same date that
28 SB ____ or similar legislation takes effect, if such legislation
29 is enacted in the same legislative session or an extension Florida Senate – 2013 SB 1220
19-01776-13 20131220__
Page 2 of 2
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
30 thereof and becomes law, and only if this act is enacted by a
31 three-fifths vote of the membership of each house of the
32 Legislature.
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This bill is an ill disguised attempt to burden and punish firearms owners. It is disingenuous to not have included in this bill the purchase of baseball bats, knives, hammers, chain saws and arsenic. Sadly,murder is committed in many ways in Florida yet only firearms, ammunition and their enthusiasts would be burdened with this new and prejudicial tax.
According to HB 1209, monies confiscated from those who practice their natural right to keep and bear arms would be distributed among various agencies with applications spanning the spectrum from mildly specific to unsatisfactorily vague.
The Florida Tenth Amendment Center opposes these bills and urges their quick and sudden demise. While we oppose weaponry of any kind in the hands of anyone who in their instability would inflict harm on innocent people, inflicting a tax on a specific group of citizens to fund any initiative represents unequal treatment and should not be allowed to go forward.
The Senate bill SB 1234 has to go through Sen. Greg Ever’s Criminal Justice Committee. Call,write to let him know it has to DIE THERE.
Senator Greg Evers-
evers.greg.web@flsenate.gov
209 E. Zaragoza Street
Pensacola, FL 32502-6048
(850) 595-0213
Senate VOIP: 40200
FAX (888) 263-0013
The bill text regarding the disbursement of funds follows below:
) It is the intent of the Legislature that funds
48 deposited in the trust fund be used to address mental health
49 issues and provide resources for behavioral health intervention
50 and treatment programs. Allocations from the trust fund shall be
51 distributed annually as follows:
52 (a) Seventy percent to managing entities, as defined in s.
53 394.9082, Florida Statutes, for the purpose of:
54 1. Funding the research and evaluation of mental health
55 treatment.
56 2. Providing access to mental health care facilities for HB 1209 2013
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb1209-00
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
57 those in need.
58 3. Increasing public awareness regarding mental health
59 issues.
60 4. Providing mental health treatment, crisis prevention,
61 and recovery support.
62 (b) Ten percent to law enforcement agencies for the
63 purpose of:
64 1. Reducing the number of inmates with mental health
65 treatment needs processed within the criminal justice system.
66 2. Developing crisis intervention training.
67 3. Establishing onsite mental health coordinator positions
68 within law enforcement agencies.
69 4. Training law enforcement officers to recognize the
70 signs of behavioral disorders.
71 5. Establishing diversion programs for inmates with
72 behavioral disorders.
73 (c) Five percent to the Department of Education for the
74 purpose of:
75 1. Training educators and administrators in the K-20
76 education system to recognize signs of behavioral disorders in
77 students.
78 2. Providing in-school counseling for students in crisis.
79 3. Providing funding for security cameras, panic buttons,
80 door locks, or other necessary school safety measures.
81 4. Establishing a departmental behavioral disorder trauma
82 intervention program.
83 5. Establishing early detection programs that allow
84 community mental health providers to offer schoolwide screenings HB 1209 2013
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hb1209-00
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
85 to diagnose emotional and behavioral issues.
86 6. Developing presentations and training seminars on
87 emotional topics relevant to students.
88 (d) Five percent to public postsecondary educational
89 institutions for the purpose of:
90 1. Providing direct services such as professional
91 counselors to aid students in crisis.
92 2. Providing student mental health services.
93 3. Promoting mental health awareness to provide students
94 with information on how to respond to various forms of
95 behavioral disorders.
96 4. Providing academic training in mental health care.
97 (e) Five percent to community-based organizations and
98 nonprofit organizations for the purpose of:
99 1. Providing behavioral health organizations and nonprofit
100 organizations with necessary resources to address behavioral
101 disorders.
102 2. Increasing public awareness of behavioral health issues
103 and mental illnesses.
104 3. Increasing public awareness of the resources available
105 to assist persons with behavioral health concerns.
106 4. Establishing trauma intervention programs to work with
107 local law enforcement agencies and to provide mental health
108 professional services to homeless persons with chronic substance
109 abuse issues.
110 5. Establishing mental health treatment programs to assist
111 former inmates processed within the criminal justice system.
112 (f) Five percent to Our Kids of Miami-Dade/Monroe, Inc., HB 1209 2013
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hb1209-00
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
113 for the purpose of:
114 1. Providing counseling for children in crisis.
115 2. Assisting mental health professionals in identifying
116 underlining emotional and behavioral issues in children.
117 Section 4. This act shall take effect July 1, 2013.
Andrew Nappi is the State Coordinator for the Florida Tenth Amendment Center. He lives in the Tampa Bay Area with wife Tammy and dogs Emma and Bud Lite.
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