TODAY’S HAPPENINGS
[NOTE: The bills and committees listed below are linked to their respective websites where you can find additional information.]
In the House Education Appropriations Subcommittee:
HB 793 – Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program by O’Toole – AMENDED; PASSED WITH A COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE (CS)
Provides that initial award period & renewal period for students who are unable to accept initial award immediately after high school due to specific obligations begins upon completion of obligation; providing that certain students may receive an award for a specified number of credits towards specified programs and degree programs; creating the Florida Gold Seal CAPE Scholars award within the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program; requires student, as prerequisite for certain awards, to identify social or civic issue or professional area of interest & develop specified plan.
HB 887 – Computer Coding Instruction by Adkins – AMENDED; PASSED WITH A CS
Requires Higher Education Coordinating Council to make recommendations related to computer science instruction & provide report; requires Commissioner of Education to develop certain standards & identify certain courses in Course Code Directory; requires students have access to computer science courses through various means; requires DOE to report certain information to certain entities; requires certain entities to develop strategies relating to computer science educator certification & teacher recruitment. [NOTE: Today’s amendment added an appropriation to DOE to carry out the some of the provisions of the bill.]
HB 1147 – Educational Instruction / Life Skills by Latvala — PASSED
Requires character-development programs to provide certain instruction to students in grades 9-12.
HB 1403 – Pledge of Allegiance by Broxson — PASSED
Requires written notice of student’s right not to participate in the pledge of allegiance to be included in specific publication; provides student may be excused from certain actions associated with pledge; requires unexcused students to show full respect to flag during pledge.
In the Senate Community Affairs Committee:
SB 660 – Local Governments / Impact Fees by Hays – AMENDED; PASSED WITH A CS
Authorizing the use of impact fees to construct new capital facilities or to improve, alter, or expand existing capital facilities; authorizing a county or municipality to impose a surcharge on documents taxable under provisions for the purpose of funding certain capital improvements and capital facilities in lieu of imposing impact fees; restricting the amount of the surcharge; prohibiting a county or municipality that imposes a surcharge for an authorized purpose from also imposing an impact fee for the same purpose, etc.
In the Senate Governmental Oversight & Accountability Committee:
SB 686 – Government Accountability by Gaetz – AMENDED; PASSED WITH A CS
Specifying that the Governor, the Commissioner of Education, or the designee of the Governor or of the Commissioner of Education may notify the Legislative Auditing Committee of an entity’s failure to comply with certain auditing and financial reporting requirements; defining and revising definitions of terms; specifying the applicability of certain provisions of the Code of Ethics for Public Officers and Employees to officers and board members of corporate entities associated with the Department of Economic Opportunity, etc. [NOTE: The lengthy bill was substantially amended with a strike all amendment. We are still reviewing the amendment and will provide an updated summary as soon as possible.]
SB 1150 – Agency Rulemaking Authority by Bean – FAILED; PENDING RECONSIDERATION
Providing for suspension of certain rulemaking authority after a specified period, until reauthorized by general law; providing for expiration of such reauthorization after a specified period; providing for suspension of rulemaking authority upon expiration of its reauthorization, until reauthorized by general law; authorizing the Governor to delay suspension of rulemaking authority for a specified period upon declaration of a public necessity; providing exceptions, etc.
SB 724 – Public Records / Custodian by Joyner – NOT CONSIDERED
Authorizing a court to hold a custodian of a public record personally liable for the reasonable costs of enforcement, including attorney fees, in a civil action to enforce Chapter 119, F.S., if certain conditions exist, etc.
In the House Local & Federal Affairs Committee:
HB 791 – Local Tax Referenda by Ingoglia – AMENDED; PASSED WITH A CS
Providing that certain discretionary tax referenda, including the school capital outlay surtax, may not be held in a special election; providing that such referenda held at a certain primary elections shall require the approval of at least 60 percent of the voters voting on the ballot question for passage; providing that a referendum held at a general election requires the approval of a majority of the voters voting on the ballot question for passage; providing that the effective date for the provisions of the bill is July 1, 2017. [NOTE: The bill was amended with a strike all amendment. This short summary reflects the changes made to the bill today.]
