FSBA Session Spotlight — May 2, 2019

As we count down the final days of the 2019 Session, we have begun compiling our FSBA 2019 Legislative Session Summary and, after the Legislative Session adjourns, we will conduct a series of onsite and online Legislative Session Review Workshops and Webinars.  These Workshops and Webinars provide a comprehensive analysis of education appropriations and detailed summaries of the major education related bills that were approved during the Legislative Session.  These Workshops and Webinars are free of charge but registration is required. Please see our “Session Review Workshops” page on the FSBA website for more information.

Both chambers are scheduled to hold floor sessions today but, at this time, only the Senate has published an agenda. This does not mean that the House will be idle but the lack of printed agenda is because, under House Rules, the House may only consider bills on 3^rd Reading, bills arriving in Messages from the Senate, and Conference Committee Reports. The House has already addressed all of their bills that were on 3^rd Reading, so the House may choose to begin consideration of the Conference Committee Report on the budget and/or consider bills as they are set in Messages and/or Returning Messages from the Senate (and, also keep in mind that the House may vote to waive their Rules and take up other bills).  Meanwhile, there are several bills of interest on the Senate agenda including bills relating to career education (HB 7101 which passed the Legislature today), the timing of local referenda (HB 5 amended today), property development (HB 7103 which includes provisions on school impact fees), taxation (HB 7123 which was amended today to remove a provision on sharing local tax revenue with charter schools), and civics education (HB 807).   Please see the file below for today’s schedule with our notes on the outcome on these bills.

[toggle title=”House and Senate Floor Sessions – May 2, 2019“]

Please note that all of the meetings listed below may be viewed in real time via live webcast on the Florida Channel or may be viewed later in the Florida Channel Video Library. Also note that clicking on the bill numbers linked below provides access the bill summary, analysis, related bills, and other information.

In the Senate Session:
Bills on Special Order (2^nd Reading):
SB 770 – Workforce Education by Hutson – READ 2^ND TIME; SUBSTITUTED FOR HB 7071; SB 770 LAID ON THE TABLE
HB 7071 – Workforce Education by Higher Education & Career Readiness – SUBSTITUTED FOR SB 770; READ 2^ND TIME; AMENDED; READ 3^RD TIME; PASSED THE SENATE; IN RETURNING MESSAGES TO THE HOUSE  [NOTE: See House agenda below]
The bill promotes apprenticeships, enhances talent development, and increases career opportunities on the secondary and post-secondary level. Of particular interest to school districts, the bill:

• Creates the “Strengthening Alignment between Industry and Learning to 60” Initiative and establishing a statewide attainment goal to increase the percentage of working-age adults who hold a high-value postsecondary certificate, degree, or training experience to 60 percent by the year 2030.
• Allows students with an industry certification to earn two mathematics credits for Algebra I.
• Allows a computer science credit to substitute for a mathematics or science credit and requiring a biennial review of career education courses for alignment with high school graduation requirements.
• Requires the Department of Education (DOE) to provide assistance in increasing public awareness of apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship opportunities.
• Requires the Commissioner of Education to annually review career and technical education course offerings.
• Encourages school districts to declare an “Academic Scholarship Signing Day” and a “College and Career Decision Day” to recognize students for their postsecondary education and career plans.
• Doubles the cap on career and professional education Digital Tool certificates.
• Establishes a middle grades career planning course requirement.
• Revises requirements relating to adjunct teaching certificates.
• Reconstitutes the Higher Education Coordinating Council as the Florida Talent Development Council, revising its membership, and requiring the council to develop a strategic plan.
• Creates the Florida Pathways to Career Opportunities Grant Program to provide, subject to appropriation, competitive grants to expand and enhance apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs.
• Requires the Department of Business and Professional Regulation, in consultation with the DOE, to submit a report by December 1, 2019, regarding apprenticeship programs that could substitute for the educational training otherwise required for licensure.
• Requires the statewide articulation agreement to provide for a reverse transfer agreement.
• Requires career centers and Florida College System (FCS) institutions with overlapping service areas to execute regional career pathways agreements.
• Requires each school district and FCS institution receiving state workforce education funds to maintain adequate and accurate records and revising the calculation methodology for determining state funding for workforce education programs.
• Requires, beginning with the 2019-2020 school year, all school districts to offer a financial literacy course consisting of at least one-half credit as an elective.

