TODAY’S HAPPENINGS
[NOTE: The bills listed below are linked to the each bill’s website where you can find information about the bill including the bill sponsor, committees of reference, and staff analysis. The committees/subcommittees are linked to each committee’s website where you can find information about the committee including the committee’s leadership, membership and staff, the committee’s meeting packets, contact information, and related materials.]
In the House Government Operations Subcommittee:
HB 527 – Scrutinized Companies by Workman — PASSED
Establishes reporting requirements for executive director of SBA regarding companies boycotting Israel; requires SBA to identify companies in which public moneys are invested that are conducting businesses that boycott Israel; requires SBA to create & maintain certain scrutinized companies lists that name all such companies; requires SBA to divest of all publicly traded securities of scrutinized company under certain conditions; providing reporting requirements; prohibiting local governmental entities from entering into contracts with companies on scrutinized list.
HB 593 – Government Accountability by Metz – TEMPORARILY POSTPONED
Revises auditing protocols for certain agencies, councils, & state schools; revises responsibilities of certain state officials & employment or contractual relationships; revises provisions governing collection methods for certain unpaid automatic fines; revises entities subject to lobbyist registration and registration procedures; requires counties, municipalities, & special districts to maintain certain budget documents on entities’ websites for specified period; revises certain compensation protocols; revises requirements for financial statements & audits of certain governmental entities.
HB 869 – Public Records/Security Systems by Harrison – AMENDED AND PASSED WITH A COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE (CS)
Amends the public record exemption for security systems plans; amends the public record exemption for information relating to security systems to authorize release of the confidential and exempt information to certain entities and for certain purposes, etc. [NOTE: Today’s amendment brings the bill into better alignment with its Senate companion bill – SB 1004.]
HB 1021 – Award of Attorney Fees / Public Records by Steube — PASSED
Revises conditions under which award of attorney fees is authorized in certain civil actions for enforcement of chapter 119, F.S.; provides that award of such attorney fees is within discretion of court.
In the House K-12 Subcommittee:
HJR 759 – Charter Schools by Diaz – AMENDED AND PASSED WITH A CS
Proposes an a. Propose amendment to the State Constitution to require the State Board of Education to establish a statewide charter school authorizer to authorize, operate, control and supervise charter schools; provides that the school board shall operate, control and supervise all free public schools within the school district, except charter schools under the control and supervision of the statewide charter school authorizers. [NOTE: This short summary reflects the amendment made to the bill today. FSBA has significant concerns about this proposed constitutional amendment.]
HB 887 – Computer Coding Instruction by Adkins – AMENDED AND PASSED WITH A CS
Requires the Higher Education Coordinating Council to make recommendations related to computer science instruction and identify certain items; requires the Council to report its findings and recommendations to the State University System Board of Governors and the Legislature; requires the Commissioner of Education to develop certain standards and identify certain courses in the Course Code Directory; requires the Florida Virtual School to offer certain courses identified by the Commissioner of Education and requires school districts to provide students access to such courses; requires the Department of Education to annually report certain information; requires the State Board of Education, the State University System Board of Governors, and school districts to develop strategies relating to computer science educator certification and teacher recruitment. [NOTE: The bill was substantially amended today. This short summary reflects the amendments made to the bill today.]
HB 693 – Education / Biliteracy by Fresen – AMENDED AND PASSED WITH A CS
Establishes the Florida Seal of Biliteracy Program to award qualifying students who earn a standard high school diploma a Silver or a Gold Seal of Biliteracy; defines the terms “biliteracy” and “foreign language”; provides requirements for the State Board of Education, the Commissioner of Education, and school districts to implement the program; establishes baseline requirements for a student to demonstrate competency in a foreign language; requires the State Board of Education to adopt rules that identify assessments and qualifying scores, as well as alternative methods, which students must meet to receive a Silver or a Gold Seal of Biliteracy. [NOTE: This short summary reflects the amendments made to the bill today.]