In the House Education Committee:
HB 669 – Educational Choice by Sprowls – AMENDED; PASSED WITH A CS
Provides additional duties of internal auditor for school districts; 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 teacher; revises components of Credit Acceleration Program; requires DOE to contract with FPU for certain purposes; provides appropriation. [NOTE: The Committee approved three amendments today. The first requires that a course syllabus be provided for courses in grades 6 – 12, that parents are notified when mature or adult materials are used in those courses, and that parents are notified of the procedures for objecting to his or her child’s use of a specific 13 instructional material. The second amendment provides that enrollment preferences provided pursuant to a donation of land or funding agreement executed prior toJuly 1, 2016, shall take priority over the controlled open enrollment provisions. The third amendment revises provisions relating to the portability of FEFP funding and calls for research and recommendations on the feasibility for the transfer of funds with a student who enrolls in a public school in a school district other than his or her school district of residence. Research results and recommendations to the legislature by November 1, 2016 (rather thanNovember 1, 2017).]
HB 705 – Interpreters / Hearing Impaired by Berman — PASSED
Requires SBE to establish standards for educational interpreters & school districts to notify parents if an individual providing interpreter services does not meet SBE standards & report to DOE information regarding individuals providing interpreter services.
HJR 759 – Charter Schools by Diaz — PASSED
Proposes amendment to State Constitution to require SBE to establish statewide charter school authorizer to authorize, operate, control, & supervise charter schools. [NOTE: FSBA is opposed to this bill.]
HB 833 – Public School Recess by Plasencia — PASSED
Requires district school board to provide students in certain grades with certain amount of free-play recess per day; provides that free-play recess may not be withheld for specified reasons.
HB 1155 – Membership Associations by Eisnaugle — PASSED
Prohibiting certain membership associations from expending any money received from public funds on litigation against the state; requiring the membership associations to file an annual report with the Legislature covering a variety of topics, including the fee required to become a member of the membership association, the current annual financial statements of the membership association, a description of the assets and liabilities of the association at the beginning and end of the preceding fiscal year, the salary, allowances, and other direct or indirect disbursements to each officer and to each employee who, during the preceding fiscal year, received more than $10,000, and the total amount of direct or indirect disbursements for lobbying activity at the federal, state, or local level incurred by the membership association, and the total amount of direct or indirect disbursements for litigation expenses incurred by the membership association; providing that dues paid to a membership association which are paid with public funds shall be assessed for each elected or appointed public officer; providing that, if a public officer elects not to join the membership association, the dues assessed to that public officer may not be paid to the membership association; requiring the Auditor General to conduct certain audits annually; etc. [NOTE: The bill is specifically drafted to apply only the Florida School Boards Association. FSBA is opposed to this bill.]
HB 1305 – Student Health / Emergency Allergy Treatment by Eagle – AMENDED; PASSED WITH A CS
Revises definition of “authorized entity”; authorizes authorizing a public school and a private school, respectively, to enter into certain arrangements with wholesale distributors or manufacturers for epinephrine auto-injectors; revising the storage requirements for epinephrine auto-injectors. [NOTE: The bill was substantially amended with a strike all amendment. This short summary reflects the changes made to the bill today.]
HB 1365 – Competency-Based Education by Rodrigues — PASSED
Creates Competency-Based Education Pilot Program; provides for program participation, application requirements, exemption from specified rules, student funding, & duties of DOE.
