BUDGET UPDATE
We have prepared a detailed side-by-side comparison of the House and Senate Education Budgets for your review. In addition, the House has released a full FEFP Summary that provides district-by-district information on their budget. We have posted both of these items with Boarder-Line Issue 5 in our 2014 Legislative Session Resource Center at https://fsba.org/services/
TODAY’S HAPPENINGS
In the House Governmental Operations Subcommittee:
HB 1151 – Public Records by Hood – PASSED WITH A CS
Provides that person may request public records at certain agency locations; provides that certain records of private entities be available for inspection if public funds are expended in payment of dues for such entities; provides that information deemed confidential & exempt is not subject to inspection by public; provides that information deemed exempt may be disclosed at discretion of custodian in certain circumstances; revises agency contract requirements; requires contractors to contact & notify agency records custodians in certain circumstances; provides that public records requests need not be made in writing unless otherwise required by law; requires records custodian to identify such statutes; provides that certain records duplication costs shall not exceed certain rate; provides that such rate shall not include cost of employer-paid benefits; requires agencies to provide appropriate public records training to all employees; requires complainant in public records litigation to make showing that complainant attempted to contact agency; provides an exception; provides that reasonable costs of enforcement in public records litigation includes attorney’s fees, including attorney’s fees incurred in litigating application of attorney’s fees in underlying action.
In the Senate Criminal Justice Committee:
SB 674 – Background Screening by Bean – PASSED WITH A CS
Authorizing the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles to share reproductions of driver license images with the Department of Health and the Agency for Health Care Administration for specified purposes; exempting a person whose fingerprints are already enrolled in a certain Federal Bureau of Investigation program from the requirement that such fingerprints be forwarded to the bureau; requiring the fingerprints of an employee required to be screened by a specified agency and included in the clearinghouse also to be retained in the national retained print arrest notification program at a specified time, etc.
SB 698 – Sexual Misconduct with Students by Stargel – PASSED WITH A CS
Citing this act as the “Sexual Misconduct with Students by Authority Figures Act”; providing for reclassification of specified sexual offenses committed against a student by an authority figure; providing for severity ranking of offenses; providing for application of the severity ranking chart of the Criminal Punishment Code, etc.
COMING UP TOMORROW
The House Education Appropriations Subcommittee will meet – 8:30-10:30 AM; Florida Channel webcast – to consider the following items and others:
HB 921 – Instructional Materials / Adoption by M. Gaetz
Revises provisions relating to review, selection, & adoption of instructional materials; requires instructional materials to be in digital format; provides duties of district school boards relating to district-adopted instructional materials & requisition of materials; revises duties of publishers & manufacturers; revises provisions relating to use of instructional materials allocation. [NOTE: FSBA is opposed to this bill because transfers all of the responsibilities for the review, selection, and adoption of instructional materials to local school boards. In so doing, the state abdicates its responsibility to provide for a uniform system of free public schools, imposes a tremendous unfunded mandate on school districts, deprives school districts of the “economy of scale” in textbook purchasing power, and inserts the prospect of social and political bias in the adoption process.]
HB 1053 – Teacher Education by Castor Dentel
Revises eligibility criteria for receipt of minority teacher education scholarship; revises funding for administration & training program carried out by board of directors of Florida Fund for Minority Teachers, Inc.
HB 1121 – Hazardous Walking Conditions by Metz
Revises criteria that determine hazardous walking condition for public school students; revises procedures for inspection & identification of hazardous conditions; requires district school boards to provide transportation to students who would be subjected to hazardous conditions; requires state or local entities with jurisdiction over road with hazardous condition to correct condition.
HB 7165 – Digital Learning & Support Services by Education
Directs that Commissioner of Education, DOE, & school districts develop & annually update various technology & digital classrooms plans; repeals pilot program for transition to electronic instructional materials; establishes Florida Library Automation Cooperative; provides that cooperative’s director shall report to executive director of Complete Florida Plus Program; repeals provisions for licensing of electronic library resources & Florida Virtual Campus; revises Complete Florida Plus Program; establishes Complete Florida Degree Initiative; provides that Articulation Coordinating Committee shall make recommendations to Legislature regarding development of an online system for analyzing student credit transfers & review proposals for industry certifications; transfers Florida Virtual Campus to UWF; requires Board of Governors to submit transition plan to Legislature.