HB 705 – Interpreters / Hearing Impaired by Berman – AMENDED AND PASSED WITH A CS
Requires the State Board of Education to adopt standards for individuals who facilitate direct instruction from professionals and direct communication between students who are deaf or hard of hearing and their peers; requires the standards to include interpreter assessments that include both written and performance assessments that are offered by a national organization of professional sigh language interpreters and transliterators; requires districts to notify parents if their student has been assigned an interpreter that does not meet the standards established in state board rule and to report to the Department of Education the total number of interpreters employed by the district and, of those, how many meet the standards. [NOTE: This short summary reflects the amendments made to the bill today.]
The Subcommittee also conducted a workshop on HJR 539 – School Districts and School Boards by Caldwell
Proposes amendment to State Constitution to authorize contiguous area of state to constitute school district; provide for selection of school board by partisan or nonpartisan election or designation of county or municipal governing body; provide that school district may be abolished by law; & provide that operation, control, & supervision of public schools, & determination of school district levies, within abolished school district shall be prescribed by law. [NOTE: FSBA Executive Director Andrea Messina and NSBA Executive Director Tom Gentzel provided expert testimony and information on the implications of this proposed constitutional amendment, including evidence that there appears to be no relationship between smaller school districts and improved student performance.]
In the House Choice & Innovation Subcommittee:
HB 669 – Educational Choice by Sprowls – AMENDED AND PASSED WITH A CS
Revises list of public & private educational choice options available to students; requires school districts to provide & publish certain information; revises controlled open enrollment process; requires school district to establish process for parent to request that his or her child be transferred to another classroom; revises components of Credit Acceleration Program. [NOTE: The bill was significantly amended today. We are still sorting through the amendments and will provide an updated summary as soon as possible. FSBA has concerns about the logistics of implementing the provisions of this bill.]
In the Senate Education PreK-12 Committee:
SB 290 — STEM Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program by Smith — PASSED
Creating the STEM Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program; providing for the administration and funding of the program; providing for student eligibility and the use of funds, etc.
SB 432 – STEM Teachers Pilot Program by Hutson – AMENDED AND PASSED WITH A CS
Providing alternative requirements for earning a professional educator certificate for applicants that seek to teach in grades 6 through 12 and who meet certain requirements. [NOTE: The bill was significantly amended today. This short summary reflects amendments made to the bill today.]
SB 500 – Children & Youth Cabinet by Montford — PASSED
Revising the membership of the cabinet to include a superintendent, etc.
SB 806 – Homebound & Hospitalized Students by Legg — PASSED
Requiring school districts to provide instruction to homebound or hospitalized students; requiring the State Board of Education to adopt rules related to student eligibility, methods of providing instruction to homebound or hospitalized students, and the initiation of services; requiring each school district to enter into an agreement with certain hospitals within its district by a specified date, etc.
SB 884 – Youth Suicide Awareness by Benacquisto — PASSED
Requiring the Department of Education to incorporate training in youth suicide awareness and prevention into certain instructional personnel continuing education or inservice training requirements; requiring the department, in consultation with the Statewide Office for Suicide Prevention and suicide prevention experts, to develop a list of approved materials for the training, etc.
SB 886 – Parent & Student Rights by Benacquisto – PASSED
Revising public school educational choice options available to students throughout the state to include CAPE Digital Tool certificates, CAPE industry certifications, and collegiate high school programs; deleting the definition of and provisions relating to the term “controlled open enrollment”; requiring each school district board to establish a classroom teacher transfer process for parents, to approve or deny a transfer request within a certain timeframe, to notify a parent of a denial, and to post an explanation of the transfer process in the student handbook or a similar publication, etc. [NOTE: FSBA has concerns about the logistics of implementing the provisions of this bill.]
SB 894 – Education Personnel by Detert – AMENDED AND PASSED WITH A CS
Authorizing certain information to be used for educator certification discipline and review; authorizing certain employees or agents of the Department of Education to have access to certain reports and records; authorizing rather than requiring the Department of Education to sponsor a job fair meeting certain criteria, etc.
SB 978 – Public School Teachers by Legg – AMENDED AND PASSED WITH A CS
Establishing the Florida Best and Brightest Teacher Scholarship Program; requiring a school district to annually submit the number of eligible teachers to the Department of Education; providing for funding and disbursement of funds, etc. [NOTE: The bill passed narrowly on a vote of 6-5. Several amendments were filed for consideration today, but only one passed. The amendment revises eligibility criteria to require that the teacher has completed their second year of teaching, but retains the requirement that the teacher scored at or above the 60th percentile on the ACT or SAT.]