In the House Appropriations Committee:
HB 873 – Special Facility Construction Account by Diaz – AMENDED; PASSED WITH A CS
Revises provisions of Special Facility Construction Account relating to receipt of funds, criteria for requests, pre-application review, consultants, & repayment of school district’s share of project costs. [NOTE: The Committee approved a Proposed Committee Substitute (PCS) that contains the original provisions relating to the Special Facilities Construction Accounts but adds controversial provisions relating to charter school capital outlay funding. The PCS replaces the existing eligibility criteria for charter school outlay funding to provide that, in order to be eligible, a charter school must be part of a high-performing charter school system OR meet all 3 of the following criteria: be in operation for 2 (rather than 3) or more years; not have more than two consecutive school grades lower than “B” unless the school serves a student population at least 50% of which is eligible for free or reduced-price meals; and must have an annual audit with no financial emergency conditions. The PCS revises the methodology for calculating the amount of state funding for charter school capital outlay from 1/15th to 1/40th of the cost per student station. If state funds for charter school capital outlay do not fully fund 1/40th of the cost per student station or the amount of per student funding generated by the district school board’s discretionary ad valorem tax levy for capital outlay, whichever is less, then the school district must share discretionary ad valorem tax revenues to make up the difference. In addition, the PCS restricts school district eligibility for state PECO appropriations for three years if the district exceeds the statutory cost per student station for school construction projects. The PCS requires DOE and EDR to work in consultation to study the actual costs of construction and submit recommendations to the legislature on new statutory costs per student station for school construction projects. FSBA is opposed to the charter school capital outlay provisions in the bill.]
In the Senate Judiciary Committee:
SB 1220 – Award of Attorney Fees / Public Records by Garcia – AMENDED; PASSED WITH A CS
Requiring a complainant to provide specified written notice to an agency’s custodian of public records in order to be awarded the reasonable costs of enforcement in a civil action for enforcement of chapter 119, F.S.; specifying circumstances under which a court may not assess and award the reasonable costs of enforcement against a responsible agency; providing an exception to the requirement that a complainant provide written notice before filing a civil action. [NOTE: The bill was amended via a strike all amendment. This short summary reflects the changes made to the bill today. The revised bill specifies that the court may not assess and award any reasonable costs of enforcement, including reasonable attorney fees, against the responsible agency if the court determines that the civil action or the request to inspect or copy a public record was frivolous, malicious, or reasonably appears to have been intended to harass the agency, or was brought or made for the primary purpose of causing a violation of chapter 119, or if the delay in producing the record is deemed to be a harmless error.]
SB 120 – Prohibited Discrimination by Abruzzo – MOTION TO RECONSIDER FAILED
Creating the “Florida Competitive Workforce Act”; revising provisions to include sexual orientation and gender identity or expression and the perception of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, handicap, or marital status as impermissible grounds for discrimination; providing an exception for constitutionally protected free exercise of religion, etc. [NOTE: The bill failed in Monday’s meeting of the committee and was pending reconsideration today.]
COMING UP TOMORROW
[NOTE: Nearly all meetings may be viewed via live webcast or archived videos on the Florida Channel athttp://thefloridachannel.org/.
The House Judiciary Committee will meet (9:00 am – 12:00 pm) to consider the following items and others:
HB 11 – Missing Persons with Special Needs by Porter
Creates pilot project in specified counties to provide personal devices to aid search-and-rescue efforts for persons with special needs; provides for administration of project; requires reports; provides for expiration; provides appropriation.
HB 293 – Juvenile Criminal History Records by Pritchett
Specifies that certain confidential information obtained under ch. 985, F.S., relating to juvenile justice, is exempt from public records requirements; revises applicability of public records requirements with respect to arrest records of certain juvenile offenders; provides for future review & repeal of such applicability provisions; provides exemption from public records requirements for juvenile information compiled by Criminal Justice Information Program from intrastate sources; provides exceptions; provides for future review & repeal of exemption; provides for release by FDLE of criminal history information of juvenile which has been deemed confidential & exempt; provides statement of public necessity.
The House State Affairs Committee will meet (9:00 am – 12:00 pm) to consider the following items and others:
HB 869 – Public Records/Security Systems by Harrison
Revises exceptions to public records exemption for security system plans; provides exceptions to public records exemption for information relating to certain security systems.
PCB SAC 16-03 — Public Employees / Retirement by State Affairs
Revises exceptions to public records exemption for security system plans; provides exceptions to public records exemption for information relating to certain security systems; establishes new survivor benefits for members of the investment plan who are killed in the line of duty; changes the default from the pension plan to the investment plan for members who do not affirmatively choose a plan; extends the plan election period to the last business day of the eighth month of hire; etc.