SB 336 – Local Tax Referenda by Brandes – READ 2^ND TIME; SUBSTITUTED FOR HB 5; SB 336 LAID ON THE TABLE
HB 5 – Local Tax Referenda by DiCeglie – SUBSTITUTED FOR SB 336; READ 2^ND TIME; AMENDED; READ 3^RD TIME; PLACED ON 3^RD READING FOR 5/3/19
As amended, the bill:

• Provides that a referendum to adopt or amend a local government discretionary sales surtax must be held at a general election.
• Revises provisions relating to the performance audit of the program associated with the proposed surtax that must be conducted by an independent certified public accountant to provide:
• oAt least 180 days before the referendum is held, the county or school district must provide a copy of the final resolution or ordinance to the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability (OPPAGA);
• oWithin 30 days after receiving the final resolution or ordinance, OPPAGA must procure the certified public accountant to conduct the performance audit.
• oAt least 60 days before the referendum is held, the performance audit must be completed and the audit report, including any findings, recommendations, or other accompanying documents, must be made available.
• Revises provisions for a charter county and regional transportation system surtax that is proposed by an initiative.
• Provides that failure to comply with the requirements of the bill renders any referendum held to adopt a discretionary sales surtax void.
• Provides that the provisions of the bill will be effective January 1, 2020.

SB 1730 – Community Development & Housing by Lee – READ 2^ND TIME; SUBSTITUTED FOR HB 7103; SB 1730 LAID ON THE TABLE
HB 7103 – Property Development by Commerce – SUBSTITUED FOR SB 1730; READ 2^ND TIME; AMENDED; PLACED ON 3^RD READING FOR 5/3/19
The bill addresses a variety of issues relating to community development and housing. Of particular interest to school districts, the bill:

• Provides minimum conditions that impact fees must satisfy (these criteria are mirrored in HB 207 that has already passed the Legislature).
• Provides that a local government must credit against the collection of the impact fee any contribution, whether identified in a proportionate share agreement or other form of exaction, related to public education facilities, including land dedication, site planning and design, or construction.
• Specifies that any such contribution must be applied to reduce any education-based impact fees on a dollar-for-dollar basis at fair market value.
• Provides that, if a local government increases its impact fee rates, the holder of any impact fee credits which were in existence before the increase, is entitled to the full benefit of the intensity or density prepaid by the credit balance as of the date it was first established.
• Specifies that these provisions shall operate prospectively and not retrospectively.

SB 1412 – Taxation by Gruters – READ 2^ND TIME; SUBSTITUTED FOR HB 7123; SB 1412 LAID ON THE TABLE
HB 7123 – Taxation by Ways & Means – SUBSTITUTED FOR SB 1412; READ 2^ND TIME; AMENDED; PLACED ON 3^RD READING FOR 5/3/19
The bill provides tax relief measures including, among other things, sales tax holidays for back-to-school supplies and disaster preparedness supplies, but also including a troubling provision that would require schools districts that levy additional operating millage via approval by voters in a local referendum to share the revenue generated from that millage levy with charter schools in the school district. Today’s amendment removed that troubling provision.

SB 1480 – Civics Education by Stargel – READ 2^ND TIME; SUBSTITUTED FOR HB 807; SB 1480 LAID ON THE TABLE
HB 807 – Civics Education by Aloupis – SUBSTITUTED FOR SB 1480; READ 2^ND TIME; PLACED ON 3^RD READING FOR 5/3/19
The bill:

• Requires all instructional materials for the civics education course required for middle school students be reviewed and approved by Florida’s Commissioner of Education in consultation with civics organizations and stakeholders and provides that any errors or inaccuracies in state-adopted civics materials identified by the Commissioner, must be corrected pursuant to current statutory procedures.
• Requires the Commissioner to review and make recommendations for improvements to current state-adopted civics material and the statewide civics end-of-course assessment by December 31, 2019.
• Requires the FDOE to review civics education course standards by December 31, 2020.
• Provides that the hours that a high school student devotes to the Florida Debate Initiative, the YMCA Youth and Government program, the American Legion Boys State program, the American Legion Girls State program, or other similar programs approved by the commissioner must count towards the service work requirement for the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program.

In the House Session:

HB 7071 – Workforce Education by Higher Education & Career Readiness – RECEIVED IN MESSAGES FROM THE SENATE; CONCURED WITH AMENDMENT; PASSED THE HOUSE; PASSED THE LEGISLATURE   [NOTE:  See Senate agenda above for brief summary]

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