SB 1060 – Career and Adult Education by Legg — PASSED
Revising the membership requirements for the State Apprenticeship Advisory Council; revising the attributes that characterize apprenticeable occupations; increasing the maximum number of certain CAPE Digital Tool certificates that the Commissioner of Education may recommend be added to the CAPE Industry Certification Funding List, etc.
SB 1064 – Special Facility Construction Account by Flores — PASSED
Providing that a school district may not receive funds from the Special Facility Construction Account under certain circumstances; providing that certain capital outlay full-time equivalent student enrollment estimates be determined by specified estimating conferences; requiring the total cost per student station to include certain cost overruns; requiring a school district to levy the maximum millage against certain property value under certain circumstances, etc.
SB 1634 – School Choice by Legg — PASSED
Specifying that the calculation for compliance with maximum class size requirements for a specified district innovation school of choice is at the school level; requiring the State Board of Education to review at a specified interval the performance metrics of each individual innovation school of choice for compliance with certain requirements, etc.
SB 1714 – Competency-Based Education by Brandes – AMENDED AND PASSED WITH A CS
Establishing a competency-based innovation pilot program within the Department of Education; authorizing certain schools to apply to the department for approval of a competency-based innovation pilot program; defines “competency based education” to mean a system in which a student may advance to higher levels of learning after demonstrating a mastery of concepts and skills instead of after a specified timeframe; providing that public schools in Lake and Pinellas Counties, P.K. 5 Yonge Developmental Research School, and school districts or charter schools designated by the Commissioner of Education may submit an application for participation in the pilot program; providing reporting and funding requirements for students participating in the pilot program at participating schools; providing for expiration of the pilot program, etc. [NOTE: This short summary reflects amendments made to the bill today.]
In the Senate Fiscal Policy Committee:
SB 390 – Public Records by Simpson – PASSED
Requiring that a public agency contract for services include a statement providing the contact information of the public agency’s custodian of records; revising required provisions in a public agency contract for services regarding a contractor’s compliance with public records laws, etc.
SB 7000 – Developments of Regional Impact by Community Affairs — AMENDED AND PASSED WITH A CS
Providing that a proposed development that is consistent with certain comprehensive plans is not required to undergo review pursuant to the state coordinated review process, etc.
COMING UP TOMORROW
[NOTE: Nearly all meetings may be viewed via live webcast or archived videos on the Florida Channel athttp://thefloridachannel.org/.
The Senate Education Appropriations Subcommittee will meet (9:00 am -12:00 pm) to consider the following items:
SB 962 – Vocational Rehabilitation by Gaetz
Requiring the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation to initiate, by a specified date, a performance improvement plan designed to achieve specified goals; requiring the division to submit a performance report annually, by a specified date, to the Governor and the Legislature which includes specified information, etc.
SB 7036 – School District Purchasing by Governmental Oversight
Requiring each district school board to use certain agreements and contracts for purchasing nonacademic commodities and contractual services under certain circumstances; requiring a district school board to post a written justification for certain determinations on the board’s website, etc.
The House Judiciary Committee will meet (9:00 – 11:00 am) to consider the following item and others:
HB 675 – Federal Immigration Enforcement by Metz
Requires state & local governmental agencies to comply with & support enforcement of federal immigration law; prohibits restrictions by state & local governmental entities & officials on transfer of information regarding citizenship or immigration status of an individual, action taken with respect to such information, or enforcement of federal immigration law; prohibits sanctuary policies; authorizes law enforcement agency to transport unauthorized alien; provides exception to reporting requirements for crime victims or witnesses; requires state & local governmental officials to report violations; provides penalties for failing to report violation; requires AG to prescribe format for submitting complaints; provides cause of action for personal injury or wrongful death caused by sanctuary policy; waives sovereign immunity for such actions.
The House State Affairs Committee will meet (9:00 – 11:00 am) to consider the following items and others:
HB 273 – Public Records by Beshears
Requires public agency contract for services to include statement providing contact information of public agency’s custodian of public records; prescribes form of statement; revises required provisions in public agency contract for services regarding contractor’s compliance with public records laws; requires public records request relating to records for public agency’s contract for services to be made directly to public agency; requires contractor to provide requested records to public agency or allow inspection or copying of requested records; specifies circumstances under which court must assess & award reasonable costs of enforcement against contractor; specifies sufficient notice; provides that contractor who takes certain actions is not liable for reasonable costs of enforcement.
