Home > Laws > 2017 Florida Statutes > Title XVIII > Chapter 259 > Section 105
Title XVIII PUBLIC LANDS AND PROPERTY
Chapter 259 LAND ACQUISITIONS FOR CONSERVATION OR RECREATION Entire Chapter
The Florida Forever Act.
259.105 The Florida Forever Act.—
(1) This section may be cited as the “Florida Forever Act.”
(2)(a) The Legislature finds and declares that:
1. Land acquisition programs have provided tremendous financial resources for purchasing environmentally significant lands to protect those lands from imminent development or alteration, thereby ensuring present and future generations’ access to important waterways, open spaces, and recreation and conservation lands.
2. The continued alteration and development of the state’s natural and rural areas to accommodate the state’s growing population have contributed to the degradation of water resources, the fragmentation and destruction of wildlife habitats, the loss of outdoor recreation space, and the diminishment of wetlands, forests, working landscapes, and coastal open space.
3. The potential development of the state’s remaining natural areas and escalation of land values require government efforts to restore, bring under public protection, or acquire lands and water areas to preserve the state’s essential ecological functions and invaluable quality of life.
4. It is essential to protect the state’s ecosystems by promoting a more efficient use of land, to ensure opportunities for viable agricultural activities on working lands, and to promote vital rural and urban communities that support and produce development patterns consistent with natural resource protection.
5. The state’s groundwater, surface waters, and springs are under tremendous pressure due to population growth and economic expansion and require special protection and restoration efforts, including the protection of uplands and springsheds that provide vital recharge to aquifer systems and are critical to the protection of water quality and water quantity of the aquifers and springs. To ensure that sufficient quantities of water are available to meet the current and future needs of the natural systems and citizens of the state, and assist in achieving the planning goals of the department and the water management districts, water resource development projects on public lands, if compatible with the resource values of and management objectives for the lands, are appropriate.
6. The needs of urban, suburban, and small communities in the state for high-quality outdoor recreational opportunities, greenways, trails, and open space have not been fully met by previous acquisition programs. Through such programs as the Florida Communities Trust and the Florida Recreation Development Assistance Program, the state shall place additional emphasis on acquiring, protecting, preserving, and restoring open space, ecological greenways, and recreation properties within urban, suburban, and rural areas where pristine natural communities or water bodies no longer exist because of the proximity of developed property.
7. Many of the state’s unique ecosystems, such as the Florida Everglades, are facing ecological collapse due to the state’s burgeoning population growth and other economic activities. To preserve these valuable ecosystems for future generations, essential parcels of land must be acquired to facilitate ecosystem restoration.
8. Access to public lands to support a broad range of outdoor recreational opportunities and the development of necessary infrastructure, if compatible with the resource values of and management objectives for such lands, promotes an appreciation for the state’s natural assets and improves the quality of life.
9. Acquisition of lands, in fee simple, less than fee interest, or other techniques shall be based on a comprehensive science-based assessment of the state’s natural resources which targets essential conservation lands by prioritizing all current and future acquisitions based on a uniform set of data and planned so as to protect the integrity and function of ecological systems and working landscapes, and provide multiple benefits, including preservation of fish and wildlife habitat, recreation space for urban and rural areas, and the restoration of natural water storage, flow, and recharge.
10. The state has embraced performance-based program budgeting as a tool to evaluate the achievements of publicly funded agencies, build in accountability, and reward those agencies which are able to consistently achieve quantifiable goals. While previous and existing state environmental programs have achieved varying degrees of success, few of these programs can be evaluated as to the extent of their achievements, primarily because performance measures, standards, outcomes, and goals were not established at the outset. Therefore, the Florida Forever program shall be developed and implemented in the context of measurable state goals and objectives.
11. The state must play a major role in the recovery and management of its imperiled species through the acquisition, restoration, enhancement, and management of ecosystems that can support the major life functions of such species. It is the intent of the Legislature to support local, state, and federal programs that result in net benefit to imperiled species habitat by providing public and private land owners meaningful incentives for acquiring, restoring, managing, and repopulating habitats for imperiled species. It is the further intent of the Legislature that public lands, both existing and to be acquired, identified by the lead land managing agency, in consultation with the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission for animals or the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services for plants, as habitat or potentially restorable habitat for imperiled species, be restored, enhanced, managed, and repopulated as habitat for such species to advance the goals and objectives of imperiled species management for conservation, recreation, or both, consistent with the land management plan without restricting other uses identified in the management plan. It is also the intent of the Legislature that of the proceeds distributed pursuant to subsection (3), additional consideration be given to acquisitions that achieve a combination of conservation goals, including the restoration, enhancement, management, or repopulation of habitat for imperiled species. The council, in addition to the criteria in subsection (9), shall give weight to projects that include acquisition, restoration, management, or repopulation of habitat for imperiled species. The term “imperiled species” as used in this chapter and chapter 253, means plants and animals that are federally listed under the Endangered Species Act, or state-listed by the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission or the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. As part of the state’s role, all state lands that have imperiled species habitat shall include as a consideration in management plan development the restoration, enhancement, management, and repopulation of such habitats. In addition, the lead land managing agency of such state lands may use fees received from public or private entities for projects to offset adverse impacts to imperiled species or their habitat in order to restore, enhance, manage, repopulate, or acquire land and to implement land management plans developed under s. 253.034 or a land management prospectus developed and implemented under this chapter. Such fees shall be deposited into a foundation or fund created by each land management agency under s. 379.223, s. 589.012, or s. 259.032(9)(c), to be used solely to restore, manage, enhance, repopulate, or acquire imperiled species habitat.
12. There is a need to change the focus and direction of the state’s major land acquisition programs and to extend funding and bonding capabilities, so that future generations may enjoy the natural resources of this state.
(b) The Legislature recognizes that acquisition of lands in fee simple is only one way to achieve the aforementioned goals and encourages the use of less-than-fee interests, other techniques, and the development of creative partnerships between governmental agencies and private landowners. Such partnerships may include those that advance the restoration, enhancement, management, or repopulation of imperiled species habitat on state lands as provided for in subparagraph (a)11. Easements acquired pursuant to s. 570.71(2)(a) and (b), land protection agreements, and nonstate funded tools such as rural land stewardship areas, sector planning, and mitigation should be used, where appropriate, to bring environmentally sensitive tracts under an acceptable level of protection at a lower financial cost to the public, and to provide private landowners with the opportunity to enjoy and benefit from their property.
(c) Public agencies or other entities that receive funds under this section shall coordinate their expenditures so that project acquisitions, when combined with acquisitions under Florida Forever, Preservation 2000, Save Our Rivers, the Florida Communities Trust, other public land acquisition programs, and the techniques, partnerships, and tools referenced in subparagraph (a)11. and paragraph (b), are used to form more complete patterns of protection for natural areas, ecological greenways, and functioning ecosystems, to better accomplish the intent of this section.
(d) A long-term financial commitment to restoring, enhancing, and managing Florida’s public lands in order to implement land management plans developed under s. 253.034 or a land management prospectus developed and implemented under this chapter must accompany any land acquisition program to ensure that the natural resource values of such lands are restored, enhanced, managed, and protected; that the public enjoys the lands to their fullest potential; and that the state achieves the full benefits of its investment of public dollars. Innovative strategies such as public-private partnerships and interagency planning and sharing of resources shall be used to achieve the state’s management goals.
(e) With limited dollars available for restoration, enhancement, management, and acquisition of land and water areas and for providing long-term management and capital improvements, a competitive selection process shall select those projects best able to meet the goals of Florida Forever and maximize the efficient use of the program’s funding.
(f) To ensure success and provide accountability to the citizens of this state, it is the intent of the Legislature that any cash or bond proceeds used pursuant to this section be used to implement the goals and objectives recommended by a comprehensive science-based assessment and approved by the Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund and the Legislature.
(g) As it has with previous land acquisition programs, the Legislature recognizes the desires of the residents of this state to prosper through economic development and to preserve, restore, and manage the state’s natural areas and recreational open space. The Legislature further recognizes the urgency of restoring the natural functions, including wildlife and imperiled species habitat functions, of public lands or water bodies before they are degraded to a point where recovery may never occur, yet acknowledges the difficulty of ensuring adequate funding for restoration, enhancement, and management efforts in light of other equally critical financial needs of the state. It is the Legislature’s desire and intent to fund the implementation of this section and to do so in a fiscally responsible manner, by issuing bonds to be repaid with documentary stamp tax or other revenue sources, including those identified in subparagraph (a)11.
(h) The Legislature further recognizes the important role that many of our state and federal military installations contribute to protecting and preserving Florida’s natural resources as well as our economic prosperity. Where the state’s land conservation plans overlap with the military’s need to protect lands, waters, and habitat to ensure the sustainability of military missions, it is the Legislature’s intent that agencies receiving funds under this program cooperate with our military partners to protect and buffer military installations and military airspace, by:
1. Protecting habitat on nonmilitary land for any species found on military land that is designated as threatened or endangered, or is a candidate for such designation under the Endangered Species Act or any Florida statute;
2. Protecting areas underlying low-level military air corridors or operating areas;
3. Protecting areas identified as clear zones, accident potential zones, and air installation compatible use buffer zones delineated by our military partners; and
4. Providing the military with technical assistance to restore, enhance, and manage military land as habitat for imperiled species or species designated as threatened or endangered, or a candidate for such designation, and for the recovery or reestablishment of such species.
