381.79  Brain and Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation Trust Fund.--

(1)  There is created in the State Treasury the Brain and Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation Trust Fund. Moneys in the fund shall be appropriated to the department for the purpose of providing the cost of care for brain or spinal cord injuries as a payor of last resort to residents of this state, for multilevel programs of care established pursuant to ¹s. 413.49.

(a)  Authorization of expenditures for brain or spinal cord injury care shall be made only by the department.

(b)  Authorized expenditures include acute care, rehabilitation, transitional living, equipment, and supplies necessary for activities of daily living, public information, prevention, education, and research.

(2)  The department shall issue a report to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives by March 1 of each year, summarizing the activities supported by the trust fund.

(3)  Annually, 5 percent of the revenues deposited monthly in the fund pursuant to s. 318.21(2)(d) shall be appropriated to the University of Florida and 5 percent to the University of Miami for spinal cord injury and brain injury research. The amount to be distributed to the universities shall be calculated based on the deposits into the fund for each quarter in the fiscal year, but may not exceed $500,000 per university per year. Funds distributed under this subsection shall be made in quarterly payments at the end of each quarter during the fiscal year.

(4)  The Board of Regents shall establish a program administration process which shall include: an annual prospective program plan with goals, research design, proposed outcomes, a proposed budget, an annual report of research activities and findings, and an annual end-of-year financial statement. Prospective program plans shall be submitted to the Board of Regents, and funds shall be released upon acceptance of the proposed program plans. The annual report of research activities and findings shall be submitted to the Board of Regents, with the executive summaries submitted to the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the secretary of the Department of Health.

History.--s. 63, ch. 88-381; s. 2, ch. 92-65; s. 38, ch. 94-324; s. 23, ch. 99-240; s. 10, ch. 99-252.

¹Note.--Transferred to s. 381.75 by s. 19, ch. 99-240.