HB 7037 – OGSR/Audit Report & Records by Government Operations
Removes scheduled repeal of public records exemption for certain information related to audit report of internal auditor or investigative report of inspector general prepared for or on behalf of local government unit.
The House Education Committee will meet (11:30 am – 1:30 pm) to consider the following items:
HB 229 – Bullying and Harassment Policies by Geller
Requires school districts to review their bullying & harassment policies at specified intervals, school principals to implement district’s bullying and harassment policy at school & integrate it with specified programs; requires policy to include procedure for reports of alleged acts of bullying & list of authorized bullying & harassment programs.
HB 241 – Children & Youth Cabinet by Harrell
Revises membership of Children & Youth Cabinet to include a superintendent.
HB 443 – Education / AICE Funding by Plasencia
Provides requirements related to allocation & use of certain funds; authorizes maximum bonus of $3,000 for Advanced International Certificate of Education teachers under certain circumstances.
HB 4013 – Blended Learning Courses by Diaz
Deletes requirement that students in blended learning course receive online instruction in classroom setting at school.
HB 7029 – School Choice by Choice & Innovation
Revises provisions relating to charter schools, virtual education, Credit Acceleration Program, FEFP, educator professional development, & charter school capital outlay funding; creates High Impact Charter Network & Florida Institute for Charter School Innovation.
The House Local & Federal Affairs Committee will meet (11:30 am – 1:30 pm) to consider the following item and others:
HB 301 – Property Prepared for Tax-Exempt Use by Burton
Consolidates provisions relating to tax exemptions on property owned by certain tax-exempt organizations; authorizes property appraiser to serve notice of tax lien on certain otherwise exempt properties under certain circumstances; specifies entities to whom lien attaches; provides exemption; deletes provisions rendered obsolete by consolidation.
The House Regulatory Affairs Committee will meet (11:30 am – 1:30 pm) to consider the following item and others:
HB 577 – Liability Insurance Coverage by Lee
Adds company employee adjusters to list of persons who may respond to claimant’s written request for information relating to liability insurance coverage.
The Senate will be in Session (1:00 – 4:00 pm) to consider the following items and others:
Bills on 3rd Reading:
SB 86 – Scrutinized Companies by Negron
Requiring the State Board of Administration to identify all companies that are boycotting Israel or are engaged in a boycott of Israel in which the public fund owns direct or indirect holdings in; requiring the public fund to create and maintain a scrutinized companies list that names all such companies; prohibiting a state agency or local governmental entity from contracting for goods and services that exceed a specified amount if the company has been placed on the Scrutinized Companies that Boycott Israel List, etc.
Bills on 2nd Reading:
SB 386 – Criminal Records / Minors by Detert
Decreasing the period of time that a minor’s criminal history record must be retained before expunction; deleting a limitation on the period of time within which a minor must submit an application for prearrest or postarrest diversion expunction to the Department of Law Enforcement after successful completion of the diversion program, etc.
The House Appropriations Committee will meet (3:00 – 5:00 pm) to consider the following items and others:
Presentation on School District Fixed Capital Outlay Funding
HB 249 – Culinary Education Programs by Moskowitz
Provides for applicability of DOH sanitation rules to licensed culinary education program; permits culinary education program with public food service establishment license to obtain alcoholic beverage license under certain conditions.
HB 253 – Highway Safety by Passidomo
Revises provisions relating to operation of bicycles, passing of vehicle, & careless driving; provides penalties for specified infractions contributing to bodily injury of vulnerable user; requires hearing for specified offenses; directs law enforcement officer issuing citation for specified violations to note certain information on citation.
HJR 7015 – Property Tax Assessment by Finance & Tax
Proposes amendment to State Constitution to allow Legislature to limit growth in assessed value of homestead & specified nonhomestead property to growth rate in just value & to prohibit increases in assessed value of homestead & specified nonhomestead property if just value of property decreases.
I hope you find this information useful. Please let me know if you have any questions.