(3) Less the costs of issuing and the costs of funding reserve accounts and other costs associated with bonds, the proceeds of cash payments or bonds issued pursuant to this section shall be deposited into the Florida Forever Trust Fund created by s. 259.1051. The proceeds shall be distributed by the Department of Environmental Protection in the following manner:
(a) Thirty percent to the Department of Environmental Protection for the acquisition of lands and capital project expenditures necessary to implement the water management districts’ priority lists developed pursuant to s. 373.199. The funds are to be distributed to the water management districts as provided in subsection (11). A minimum of 50 percent of the total funds provided over the life of the Florida Forever program pursuant to this paragraph shall be used for the acquisition of lands.
(b) Thirty-five percent to the Department of Environmental Protection for the acquisition of lands and capital project expenditures described in this section. Of the proceeds distributed pursuant to this paragraph, it is the intent of the Legislature that an increased priority be given to those acquisitions which achieve a combination of conservation goals, including protecting Florida’s water resources and natural groundwater recharge. At a minimum, 3 percent, and no more than 10 percent, of the funds allocated pursuant to this paragraph shall be spent on capital project expenditures identified during the time of acquisition which meet land management planning activities necessary for public access. Beginning in the 2017-2018 fiscal year and continuing through the 2026-2027 fiscal year, at least $5 million of the funds allocated pursuant to this paragraph shall be spent on land acquisition within the Florida Keys Area of Critical State Concern as authorized pursuant to s. 259.045.
(c) Twenty-one percent to the Department of Environmental Protection for use by the Florida Communities Trust for the purposes of part III of chapter 380, as described and limited by this subsection, and grants to local governments or nonprofit environmental organizations that are tax-exempt under s. 501(c)(3) of the United States Internal Revenue Code for the acquisition of community-based projects, urban open spaces, parks, and greenways to implement local government comprehensive plans. From funds available to the trust and used for land acquisition, 75 percent shall be matched by local governments on a dollar-for-dollar basis. The Legislature intends that the Florida Communities Trust emphasize funding projects in low-income or otherwise disadvantaged communities and projects that provide areas for direct water access and water-dependent facilities that are open to the public and offer public access by vessels to waters of the state, including boat ramps and associated parking and other support facilities. At least 30 percent of the total allocation provided to the trust shall be used in Standard Metropolitan Statistical Areas, but one-half of that amount shall be used in localities in which the project site is located in built-up commercial, industrial, or mixed-use areas and functions to intersperse open spaces within congested urban core areas. From funds allocated to the trust, no less than 5 percent shall be used to acquire lands for recreational trail systems, provided that in the event these funds are not needed for such projects, they will be available for other trust projects. Local governments may use federal grants or loans, private donations, or environmental mitigation funds for any part or all of any local match required for acquisitions funded through the Florida Communities Trust. Any lands purchased by nonprofit organizations using funds allocated under this paragraph must provide for such lands to remain permanently in public use through a reversion of title to local or state government, conservation easement, or other appropriate mechanism. Projects funded with funds allocated to the trust shall be selected in a competitive process measured against criteria adopted in rule by the trust.
(d) Two percent to the Department of Environmental Protection for grants pursuant to s. 375.075.
(e) One and five-tenths percent to the Department of Environmental Protection for the purchase of inholdings and additions to state parks and for capital project expenditures as described in this section. At a minimum, 1 percent, and no more than 10 percent, of the funds allocated pursuant to this paragraph shall be spent on capital project expenditures identified during the time of acquisition which meet land management planning activities necessary for public access. For the purposes of this paragraph, “state park” means any real property in the state which is under the jurisdiction of the Division of Recreation and Parks of the department, or which may come under its jurisdiction.
(f) One and five-tenths percent to the Florida Forest Service of the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to fund the acquisition of state forest inholdings and additions pursuant to s. 589.07, the implementation of reforestation plans or sustainable forestry management practices, and for capital project expenditures as described in this section. At a minimum, 1 percent, and no more than 10 percent, of the funds allocated for the acquisition of inholdings and additions pursuant to this paragraph shall be spent on capital project expenditures identified during the time of acquisition which meet land management planning activities necessary for public access.
(g) One and five-tenths percent to the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to fund the acquisition of inholdings and additions to lands managed by the commission which are important to the conservation of fish and wildlife and for capital project expenditures as described in this section. At a minimum, 1 percent, and no more than 10 percent, of the funds allocated pursuant to this paragraph shall be spent on capital project expenditures identified during the time of acquisition which meet land management planning activities necessary for public access.
(h) One and five-tenths percent to the Department of Environmental Protection for the Florida Greenways and Trails Program, to acquire greenways and trails or greenways and trail systems pursuant to chapter 260, including, but not limited to, abandoned railroad rights-of-way and the Florida National Scenic Trail and for capital project expenditures as described in this section. At a minimum, 1 percent, and no more than 10 percent, of the funds allocated pursuant to this paragraph shall be spent on capital project expenditures identified during the time of acquisition which meet land management planning activities necessary for public access.
(i) Three and five-tenths percent to the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services for the acquisition of agricultural lands, through perpetual conservation easements and other perpetual less than fee techniques, which will achieve the objectives of Florida Forever and s. 570.71. Rules concerning the application, acquisition, and priority ranking process for such easements shall be developed pursuant to s. 570.71(10) and as provided by this paragraph. The board shall ensure that such rules are consistent with the acquisition process provided for in s. 570.715. The rules developed pursuant to s. 570.71(10), shall also provide for the following:
1. An annual priority list shall be developed pursuant to s. 570.71(10), submitted to the council for review, and approved by the board pursuant to s. 259.04.
2. Terms of easements and acquisitions proposed pursuant to this paragraph shall be approved by the board and may not be delegated by the board to any other entity receiving funds under this section.
3. All acquisitions pursuant to this paragraph shall contain a clear statement that they are subject to legislative appropriation.
Funds provided under this paragraph may not be expended until final adoption of rules by the board pursuant to s. 570.71.
(j) Two and five-tenths percent to the Department of Environmental Protection for the acquisition of land and capital project expenditures necessary to implement the Stan Mayfield Working Waterfronts Program within the Florida Communities Trust pursuant to s. 380.5105.
(k) It is the intent of the Legislature that cash payments or proceeds of Florida Forever bonds distributed under this section shall be expended in an efficient and fiscally responsible manner. An agency that receives proceeds from Florida Forever bonds under this section may not maintain a balance of unencumbered funds in its Florida Forever subaccount beyond 3 fiscal years from the date of deposit of funds from each bond issue. Any funds that have not been expended or encumbered after 3 fiscal years from the date of deposit shall be distributed by the Legislature at its next regular session for use in the Florida Forever program.
(l) For the purposes of paragraphs (e), (f), (g), and (h), the agencies that receive the funds shall develop their individual acquisition or restoration lists in accordance with specific criteria and numeric performance measures developed pursuant to s. 259.035(4). Proposed additions may be acquired if they are identified within the original project boundary, the management plan required pursuant to s. 253.034(5), or the management prospectus required pursuant to s. 259.032(7)(c). Proposed additions not meeting the requirements of this paragraph shall be submitted to the council for approval. The council may only approve the proposed addition if it meets two or more of the following criteria: serves as a link or corridor to other publicly owned property; enhances the protection or management of the property; would add a desirable resource to the property; would create a more manageable boundary configuration; has a high resource value that otherwise would be unprotected; or can be acquired at less than fair market value.
(m) Notwithstanding paragraphs (a)-(j) and for the 2016-2017 fiscal year only:
1. The amount of $15,156,206 to only the Division of State Lands within the Department of Environmental Protection for the Board of Trustees Florida Forever Priority List land acquisition projects.
2. Thirty-five million dollars to the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services for the acquisition of agricultural lands through perpetual conservation easements and other perpetual less-than-fee techniques, which will achieve the objectives of Florida Forever and s. 570.71.
3.a. Notwithstanding any allocation required pursuant to paragraph (c), $10 million shall be allocated to the Florida Communities Trust for projects acquiring conservation or recreation lands to enhance recreational opportunities for individuals with unique abilities.
b. The Department of Environmental Protection may waive the local government matching fund requirement of paragraph (c) for projects acquiring conservation or recreation lands to enhance recreational opportunities for individuals with unique abilities.
c. Notwithstanding sub-subparagraphs a. and b., any funds required to be used to acquire conservation or recreation lands to enhance recreational opportunities for individuals with unique abilities which have not been awarded for those purposes by May 1, 2017, may be awarded to redevelop or renew outdoor recreational facilities on public lands, including recreational trails, parks, and urban open spaces, together with improvements required to enhance recreational enjoyment and public access to public lands, if such redevelopment and renewal is primarily geared toward enhancing recreational opportunities for individuals with unique abilities. The department may waive the local matching requirement of paragraph (c) for such redevelopment and renewal projects.
This paragraph expires July 1, 2017.
(4) It is the intent of the Legislature that projects or acquisitions funded pursuant to paragraphs (3)(a) and (b) contribute to the achievement of the following goals, which shall be evaluated in accordance with specific criteria and numeric performance measures developed pursuant to s. 259.035(4):
(a) Enhance the coordination and completion of land acquisition projects, as measured by:
1. The number of acres acquired through the state’s land acquisition programs that contribute to the enhancement of essential natural resources, ecosystem service parcels, and connecting linkage corridors as identified and developed by the best available scientific analysis;
2. The number of acres protected through the use of alternatives to fee simple acquisition; or
3. The number of shared acquisition projects among Florida Forever funding partners and partners with other funding sources, including local governments and the Federal Government.
