HB 801 Summary

• Creates the Veterans Employment Small Business Grant Program within the Department of Economic Opportunity, administered by Florida Is For Veterans, Inc., to provide grants to small businesses that hire honorably discharged veterans or disabled veterans.

• Establishes one-time grant amounts of $1,500 per newly hired veteran and $3,000 per newly hired disabled veteran, with a maximum of $10,500 per fiscal year per participating small business.

• Requires participating businesses to employ veterans for at least 1 year before grant eligibility, pay veterans at least 90 percent of the state's annual median veteran income, and use grant funds only for manufacturing, equipment, facility expenses, or operating costs.

• Limits grant eligibility to veterans hired between July 1, 2018 and June 30, 2023, and requires the corporation to submit annual reports to the Governor and Legislature on program outcomes and economic benefits.

• Appropriates $500,000 in nonrecurring funds annually from the State Economic Enhancement and Development Trust Fund for fiscal years 2018-2019 through 2022-2023, with the program terminating October 1, 2024.