The Senate Judiciary Committee will meet – 9:00-11:00 am; Florida Channel webcast – to consider the following item(s) and others:
SB 1626 – Administrative Procedures by T. Lee
Providing conditions under which a proceeding is not substantially justified for purposes of an award under the Florida Equal Access to Justice Act; authorizing certain parties to provide to an agency their understanding of how certain rules apply to specific facts; authorizing the administrative law judge to award attorney fees under certain circumstances; authorizing a party to request mediation of a rule challenge and declaratory statement proceedings, etc.
SB 1400 – Postsecondary Student Tuition by Latvala
Revising the standard tuition and out-of-state fees for workforce education postsecondary programs leading to certain certificates and diplomas and certain other programs at Florida College System institutions; deleting a requirement that the Office of Economic and Demographic Research annually report the rate of inflation to the Governor, the Legislature, and the State Board of Education; requiring a state university, a Florida College System institution, a career center operated by a school district, or a charter technical career center to waive undergraduate tuition for a recipient of a Purple Heart or another combat decoration superior in precedence under certain conditions, etc.
The Senate will be in Session – 1:00-2:30 pm; Florida Channel webcast – to consider the following item and others on 3nd Reading:
SB 160 – Food Distributed Free of Charge by Bullard
Limiting the liability of public schools with respect to canned or perishable food donated to charitable or nonprofit organizations, etc.
The House Appropriations Committee will meet – 2:30-5:00 pm; Florida Channel webcast – to consider the following items and others:
HB 295 – Employment after Retirement by Porter
Revises provisions relating to reemployment of retirees as instructional personnel on contract basis; provides legislative intent & findings to clarify authorization to award contracts; provides requirements for judgment in certain civil actions or administrative proceedings.
HB 875 – Education Fiscal Accountability by M. Diaz
Requires school report cards to include school & school district return-on-investment (ROI) ratings; requires Commissioner of Education to establish ROI index to evaluate extent to which schools & school districts are using financial resources to improve student performance; requires commissioner to assign & publish ROI ratings; creates Schoolhouse Funding Pilot Program subject to annual appropriation; provides requirements for pilot school participating in program. [NOTE: FSBA has several concerns about this bill, particularly with regard to the described Pilot Program.]
HB 7069 – Early Learning by Education
Changes terminology relating to school readiness & family day care; revises certain requirements & standards relating to child care facilities, VPK program, & school readiness program; revises provisions relating to exemption from certain licensing standards; revises duties of Office of Early Learning & early learning coalitions.
The Senate Community Affairs Committee will meet – 3:00-6:00 pm; Florida Channel webcast – to consider the following items and others:
SB 1382 – Hazardous Walking Conditions by Hays
Revising criteria that determine a hazardous walking condition for public school students; revising procedures for inspection and identification of hazardous walking conditions; requiring a district school board to provide transportation to students who would be subjected to hazardous walking conditions; revising provisions relating to funding for the transportation of students subjected to a hazardous walking condition; providing requirements relating to a civil action for damages, etc.
SB 1474 – Public Officers and Employees by Abruzzo
Authorizing the electors of a political subdivision to impose additional or more stringent standards of conduct and disclosure requirements upon the political subdivision’s officers and employees; requiring a local ethics agency or commission to establish certain procedures, etc.
SB 1034 – Renovation of Educational Facilities by Latvala
Requiring school districts, state universities and Florida College System institutions to retrofit the doors and windows of educational facilities to comply with certain Florida Building Code standards; providing funding through the capital outlay millage levy and capital outlay funds, etc.
IN THE NEWS
Tampa Bay Times – 3/29/14
Public and charter schools compete for shrinking building funds
http://www.tampabay.com/news/
Florida Times Union – 3/28/14
Florida House hopes to entice Senate back into voucher expansion
http://members.jacksonville.
Tampa Tribune – 3/29/14
School officials request FCAT extension
http://tbo.com/pinellas-