(b) Increase the protection of Florida’s biodiversity at the species, natural community, and landscape levels, as measured by:
1. The number of acres acquired of significant strategic habitat conservation areas;
2. The number of acres acquired of highest priority conservation areas for Florida’s rarest species;
3. The number of acres acquired of significant landscapes, landscape linkages, and conservation corridors, giving priority to completing linkages;
4. The number of acres acquired of underrepresented native ecosystems;
5. The number of landscape-sized protection areas of at least 50,000 acres that exhibit a mosaic of predominantly intact or restorable natural communities established through new acquisition projects or augmentations to previous projects; or
6. The percentage increase in the number of occurrences of imperiled species on publicly managed conservation areas.
(c) Protect, restore, and maintain the quality and natural functions of land, water, and wetland systems of the state, as measured by:
1. The number of acres of publicly owned land identified as needing restoration, enhancement, and management, acres undergoing restoration or enhancement, acres with restoration activities completed, and acres managed to maintain such restored or enhanced conditions; the number of acres which represent actual or potential imperiled species habitat; the number of acres which are available pursuant to a management plan to restore, enhance, repopulate, and manage imperiled species habitat; and the number of acres of imperiled species habitat managed, restored, enhanced, repopulated, or acquired;
2. The percentage of water segments that fully meet, partially meet, or do not meet their designated uses as reported in the Department of Environmental Protection’s State Water Quality Assessment 305(b) Report;
3. The percentage completion of targeted capital improvements in surface water improvement and management plans created under s. 373.453(2), regional or master stormwater management system plans, or other adopted restoration plans;
4. The number of acres acquired that protect natural floodplain functions;
5. The number of acres acquired that protect surface waters of the state;
6. The number of acres identified for acquisition to minimize damage from flooding and the percentage of those acres acquired;
7. The number of acres acquired that protect fragile coastal resources;
8. The number of acres of functional wetland systems protected;
9. The percentage of miles of critically eroding beaches contiguous with public lands that are restored or protected from further erosion;
10. The percentage of public lakes and rivers in which invasive, nonnative aquatic plants are under maintenance control; or
11. The number of acres of public conservation lands in which upland invasive, exotic plants are under maintenance control.
(d) Ensure that sufficient quantities of water are available to meet the current and future needs of natural systems and the citizens of the state, as measured by:
1. The number of acres acquired which provide retention and storage of surface water in naturally occurring storage areas, such as lakes and wetlands, consistent with the maintenance of water resources or water supplies and consistent with district water supply plans;
2. The quantity of water made available through the water resource development component of a district water supply plan for which a water management district is responsible; or
3. The number of acres acquired of groundwater recharge areas critical to springs, sinks, aquifers, other natural systems, or water supply.
(e) Increase natural resource-based public recreational and educational opportunities, as measured by:
1. The number of acres acquired that are available for natural resource-based public recreation or education;
2. The miles of trails that are available for public recreation, giving priority to those that provide significant connections including those that will assist in completing the Florida National Scenic Trail; or
3. The number of new resource-based recreation facilities, by type, made available on public land.
(f) Preserve significant archaeological or historic sites, as measured by:
1. The increase in the number of and percentage of historic and archaeological properties listed in the Florida Master Site File or National Register of Historic Places which are protected or preserved for public use; or
2. The increase in the number and percentage of historic and archaeological properties that are in state ownership.
(g) Increase the amount of forestland available for sustainable management of natural resources, as measured by:
1. The number of acres acquired that are available for sustainable forest management;
2. The number of acres of state-owned forestland managed for economic return in accordance with current best management practices;
3. The number of acres of forestland acquired that will serve to maintain natural groundwater recharge functions; or
4. The percentage and number of acres identified for restoration actually restored by reforestation.
(h) Increase the amount of open space available in urban areas, as measured by:
1. The percentage of local governments that participate in land acquisition programs and acquire open space in urban cores; or
2. The percentage and number of acres of purchases of open space within urban service areas.
Florida Forever projects and acquisitions funded pursuant to paragraph (3)(c) shall be measured by goals developed by rule by the Florida Communities Trust Governing Board created in s. 380.504.
(5)(a) All lands acquired pursuant to this section shall be managed for multiple-use purposes, where compatible with the resource values of and management objectives for such lands. As used in this section, “multiple-use” includes, but is not limited to, outdoor recreational activities as described in ss. 253.034 and 259.032(7)(b), water resource development projects, sustainable forestry management, carbon sequestration, carbon mitigation, or carbon offsets.
(b) Upon a decision by the entity in which title to lands acquired pursuant to this section has vested, such lands may be designated single use as defined in s. 253.034(2)(b).
(c) For purposes of this section, the Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund shall adopt rules that pertain to the use of state lands for carbon sequestration, carbon mitigation, or carbon offsets and that provide for climate-change-related benefits.
(6) As provided in this section, a water resource or water supply development project may be allowed only if the following conditions are met: minimum flows and levels have been established for those waters, if any, which may reasonably be expected to experience significant harm to water resources as a result of the project; the project complies with all applicable permitting requirements; and the project is consistent with the regional water supply plan, if any, of the water management district and with relevant recovery or prevention strategies if required pursuant to s. 373.0421(2).
(7)(a) Beginning no later than July 1, 2001, and every year thereafter, the Acquisition and Restoration Council shall accept applications from state agencies, local governments, nonprofit and for-profit organizations, private land trusts, and individuals for project proposals eligible for funding pursuant to paragraph (3)(b). The council shall evaluate the proposals received pursuant to this subsection to ensure that they meet at least one of the criteria under subsection (9).
(b) Project applications shall contain, at a minimum, the following:
1. A minimum of two numeric performance measures that directly relate to the overall goals adopted by the council. Each performance measure shall include a baseline measurement, which is the current situation; a performance standard which the project sponsor anticipates the project will achieve; and the performance measurement itself, which should reflect the incremental improvements the project accomplishes towards achieving the performance standard.
2. Proof that property owners within any proposed acquisition have been notified of their inclusion in the proposed project. Any property owner may request the removal of such property from further consideration by submitting a request to the project sponsor or the Acquisition and Restoration Council by certified mail. Upon receiving this request, the council shall delete the property from the proposed project; however, the board of trustees, at the time it votes to approve the proposed project lists pursuant to subsection (16), may add the property back on to the project lists if it determines by a super majority of its members that such property is critical to achieve the purposes of the project.
(c) The title to lands acquired under this section shall vest in the Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund, except that title to lands acquired by a water management district shall vest in the name of that district and lands acquired by a local government shall vest in the name of the purchasing local government.
(8) The Acquisition and Restoration Council shall develop a project list that shall represent those projects submitted pursuant to subsection (7).
(9) The Acquisition and Restoration Council shall recommend rules for adoption by the board of trustees to competitively evaluate, select, and rank projects eligible for Florida Forever funds pursuant to paragraph (3)(b). In developing these proposed rules, the Acquisition and Restoration Council shall give weight to the following criteria:
(a) The project meets multiple goals described in subsection (4).
(b) The project is part of an ongoing governmental effort to restore, protect, or develop land areas or water resources.
(c) The project enhances or facilitates management of properties already under public ownership.
(d) The project has significant archaeological or historic value.
(e) The project has funding sources that are identified and assured through at least the first 2 years of the project.
(f) The project contributes to the solution of water resource problems on a regional basis.
(g) The project has a significant portion of its land area in imminent danger of development, in imminent danger of losing its significant natural attributes or recreational open space, or in imminent danger of subdivision which would result in multiple ownership and make acquisition of the project costly or less likely to be accomplished.
(h) The project implements an element from a plan developed by an ecosystem management team.
(i) The project is one of the components of the Everglades restoration effort.
(j) The project may be purchased at 80 percent of appraised value.
(k) The project may be acquired, in whole or in part, using alternatives to fee simple, including but not limited to, tax incentives, mitigation funds, or other revenues; the purchase of development rights, hunting rights, agricultural or silvicultural rights, or mineral rights; or obtaining conservation easements or flowage easements.
(l) The project is a joint acquisition, either among public agencies, nonprofit organizations, or private entities, or by a public-private partnership.
(10) The council shall give increased priority to:
(a) Projects for which matching funds are available.
(b) Project elements previously identified on an acquisition list pursuant to this section that can be acquired at 80 percent or less of appraised value.
(c) Projects that can be acquired in less than fee ownership, such as a permanent conservation easement.
(d) Projects that contribute to improving the quality and quantity of surface water and groundwater.
(e) Projects that contribute to improving the water quality and flow of springs.
(f) Projects for which the state’s land conservation plans overlap with the military’s need to protect lands, water, and habitat to ensure the sustainability of military missions including:
2. Protecting areas underlying low-level military air corridors or operating areas; and
3. Protecting areas identified as clear zones, accident potential zones, and air installation compatible use buffer zones delineated by our military partners, and for which federal or other funding is available to assist with the project.
(11) For the purposes of funding projects pursuant to paragraph (3)(a), the Secretary of Environmental Protection shall ensure that each water management district receives the following percentage of funds annually:
(a) Thirty-five percent to the South Florida Water Management District, of which amount $25 million for 2 years beginning in fiscal year 2000-2001 shall be transferred by the Department of Environmental Protection into the Save Our Everglades Trust Fund and shall be used exclusively to implement the comprehensive plan under s. 373.470.
(b) Twenty-five percent to the Southwest Florida Water Management District.
(c) Twenty-five percent to the St. Johns River Water Management District.
(d) Seven and one-half percent to the Suwannee River Water Management District.
(e) Seven and one-half percent to the Northwest Florida Water Management District.
(12) It is the intent of the Legislature that in developing the list of projects for funding pursuant to paragraph (3)(a), that these funds not be used to abrogate the financial responsibility of those point and nonpoint sources that have contributed to the degradation of water or land areas. Therefore, an increased priority shall be given by the water management district governing boards to those projects that have secured a cost-sharing agreement allocating responsibility for the cleanup of point and nonpoint sources.
(13) An affirmative vote of at least five members of the council shall be required in order to place a project submitted pursuant to subsection (7) on the proposed project list developed pursuant to subsection (8). Any member of the council who by family or a business relationship has a connection with any project proposed to be ranked shall declare such interest before voting for a project’s inclusion on the list.
(14) Each year that cash disbursements or bonds are to be issued pursuant to this section, the Acquisition and Restoration Council shall review the most current approved project list and shall, by the first board meeting in May, present to the Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund for approval a listing of projects developed pursuant to subsection (8). The board of trustees may remove projects from the list developed pursuant to this subsection, but may not add projects or rearrange project rankings.
(15) The council shall submit to the board, with its list of projects, a report that includes, but need not be limited to, the following information for each project listed:
(a) The stated purpose for inclusion.
(b) Projected costs to achieve the project goals.
(c) An interim management budget that includes all costs associated with immediate public access.
(d) Specific performance measures.
(e) Plans for public access.
(f) An identification of the essential parcel or parcels within the project without which the project cannot be properly managed.
(g) Where applicable, an identification of those projects or parcels within projects which should be acquired in fee simple or in less than fee simple.
(h) An identification of those lands being purchased for conservation purposes.
(i) A management policy statement for the project and a management prospectus pursuant to s. 259.032(7)(c).
(j) An estimate of land value based on county tax assessed values.
(k) A map delineating project boundaries.
(l) An assessment of the project’s ecological value, outdoor recreational value, forest resources, wildlife resources, ownership pattern, utilization, and location.
(m) A discussion of whether alternative uses are proposed for the property and what those uses are.
(n) A designation of the management agency or agencies.
(16) All proposals for projects pursuant to paragraph (3)(b) shall be implemented only if adopted by the Acquisition and Restoration Council and approved by the board of trustees. The council shall consider and evaluate in writing the merits and demerits of each project that is proposed for Florida Forever funding. The council shall ensure that each proposed project will meet a stated public purpose for the restoration, conservation, or preservation of environmentally sensitive lands and water areas or for providing outdoor recreational opportunities. The council also shall determine whether the project or addition conforms, where applicable, with the comprehensive plan developed pursuant to s. 259.04(1)(a), the comprehensive multipurpose outdoor recreation plan developed pursuant to s. 375.021, the state lands management plan adopted pursuant to s. 253.03(7), the water resources work plans developed pursuant to s. 373.199, and the provisions of this section.
(17) On an annual basis, the Division of State Lands shall prepare an annual work plan that prioritizes projects on the Florida Forever list and sets forth the funding available in the fiscal year for land acquisition. The work plan shall consider the following categories of expenditure for land conservation projects already selected for the Florida Forever list pursuant to subsection (8):
(a) A critical natural lands category, including functional landscape-scale natural systems, intact large hydrological systems, lands that have significant imperiled natural communities, and corridors linking large landscapes, as identified and developed by the best available scientific analysis.
(b) A partnerships or regional incentive category, including:
1. Projects where local and regional cost-share agreements provide a lower cost and greater conservation benefit to the people of the state. Additional consideration shall be provided under this category where parcels are identified as part of a local or regional visioning process and are supported by scientific analysis; and
2. Bargain and shared projects where the state will receive a significant reduction in price for public ownership of land as a result of the removal of development rights or other interests in lands or receives alternative or matching funds.
(c) A substantially complete category of projects where mainly inholdings, additions, and linkages between preserved areas will be acquired and where 85 percent of the project is complete.
(d) A climate-change category list of lands where acquisition or other conservation measures will address the challenges of global climate change, such as through protection, restoration, mitigation, and strengthening of Florida’s land, water, and coastal resources. This category includes lands that provide opportunities to sequester carbon, provide habitat, protect coastal lands or barrier islands, and otherwise mitigate and help adapt to the effects of sea-level rise and meet other objectives of the program.
(e) A less-than-fee category for working agricultural lands that significantly contribute to resource protection through conservation easements and other less-than-fee techniques, tax incentives, life estates, landowner agreements, and other partnerships, including conservation easements acquired in partnership with federal conservation programs, which will achieve the objectives of Florida Forever while allowing the continuation of compatible agricultural uses on the land. Terms of easements proposed for acquisition under this category shall be developed by the Division of State Lands in coordination with the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
Projects within each category shall be ranked by order of priority. The work plan shall be adopted by the Acquisition and Restoration Council after at least one public hearing. A copy of the work plan shall be provided to the board of trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund no later than October 1 of each year.
(18)(a) The Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund, or, in the case of water management district lands, the owning water management district, may authorize the granting of a lease, easement, or license for the use of certain lands acquired pursuant to this section, for certain uses that are determined by the appropriate board to be compatible with the resource values of and management objectives for such lands.
(b) Any existing lease, easement, or license acquired for incidental public or private use on, under, or across any lands acquired pursuant to this section shall be presumed to be compatible with the purposes for which such lands were acquired.
(c) Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph (a), no such lease, easement, or license shall be entered into by the Department of Environmental Protection or other appropriate state agency if the granting of such lease, easement, or license would adversely affect the exclusion of the interest on any revenue bonds issued to fund the acquisition of the affected lands from gross income for federal income tax purposes, pursuant to Internal Revenue Service regulations.
(19) The council shall recommend adoption of rules by the board necessary to implement this section relating to solicitation, scoring, selecting, and ranking of Florida Forever project proposals; disposing of or leasing lands or water areas selected for funding through the Florida Forever program; and the process of reviewing and recommending for approval or rejection the land management plans associated with publicly owned properties.
(20) Lands listed as projects for acquisition under the Florida Forever program may be managed for conservation pursuant to s. 259.032, on an interim basis by a private party in anticipation of a state purchase in accordance with a contractual arrangement between the acquiring agency and the private party that may include management service contracts, leases, cost-share arrangements, or resource conservation agreements. Lands designated as eligible under this subsection shall be managed to maintain or enhance the resources the state is seeking to protect by acquiring the land and to accelerate public access to the lands as soon as practicable. Funding for these contractual arrangements may originate from the documentary stamp tax revenue deposited into the Land Acquisition Trust Fund. No more than $6.2 million may be expended from the Land Acquisition Trust Fund for this purpose.
History.—s. 21, ch. 99-247; s. 3, ch. 2000-129; s. 32, ch. 2000-152; s. 11, ch. 2000-170; s. 1, ch. 2001-275; s. 3, ch. 2002-261; s. 66, ch. 2003-399; s. 12, ch. 2005-3; s. 5, ch. 2006-231; s. 13, ch. 2008-229; ss. 5, 14, ch. 2009-2; s. 22, ch. 2009-21; s. 120, ch. 2011-142; s. 9, ch. 2012-7; s. 33, ch. 2012-119; s. 28, ch. 2013-41; s. 37, ch. 2014-17; s. 36, ch. 2014-53; s. 47, ch. 2015-222; s. 27, ch. 2015-229; s. 82, ch. 2016-62; s. 5, ch. 2016-225; s. 24, ch. 2016-233.


Riverside Drive
The Riverside Drive local historic district was designated by ordinance in 1985. The district boundaries include the residences located on Riverside Drive from Leeper Park to Hudson Avenue, and a few home located on the intersecting side streets: Golden, Vassar, and Hudson. The eastern third of the district, between Leland Avenue and Leeper Park is part of the Chapin Park National Register Historic District, which was listed in 1982.
Riverside Drive is an example of a turn-of-the-century and early 20th century middle class residential development. Located northwest of the original town of South Bend, it remained undeveloped into the latter half of the 19th century. Development began when Horatio Chapin`s children, Mary Chapin Anderson and Edward Chapin, platted the Chapin Place Addition in 1890 on land that had been the family estate.
The eastern third of the district was part of the old Chapin estate, which was further subdivided in 1902 and 1910. In 1890 and 1891, three Shetterly Place Additions were platted directly to the west. The middle third of the district, between Golden and Leland lies within the Shetterly Place Third Addition platted by Christina Shetterly, George and Mary Rockstroh, and Annie P. Miller in 1891. The western third of the district beyond Golden lies within the Portage Park Addition, which the Portage Land Company, under its President H.G. Miller, subdivided in 1902.
After 1910, several streets in the Chapin Park neighborhood were linked to Leeper Park by a new street - Riverside Drive, for which the district is named. The neighborhood grew most rapidly from 1902 to 1918 when over eighty percent of the residences were constructed. The district`s growth was greatly attributed to its location near the streetcar line on Portage Avenue and proximity to downtown South Bend, its quiet and picturesque environment, and the scenic attractions of the Saint Joseph River and Leeper Park.
Early residents of the district represented a cross section of the community including professionals, business owners, and skilled workers and political leaders. George Cutter, the owner of the Cutter Lighting Co., also lived on Riverside Drive. Many houses were designed by locally prominent architects: W.W. Schneider, Ernest Young, Norman Roy Schambleau and Ennis Austin. The district also contains several historic streetlights, a strand of historic White Oak trees, a foot-worn trail above the riverbank, and mature trees lining the street.
The two oldest buildings (circa 1898) are located in the eastern portion of the district on the old Chapin Estate where Park Avenue meets Riverside Drive. The Queen Anne structure at 1007 Riverside Drive was built in 1890 and moved to its present location in 1912.
Outstanding residences in the district include:1015 Hudson Street (1913) 902 Riverside Drive (1906) 909 Riverside Drive (1909) 916 Riverside Drive (1906)
Chapin Park
East Wayne Street
Edgewater Place
Lincoln Way East
North St. Joseph Street
Taylor's Field
West North Shore Drive


Wayne Thiebaud (B. 1920)
Thiebaud was born in 1920 in Mesa, Arizona, and resides in California, in Sacramento and San Francisco. As a child, he lived in Long Beach, California, and in Hurricane, Utah, where his family’s farm failed during the Depression. The family moved back to Long Beach in 1933, and Thiebaud worked in his youth as a sign painter and as an “in-betweener” in the animation department of Walt Disney studios. He studied commercial art in a trade school, attended Long Beach Junior College, and worked as a shipfitter in the Long Beach harbor. In the U.S. Army from 1942 to 1945, stationed in California, he drew a cartoon strip for the base newspaper. After leaving the service, he worked as a designer and cartoonist at the Rexall Drug Company in Los Angeles, where a fellow employee was painter Robert Mallary, who encouraged him to begin painting. Studying under the GI Bill, Thiebaud received a BA and an MA from California State College (now California State University) in Sacramento. His first one-person exhibition was in 1951 at the E. B. Crocker Art Gallery (now the Crocker Art Museum) in Sacramento.
Thiebaud began teaching at Sacramento Junior College in 1951, and he has been a teacher ever since, working as a visiting professor in schools around the country from Colorado University to Harvard University and Yale University. At the same time he sustained a teaching commitment to the University of California at Davis begun in 1960. (He nominally retired in 1990.) He lived for a year in New York City in 1956–57, became friendly with Elaine and Willem de Kooning, and met other abstract expressionist artists.
His first exhibition in New York, at the Allan Stone Gallery in 1962, received tremendous critical attention, with reviews in Newsweek, Art News, the New York Times, and Life magazine. That same year he had a one-person exhibition at the de Young Museum in San Francisco. Thiebaud began making etchings at Crown Point Press in 1964. His first prints date from 1950, and he has been an active printmaker throughout his career. He has shown in numerous exhibitions and received many awards, including the Gold Medal for Painting from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, New York (2017), the UC Davis Chancellor’s Lifetime Achievement Award for Innovation (2016), the Lifetime Achievement Award for Art from the American Academy of Design, New York (2001), and the National Medal of Arts presented by President Clinton (1994). His paintings are in the collections of most major museums in the United States including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and the Art Institute of Chicago. He is represented by Acquavella Galleries, New York, and the Paul Thiebaud Gallery, San Francisco.
-Kathan Brown, Crown Point Press


https://www.ctpost.com/news/article/Governor-s-pollster-only-part-of-the-real-scandal-178962.php
Governor's pollster only part of the real scandal
Published 12:25 pm EDT, Friday, October 16, 2009
I, for one, am slightly relieved that when the overripe onion finally got peeled back, Gov. Jodi Rell turned into a politician like all the rest.
It was always plain that Lisa Moody, the governor's web-weaving chief of staff, loved her job and its associated political intrigues more than Rell wanted to be governor.
But Rell fell into the state's top job, thanks to John "Why Should I Resign If I've Done Nothing Wrong?" Rowland, a schmoozer who loved being called "governor" until he was forced out in July 2004 by his felonious nonchalance and sense of entitlement.
He went from turning down a pay raise in 1998 because of an ill-conceived gubernatorial challenge from former Congresswoman Barbara Kennelly, to serving 10 months in prison for, among other things, accepting about $90,000 in luxury charter flights from Key Air of Oxford.
Rell is no schmoozer and fortunately for Connecticut, she's no John Rowland, whose staffers greased the skids for the New Britain-based Tomasso Group to build the unneeded $56 million Connecticut Juvenile Training School in Middletown after Tomasso work crews performed improvements to the now-disgraced governor's getaway cottage on Bantam Lake.
The infamous hot tub was one of the few touches that were actually legal, since it was a gift from a long-time Rowland employee and her husband.
Rell has plunged into some hot water of her own after reporters caught her misrepresenting a little scandal that's going to taint her administration.
Scrutiny of Rell's use of funds continues
Battle over state budget deficit rages on
Rell ready to put her stamp on state
It will either force her to run for re-election to clean up a legacy, or she'll retire next year under the political fire that has given Democrats a taste for possibly winning the governor's office back in 2010 after 20 years in the wilderness.
The joke will ultimately be on the Democrats, whose majorities in the House and Senate this year papered over an $8 billion deficit, raising taxes on the state's wealthiest earners; burning through the $1.4 billion emergency reserve compiled during the good times; and grabbing $1.6 billion in federal stimulus money.
By the time this budget ends on June 30, 2010, there will be another multibillion-dollar deficit caused by what is called the structural hole in the budget, without that $3 billion in one-shot-revenue wallpaper.
So, in a sense, the Democrats may get what they deserve.
What Rell deserves is as much public grief -- and exposure -- as possible on the $223,406 no-bid contract with UConn public policy professor Ken Dautrich, who appears to have wanted to schmooze his own way into the governor's inner sanctum.
It also appears that at least some of the money, which itself was taken from a $2 million "discretionary" account of the governor's budget office, may have been used to provide political advice to Moody and Rell. At the very least, it could be a violation of the election law on in-kind contributions: free services to politicians that have a value in the eyes of state regulators.
The state Auditors of Public Accounts, along with the attorney general, is looking into the issue and a former Democratic lawmaker has filed a complaint with the State Elections Enforcement Commission.
Rell, who earned the instant reputation as the anti-Rowland, whose pledge of ethics reforms helped give her -- at one point not so long ago -- record high esteem in state polls, is conveniently using the investigations as a reason to clam up.
It's too bad. People should really know -- as soon as possible -- why UConn and Dautrich, a former university pollster, were chosen for the no-bid contract and why Dautrich seems to have produced political advice for Rell and Moody.
Senate Majority Leader Marty Looney, D-New Haven, a lawyer in real life, immediately seized on a $2,000 focus group that included nine suburbanites -- obviously Rell's political base -- and no one from Connecticut's cities.
If this comes back to bite Rell, Moody and Dautrich, who is under investigation by UConn authorities to see if he violated university ethics guidelines, I expect it'll entail some meager fines, at most.
But the larger disgust that you taxpayers should embrace is the very existence of the "contingency" accounts, better known as slush funds, which are agreed upon during closed-door budget talks between Democrats and Republicans.
They go back at least 20 years and are convenient ways for caucus leaders to help prop up weaker senators and House members, while solidifying their own political power.
In the two-year 2007-09 budget, which ended June 30, the speaker of the House and the Senate president each got $2 million a year to spread around their Democratic districts as they saw fit.
Rell shared her $2 million a year with the House and Senate minority leaders. About a year ago, she declared that she wouldn't spend the second year's $2 million, to help spare the state budget.
However, Senate President Pro Tempore Don Williams of Brooklyn and former Speaker of the House Jim Amann of Milford kept the second year's $2 million.
Indeed, Amann burned through nearly all of the money during his last year in office, leaving Rep. Chris Donovan of Meriden with a laughable $1,500 by the time he took over as speaker last January.
The slush funds are an outrage and a pox on Connecticut taxpayers who deserve much better from their governor and their legislative leaders in this 21st century era of transparency and openness.
Ken Dixon's Capitol View appears Sundays in Hearst's Connecticut Newspapers. You may each him in the Capitol at 860-549-4670 or via e-mail at kdixon@ctpost.com. His Web log, Connecticut Blog-o-rama, can be seen at http://blog.ctnews.com/dixon/.


Gender Lens
Sample Portfolio Companies
Mexico, Education
Impact: The company has helped over 12,000 students access high quality tertiary education in Mexico. It currently has 7,470 students in its portfolio, and roughly 65% are the first member of their family to pursue higher education studies and 85% are accessing credit for the first time. Bcorp’s Best for the World Award 2015. 4-star rating by GIIRS in 2016. 50% of the students are women.
Financial institution that provides loans to university students from low- and middle-income families who lack the resources to pay for high quality higher education. Competitive advantages include formal university partnerships, financial risk mitigation through a guarantee fund financed by the universities, fast processing of loan applications, and the ability to repay a loan early without penalties. Currently structuring the third student loans securitization for up to USD 10M to be issued on Q2 2018.
Ecuador, Microfinance
Company that provides micro-loans to low-income people located in rural, urban and urban-fringe areas of Ecuador. Competitive advantages include its penetration in rural areas, its wide-array of product offerings, and its good reputation among foreign investors due to its steady performance. Since 2015, the company has introduced alternative income streams to its business model, such as Health Insurance and Technical Assistance programs to increase field productivity and quality of life. In recent years, the company has tightened its underwriting policies and implemented stronger monitoring processes, resulting in lower Portfolio at Risk rates that the industry average.
Impact: 66% of loan portfolio is allocated to clients in rural areas, and 41% is allocated to women clients. The company also provides basic healthcare services to 99% of its client base for USD 16 per month. Additional features to basic healthcare coverage include treatment of chronic illnesses and a microinsurance product to cover for weather catastrophes. Social Rating of BB (stable) and a recently-upgrade to its Microfinance Institutional Rating to BBB+ (stable).
Peru, Agriculture
Impact: The cooperative currently has 215 members, all of whom are low-income smallholder farmers with less than 5 hectares. Up to 80% of the member’s income comes from the cultivation of the cocoa beans. The company also buys cocoa beans from 700 other families that are not direct members of the cooperative but benefit from selling their produce. All in all, the company estimates that it has benefited more than 900 small-holder farmers.
Founded in 1990. Cocoa cooperative that provides technical assistance to its members in order to help them increase their productivity and connect them to local and international markets. The company sells conventional, organic, fair-trade and UTZ cocoa beans. Once beans are harvested, the cooperative offers warehouse facilities to store and dry the cocoa beans of its members.
Ecuador, Agriculture
Founded in 2010. Socially responsible company that produces vegetable chips from native Andean potatoes and vegetables. The company incorporates sustainability throughout its business model, working with smallholder farmers in Ecuador to purchase produce that is then processed in their facilities to final consumer products. All products are certified gluten-free, kosher and non GMO.
Impact: The company provides technical assistance to farmers by supplying them with high quality seeds, organic fertilizer, training, and financing. This results in higher field productivity, high quality produce and allows farmers to access stable markets with pre-determined prices. Since 2010, the company has received several local and international recognitions thanks to its sustainable production practices and the integration of small producers into its value chain.
Mexico, Housing
Affordable mortgages company established in 2013 by a construction company that has been operating since 1997. Provides the clay-brick technology, house engineering, and access to finance to low-income rural families so they can build their own homes. Helps communities form Social Housing Production Units composed of the homeowners and other community members who are compensated for their work. The company also provides a savings facility for both adults and children.
Impact: To date, the company has directly benefited 270 families and more than 1,000 people. 40% of loans are taken up by women.
Sample Portfolio - East Africa
Kenya, Agriculture
Established in 2015 to own and operate two coconut processing operations. The company focuses on processing retail food products (oil, cream and milk) from coconuts and sources its coconut from brokers and farmers. The main focus is on bulk coconut oil processing for export and sources from specific farmers who are Fairtrade certified and produce organic coconuts.
Impact: The company provides over 1,300 farmers with a consistent offtake market with stable prices throughout the year. This has led to increased income for the farmers with 2.4x price increases. The additional income has allowed farmers to educate their children and expand into other cash crops like cashew nuts and cassava.
Rwanda, Artisanry
Fairtrade certified company that designs and produces high quality handmade products in Rwanda, Uganda and Ghana for the home décor, kitchenware, dining ware, and jewelry markets in the US. They are currently working with over 3,000 artisans, producing baskets, jewelry, vases etc for large clients like Costco, FTD (Proflowers) and Ethan Allen. The company has been able to maintain its relevance (a major problem among artisan goods) by setting up an experienced in-house design team that keeps up with seasonal fashion trends. In addition, they have overcome the challenge of scale by organizing their artisans into cooperatives with clear structures (head weavers, chairlady etc).
Impact: Currently works with approximately 3,000 rural artisans (95% being women) across Sub Sahara Africa. Although past orders haven’t resulted in full-time employment for the artisans, AAA has provided part-time employment of 12 days per month on average, earning the artisan’s extra income. Based on farmer interviews we conducted, AAA purchase price is 5.7x of local market prices, in line with the company’s Fairtrade practices of paying a fair price to artisans.
Uganda, Renewable Energy
Founded in 2011 with a mission to transform the lives of East Africans by being their clients' energy partner for life. The company has developed a range of pay-as-you-go solar energy solutions and works with clients to incorporate their products in their home, farm, school, health centre or small business. SolarNow’s primary activity is to sell and distribute high-quality modular solar photovoltaic Home Systems (“SHS”) and accessories in combination with an end-user credit facility (“PayPlan”) with the objective to make solar energy accessible and affordable. The product is sold through a network of fully owned sales branches that offer standardized, high-quality installation and after- sales services.
Impact: From inception, the company has sold over 28k units. They currently have 14K clients on their PayPlan. The company has also sold to 35 schools, 5 clinics and 284 small businesses. Estimated energy saved from YTD sales is over 115K KWh. The company employs 975 people 32% of whom are female.
The company is a business-to-business (B2B) m-commerce and last-mile distribution platform for small and medium sized vendors in African urban markets. The company enables these vendors to order their products at a lower price via their phones, pay with M-PESA, and receive their merchandise without ever needing to leave their kiosks. The company operates on a “Buy High, Sell Low” business model. To achieve that, the company buys directly from the farm (at high prices) to eliminate numerous links and inefficiencies (brokers) along the value chain and subsequently sells at low prices to vendors.
Impact: Currently, the company currently serves ~1,820 vendors weekly out of 15,000 mapped vendors. There are currently 4,330 vendors registered on the platform. The company currently sources from 2,490 farmers. As each vendor serves on average 70 customers, the company is already reaching ~141K people weekly. Its five-years goal is to reach more than 12 million end-customers.
Rwanda, Renewable Energy
The company functions as a utility provider offering mass scale affordable leasing solutions to off-grid communities in Sub-Saharan Africa. Solar systems ranging from 12 to 50 watts are leased to customers for monthly payments priced at the equivalent of what the family was spending on kerosene for lighting. With the solar home system units, customers can power 3-5 lights, charge their phones, a radio, and with larger systems, a television. Integration with mobile money gives customers control and flexibility of payments.
Impact: High social impact is achieved on the environment, household beneficiaries and employees. The company mainly targets the BoP market with additional room for higher income consumers. 50% of customers reside in rural areas with 75% of customers informally employed as agriculturalists or small shop owners. Since the company’s inception, over 242K customers have had access to clean and reliable energy through the solar home system units.
Award-winning social enterprise founded in Nairobi in 2000, the company has evolved from a not-for-profit beekeeping equipment supplier to a commercial FMCG company in sourcing honey, seeds, and nuts from ~5,000 smallholder farmers in Kenya, South Sudan, and Tanzania. The company produces honey and a range of nutritious snacks. Honey Care purchases raw honey, nuts and seeds from smallholder farmers or cooperatives and then processes and packages the honey and snacks in house. Most of their sales are through domestic retail outlets. Honey has numerous nutritional benefits and is a healthy snack for children living in extreme poverty.
Impact: Since inception, the company has purchased from 5,000+ farmers, 42% of whom are female. The company prioritizes rural development and responsible sourcing and is the only honey company that can trace honey to individual farmers.
© by AlphaMundi Group


During the 2014, two elections took place in Lithuania, for the European parliament and presidential elections. Both demonstrated high level of freedom and fairness of the process. After the presidential elections, Dalia Grybauskaite became the first Lithuanian president to be elected for the second term. Although the European Court of Human Rights ruled that banning of Rolandas Paksas of running for office is a violation of his rights, Central Electoral Commission didn’t accept his candidacy for presidential elections. Political parties, the least trusted institution in Lithuania, can operate in the unrestricted environment. However, Communist Party continued to be banned.
Lithuania improved it’s score in this matter, from 7.50 in the 2014’s Freedom Barometer Report. Generally there are no unconstitutional veto players in the country. This is mainly due to the improvements in the fight against corruption in the public sector. The main anticorruption agency, Secret Investigation Service, announced in 2014 the list of individuals suspected to be involved in corruption and lunched the investigations. The list included 8 vice-ministers, who then after immediately resigned. Due to the ongoing crisis in Ukraine and few more incidents between Baltic states and Russia, national security became a serious issue in Lithuania. In order to strengthen security, the government requested NATO to reinforce its mission in the Baltic region and decided to increase the
percentage of GDP for defense spending by 2020.
Freedom of the press is guaranteed by the Lithuanian constitution and mostly respected in practice. However, raising tensions with Russia and situation in Ukraine led to restrictions against some Russian-language media outlets. Russian state-owned television channel RTR Planeta faced 3 months ban for alleged spreading of war propaganda. Representatives of OSCE intensively called on government not to tackle the war propaganda by censoring the media. Media ownership continued to be a problem in Lithuania. Increased concentration of the ownership and lack of transparency led to biased coverage by the media, in favor of their owners, which could often be financial institutions, or politicians.
Judiciary is still a weak point of the rule of law in Lithuania. The situation is nearly the same as in neighbouring Poland or Latvia, while considerably worse than in Estonia. Impartiality of the courts is dubious. Political influence on them is worrisome. Transparency International’s research indicates at a high level of perceived corruption in courts. According to the Freedom House report Nations in Transit 2015, “lengthy investigations and trials, as well as occasional corruption scandals in the judiciary, have damaged the reputation of Lithuania’s court system”. Improvements are also needed in the law enforcement system. Existing problems include arbitrary arrests, insufficient access to legal counseling, abuses in detention (especially in cases of suspected terrorism),
overcrowding of prisons and discrimination against Romany or some other minorities. Constitutional Court was very active in 2013 and 2014 and made bold incursions into the political field. Some of the rulings, such as limiting space for referenda if they contradicted constitutional provisions, reflected a liberal constitutionalist approach. Others, such as annulling of the government’s measures of 2010 to cut public spending, reflected a surplus of political activism by the judges.
During the past three years Lithuania has moved up in curbing corruption. Petty corruption is retreating well, taken the burdensome Soviet era heritage. But it still persists in health care, police force, courts and in municipalities’ administration. Similar – a seeming retreat – goes for tax evasion. In a Transparency International’s research as of 2013, citizens indicated at political sphere (especially political parties) and the judiciary as the main centers of corruption. Anti-corruption activities in 2014 targeted mainly corrupt politicians. A number of investigations were opened. Three members of government and two prominent local politicians had to step down due to lack of transparency. There is even a dispute on whether general rules of tender procedure should oblige
political parties in their own procurement or not. More could be done against the corruption in judiciary, which is among the weakest links in the chain of rule of law. In the Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index 2014, Lithuania was ranked 39 of 175 (with the score 58).
High European standards of human rights are reached in many areas, from freedom of association to academic or Internet freedom. Yet there are numerous problems, including the tax status of non-traditional religious communities and the linguistic rights –not that much anymore of native Russian speakers but increasingly of native Polish speakers - as well as the protection of Romany against discrimination. During 2014, human rights situation improved in some, while deteriorated in other areas. New legislation was carried on NGO activities, which will expectedly open them new opportunities and foster their cooperation with the government. On the other hand, the anyway feeble position of the LGBTI community has been under additional attack by the joined forces of (multi) religious
conservative groups. According to a January 2015 release of the European Parliament`s Intergroup on LGBT Rights, homophobic hate-speech in Lithuania, including among some MPs, was widespread. The law on protection of minors against inappropriate content in media is occasionally misused to censorship public advocacy of LGBTI equality. Several new anti-gay laws, that would prevent eventual legalization of same-sex unions, ban them of adopting children, or even establish fines for some segments of their public advocacy, were discussed in parliament, but were rejected.
Private property is relatively secure and respected in Lithuania. However, judicial independence and court impartiality remain weaker than other facets of the legal system, and political influence could still be exercised in some court rulings. Therefore, although Integrity of the legal system overall is high, there is room for significant improvements. Legal enforcement of contracts is burdened with a high number of procedures, leading to long processes which can incur high costs, but is overall far less complicated and costly than the EU countries’ average. Resolving insolvency is cheap, with reasonable recovery rates. There is little involvement of military in the rule of law, but the reliability of the police is not high, while business costs of crime are low.
The government size in Lithuania is very moderate compared to European standards, with the level of government expenditures of 33.5% of GDP. The strong recession of 2009 had major repercussions on the public finance, leading to very high budget deficits and rising public debt. The introduction of major austerity measures decreased public expenditures by 10 percentage points (from 43% of GDP), which led to low and sustainable budget deficits. However, further fiscal improvements need to be made in order to accommodate the rise of future liabilities due to demographic changes and to create room for fiscal buffers that are now under major constraint due to the public debt hovering over 40% of GDP (2.5 times higher than before the recession). This low level of government spending is a result
of moderate governance coupled with low transfers and subsidies, allowing for moderate level of taxes. Lithuanian tax system is flat, with some minor progressive characteristics – personal income tax is set at 15%, the same rate as the corporate income tax. Standard VAT rate is 21%, with the reduced rates of 9% and 5% for certain products. The excise duties on tobacco, alcohol and energy are among the lowest in the EU. However, tax wedge on labour is high (approximately 35.5%) due to high rates of social contributions. The income from interest and capital gains has been subjected, in 2014, to personal income tax. The Lithuanian state has largely exited the market, apart from public utility companies. These state owned enterprises are usually not managed in a commercial way and are not cost efficient. Some progress has been made in this section of the economy (most notably in energy sector), but more progress is necessary
Regulation of business activities is overall business friendly. However, administrative requirements and bureaucracy costs associated with them are present, hindering economic development. This kind of business environment is prone to corruption and favouritism associated with it, distorting market competition. However, it is easy and inexpensive to start a new business venture, while licensing restrictions for operating a business are not prevalent in the economy. Getting electricity or obtaining a construction permit can be a long process but is inexpensive, while tax compliance with tax procedures is not too complicated. Regulations regarding labour are a mix of flexible and rigid legal solutions. Flexibility within the system is mostly the result of their meager application within the
private sector. Working hours remain rigid, with relatively low maximum number of working days per week (5.5) and no prolonged working hours in the case of increased workload. Redundancy notice periods are long, with high severance payments that increase with the length of worker’s tenure. Furthermore, the minimum wage is relatively high, reaching 40% of the average wage, encouraging shadow employment and increasing unemployment level among workers with lower qualifications.
Lithuania is a country very open to international trade. As a member of the EU, Lithuania implements the EU common trade policy with low tariffs in international trade. However, regulatory trade barriers in use still pose a problem, mostly in the field of required standardization of imported goods. Good transportation infrastructure makes importing or exporting relatively easy and cheap, while quick and uncomplicated customs’ administrative requirements further facilitate free trade. However, as elsewhere in the Baltics, railroad is much less developed than other forms of transport, creating constraints and increasing costs. In January 2015, Lithuania became a member of the European Monetary Union (EMU), replacing its former national currency, the litas, with the euro. This is envisaged
to further increase the volume of trade, eliminating currency exchange costs (the currency risk was already reduced with the introduction of the currency board between the litas and the euro in 2002). Movement of capital is mostly unobstructed, but certain restrictions on the movement of short-term capital remain. The EU citizens have the same legal rights and obligations in the labour market as do the nationals, but working permits’ obtaining for third party nationals is complicated, involving lengthy procedures.


A new era of automation: Robots set to perform surgeries
India seeks to revolutionise its medical sector with robots, automation and high tech 3D surgeries
By Prashansa Srivastava
Over the centuries, innovative medical developments and techniques have changed the face of healthcare. Incorporation of such technologies helps developing nations in particular to combat problems such as inadequate medical infrastructure, unaffordable health care and a shortage of qualified medical professionals. Robotic technology is helping to trigger a similar evolution of healthcare services in India, with the arrival of robot-assisted surgery ushering in a new era in minimally invasive operations.
Safdarjung Hospital, one of the largest central government hospitals, is in the process of procuring robots to perform high-tech 3D laparoscopies to treat advanced urology cancer, complex reconstructive surgeries and for kidney transplants. The state-of-the-art technology is estimated to cost about INR 18 crores. The poor will be provided with this facility for free whereas those admitted in private wards will be required to pay a subsidised amount.
One foot into the future
Robotic surgery is performed by making three holes. Through one hole, a camera is inserted allowing 3D vision. The other two holes are for surgical instruments mounted on robotic arms manoeuvered by the surgeon. Robotic surgery has initiated a paradigm shift in the fundamental foundations of surgery worldwide due to its inherent advantages of enhanced magnification and control of operating instruments. The robotic arms can get into hard-to-reach places, reduce the chances of damage to important nerves and promise quicker recuperation. In status quo, more than 100 patients with urological cancer are waiting for treatment with the waiting time being more than a year.
The Indian context
In India, robotic surgery is still in its infancy. There are only eight such units installed in India, of which five are in New Delhi, one in Chennai, one in Nadiad and another in Pune. Financial factors have hindered the progress of robotic surgery in India. The da Vinci Surgical System made by the American company Intuitive Surgical enjoys monopoly power in the market and has hefty acquisition costs making it beyond the reach of many health care systems and medical institutions without the financial assistance of the government. The attachments on the robotic arms are disposable, further driving up maintenance costs.
A way to decrease costs and ensure domestic growth of robotics in medicine is to encourage development of indigenous surgical robots. Achieving the sophistication of the da Vinci system is a Herculean task as robotic technology has not entered the mainstream health care system due to accessibility issues and a deficit in educational opportunities. The government can invest in robotics fellowships and training to promote future growth and provide accessible world-class medical expertise with robust infrastructure to improve the quality of healthcare in India. Continued government support is of paramount importance to help in dissemination of robotic technology so that more hospitals are encouraged to invest in it making it accessible and affordable to a greater number of people.
Featured image credit: LinkedIn
Gone are the days of one and done (part 2)


Home » Research » Gender and Sexuality
UCSB Sociology has been ranked in the top 5 in “Sex and Gender” over the last decade by the U.S. News and World Report listing of best graduate programs. UCSB faculty in gender and sexuality are leading senior scholars in the field with strong national and international reputations and junior faculty at the leading edge of contemporary developments. Our faculty continue to be at the forefront of empirical and theoretical analyses that link dimensions of structural and interpersonal inequality (such as gender, race, class, nation, sexuality). Unique to our program, the faculty in gender and sexuality are experts on most of the major institutions in society – economy, family, politics, media, health, education, and criminal justice – as well as in social movements and processes of social change.
Gender and Sexuality is now one of the largest and most vital areas of study in sociology. The study of gender and sexuality cuts across virtually every sub-discipline within the field and all humanities and social science fields. The study of gender and sexuality at UCSB thrives through the work of our graduate students, our new assistant professors, and the senior faculty in our department. This also means that many of our graduates have gone on to become leading scholars in the field as well. On our campus, faculty are deeply involved in intellectual interdisciplinary efforts with departments such as Feminist Studies, Global Studies, Chicana/o Studies, Black Studies, Psychology, and Communication and campus units such as the Broom Center for Demography and Technology Management.
Participating Faculty:
Janice I. Baldwin
Denise Bielby
Tristan Bridges
Alicia Cast
Maria Charles
Avery Gordon
Victor Rios
Beth Schneider
Denise Segura
Verta Taylor
Sarah Thebaud
France Winddance Twine
UCSB Feminist Studies Department
UCSB Doctoral Emphasis Program in Women’s Studies
American Sociological Association Section on Sex and Gender
American Sociological Association Section on Sexualities
American Sociological Association Section on Race, Gender, Class
Gender and Society (Journal)
For 30 years, the Sociology Department at UCSB has been at the forefront of research and graduate training in social movements and collective action. Richard Flacks’ foundational work on student, New Left, and labor movements established the department as a magnet for scholars and students interested in social movements and political protest.
Conversation Analysis
Social Movements, Revolutions & Social Change
race, ethnicity, nation


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Louisa May Alcott November 29, 1832 – March 6, 1888) was an American novelist and poet best known as the author of the novel Little Women (1868) and its sequels Little Men (1871) and Jo's Boys (1886). Raised by her transcendentalist parents, Abigail May and Amos Bronson Alcott in New England, she also grew up among many of the well-known intellectuals of the day such as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Henry David Thoreau.
Alcott's family suffered financial difficulties, and while she worked to help support the family from an early age, she also sought an outlet in writing. She began to receive critical success for her writing in the 1860s. Early in her career, she sometimes used the pen name A. M. Barnard, under which she wrote novels for young adults.
Published in 1868, Little Women is set in the Alcott family home, Hillside, later called the Wayside, in Concord, Massachusetts and is loosely based on Alcott's childhood experiences with her three sisters. The novel was very well received and is still a popular children's novel today, filmed several times.
Alcott was an abolitionist and a feminist and remained unmarried throughout her life. She died in Boston on March 6, 1888. Henry James called her "The novelist of children... the Thackeray, the Trollope, of the nursery and the schoolroom."
5859 Bellfort Street


Medical Assistants are allied healthcare professionals who work alongside doctors, nurses and other clinicians in a wide range of healthcare settings. They perform routine administrative and clinical tasks, under supervision of a nurse or a physician. The scope of these tasks may vary from one locale to another, and may vary depending on subsequent certifications or supplemental education, but potential examples include greeting patients, scheduling appointments, taking and recording vital signs, administering medications, giving injections, recording medical records data, prepping and handling medical equipment and supplies, and collecting, handling, or analyzing patient specimens.
Medical Assistants help facilitate the smooth delivery of care in a variety of busy private practice and clinic settings. From urgent care clinics, to assisted living facilities, to inpatient and outpatient clinics, to private and public hospitals, medical assistants are increasingly finding employment in a broad range of settings. Medical assistants can be found working with physicians, podiatrists, chiropractors, and optometrists, among other medical specialties. At St. Paul’s School of Nursing, we offer a Medical Assistant program that will prepare you for an entry-level medical assistant career. You will learn necessary skills, such as office administration, basic information technology, and clinical skills.
With convenient locations in New York City—in Queens and on Staten Island— St. Paul’s School of Nursing stands ready to provide you with the education You will need to become a knowledgeable, compassionate, respected healthcare professional. Our curriculum is informed by the diverse communities we serve, and our students obtain opportunities to receive real-world experience at local primary, secondary, and tertiary medical facilities. Our Medical Assistant certification program has been designed to provide a broad perspective on modern American healthcare, while giving you the education you will need for entry-level employment in this growing field.
Medical Assistant Curriculum Plan
Who is St. Paul's School of Nursing?
St. Paul's School of Nursing provides postsecondary career education to both traditional and nontraditional students through a variety of degree programs that assist adult students in enhancing their career opportunities and improving problem-solving abilities.
St. Paul's School of Nursing strives to develop within its students the desire for lifelong and continued education.
What are the admission requirements?
To qualify for admissions, in most cases you must be a high school graduate or its equivalent. All applicants are required to complete a personal information sheet. During a personal interview with our admissions staff, we will review your career goals to help you find the right program to fit your needs.
Every individual will be given the opportunity to tour the facility, meet with Financial Aid, and enroll in the next available classes. Please contact your local campus Admission representative for more information on admission requirements.
How much does the program cost?
Tuition varies from program and campus. Speak with an admissions representative for more details.
Is financial aid available?
You've got obligations and responsibilities already, so financing your education is going to be a real concern. At St. Paul's School of Nursing, we understand that. That's why we help our students to learn about government and private loans and other financial aid options that are available to those who qualify to help finance the cost of building the foundation for your new career.
We work every day with working adults and career changers who have complex financial situations, and get them the information to help them to determine the financing for their education that will work the best for them.
We have financial aid offices on every campus so students can continue to find and act on important information they need to continue on their path to success
We are flexible and pragmatic in our approach. Our instructors, counselors, professors, and staff understand and will work with you if it becomes difficult to keep up your studies or if you need time off.
Does St. Paul's School of Nursing help me find a job after graduation?
At St. Paul's School of Nursing our Career Services professionals are committed to successfully supporting our graduates to secure employment in entry-level positions. Through career development, including professionalism, motivation, resume development, dress for success, interview coaching and the maintenance of ethical standards, we empower our graduates with the skills necessary to approach a job interview ready for success.
St. Paul's operates a Career Services Center at each campus to assist graduates with career placement. All State Career provides career placement assistance to our graduates. As graduation approaches, students get the opportunity to meet with the Director of Career Services during their last semester to discuss career services available for their individual job search. As a graduate, you will want employment that reflects your skills, training, and allows for professional growth and development. Career Services is committed to helping you find the right fit for you.
Is St. Paul's School of Nursing accredited?
St. Paul’s School of Nursing is institutionally accredited by the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES).
See each school's campus page or click on the CONSUMER INFO button on the right to view individual campus or programmatic accreditations.


Senator Grassley is a member of the following Senate committees:
Committee on Finance. At the start of the 116th Congress in January 2019, Senator Grassley resumed chairmanship of the Senate Finance Committee, where he served as either Ranking Member or Chairman of this committee from 2001 through 2010. His priorities for the committee’s agenda include reducing prescription drug prices, expanding access to affordable health care, enacting trade agreements to expand markets for U.S. goods and services and building upon the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. Senator Grassley has called this committee the quality of life committee because of the committee’s jurisdiction, which includes all tax matters, health care, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, social services, unemployment compensation, tariffs and international trade. Legislation acted on by the Committee on Finance raises virtually all federal revenue, and expenditures authorized by this committee represent as much as two-thirds of the federal budget.
Committee on the Judiciary. Senator Grassley has served on this committee every year that he’s served in the Senate. He served four years as chairman from 2015-2018 during which time he led passage of historic bipartisan criminal justice reform, known as the First Step Act. As chairman, he also steered through 85 federal judges to lifetime appointments, including two Supreme Court justices. The Committee on the Judiciary is one of the Senate’s original standing committees and has a broad and influential jurisdiction, including crime, antitrust, bankruptcy, intellectual property, the federal courts and judges, civil liberties, constitutional law and amendments and immigration.
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry. Both on and off the Senate Agriculture Committee, Senator Grassley is an outspoken and effective voice for American agriculture. Senator Grassley farms corn and soybeans 50-50 with his son in Butler County, Iowa, and works to stay in close touch with the realities facing producers of farm commodities, including livestock. The Agriculture Committee is responsible for federal farm program policy, nutrition programs and forestry matters, as well as oversight of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Committee on the Budget. Senator Grassley is a senior member of this committee, which is responsible for drafting an annual budget plan for Congress. The budget resolution prepared by the Budget Committee sets out a broad blueprint for Congress with respect to the total levels of revenues and spending for the federal government as a whole. Other committees in the Senate and House of Representatives prepare the legislation that establishes specific tax and spending policies.
Joint Committee on Taxation. Senator Grassley will serve as Vice Chairman of this committee in 2019 and as Chairman in 2020. The leadership roles alternate between the respective chairs of the Senate Finance Committee and House Ways & Means Committee. Members include five senators who serve on the Finance Committee and five members of the House of Representatives who serve on the Committee on Ways and Means. The Joint Committee reports on the effects of taxes and the administration of taxes.
Senator Grassley is a founding member of the following Senate caucuses:
Senate Caucus on Foster Youth. Senator Grassley is the Co-Founder and Co-Chair with Sen. Debbie Stabenow.
Senate Cystic Fibrosis Caucus. Senator Grassley is the Co-Founder and Co-Chair of this caucus with Sen. Edward Markey.
The Whistleblower Protection Caucus. Senator Grassley is the Co-Founder and Chairman of this caucus.
Senator Grassley serves on the following caucuses in the 116th Congress:
Senate Baltic Freedom Caucus. Co-Chair with Sen. Dick Durbin
Caucus on International Narcotics Control
Senate National Guard Caucus
Congressional Trademark Caucus
Mississippi River Caucus
Senate Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Caucus
Congressional Coalition on Adoption
Rural Health Caucus
Diabetes Caucus
Senate Taiwan Caucus
Senate General Aviation Caucus
Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus
Congressional Fire Services Caucus
Congressional French Caucus
Senate India Caucus
Assisting Caregivers Today Caucus
Financial Security and Life Insurance Caucus
RV Caucus
Senate Career and Technical Education Caucus
Congressional TRIO Caucus