The House Economic Affairs Committee will meet (9:00 am – 12:00 pm) to consider the following item and others:
HB 7065 – Workforce Development by Economic Development
Revises provisions related to federal Workforce Investment Act of 1998; provides for implementation of federal Workforce Innovation & Opportunity Act; provides & revises plan requirements & duties & powers of CareerSource Florida, Inc.; provides membership requirements for board of directors of CareerSource Florida, Inc.; requires CareerSource Florida, Inc., in collaboration with specified boards, agencies, & providers, to establish certain uniform performance accountability measures; revises requirements related to plans; revises local workforce development board membership requirements; requires CareerSource Florida, Inc., to establish regional planning areas subject to certain requirements; requires local workforce development boards & specified officials to prepare regional workforce development plan; requires that local workforce development board enter into memorandum of understanding with each mandatory or optional partner for certain purposes; provides that costs will be allocated pursuant to policy established by Governor under certain conditions; revises systems that may be accessed with one-stop delivery system; requires DOE to consult with DEO in preparing, or contracting with entity to prepare, certain economic security reports.
The Senate Rules Committee will meet (10:00 am – 12:00 pm) to consider the following items and others:
SB 752 – Public Records/Agency Inspector General by Abruzzo
Providing an exemption from public records requirements for certain identifying and location information of current or former personnel of an agency’s office of inspector general and those whose duties include conducting internal audits, and the spouses and children thereof; providing for future legislative review and repeal of the exemption; providing a statement of public necessity, etc.
SB 1004 – Public Records/Security Systems by Hays
Revising exceptions to a public records exemption; providing exceptions to a public records exemption, etc.
SB 582 – Public Corruption by Gaetz
Deleting the definition of the term “corruptly” or “with corrupt intent”; redefining the term “bribery” to include knowing and intentional, rather than corrupt, acts; revising the prohibition against unlawful compensation or reward for official behavior to conform to changes made by the act; revising the prohibition against official misconduct to conform to changes made by the act; revising the prohibition against bid tampering to conform to changes made by the act, etc.
The Senate Fiscal Policy Committee will meet (10:30 am – 12:00 pm) to consider the following item and others:
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 will be in Session (1:00 pm – completion of business) to consider the following items and others
Bills on 2nd Reading:
HB 5001 – 2016-2017 General Appropriations Act by Appropriations
Provides moneys for annual period beginning July 1, 2016, & ending June 30, 2017, & supplemental appropriations for period ending June 30, 2016, to pay salaries & other expenses, capital outlay—buildings & other improvements, & for other specified purposes of various agencies of state government.
HB 5003 – Implementing / 2016-2017 General Appropriations Act by Appropriations
Implements specific appropriations of the General Appropriations Act for the 2016-2017 fiscal year.
HB 5005 – Florida Retirement System Contribution Rates by Appropriations
Revises required employer retirement contribution rates for members of certain membership classes & subclasses of FRS; revises employer assessment to offset costs of administering investment plan & providing educational services; provides finding of important state interest.
HB 7053 – Child Care & Development Grant by Education
Expands list of entities that have access to child abuse records for approving providers of school readiness services; requires school readiness program providers to provide DCF & local licensing agencies with access for inspection purposes; requires certain child care providers to submit affidavit of compliance with licensure requirements of ch. 402, F.S., & federal law; provides criteria for exemption from disqualification for employment with school readiness program provider; revises duties of OEL; revises provisions relating to child & parent eligibility for school readiness programs.
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.
The Senate will be in Session (1:00 pm – 6:00 pm) to consider the following items and others:
Bills on 2nd Reading:
SB 2500 – 2016-2017 General Appropriations Act by Appropriations
Providing moneys for the annual period beginning July 1, 2016, and ending June 30, 2017, and supplemental appropriations for the period ending June 30, 2016, to pay salaries and other expenses, capital outlay – buildings, and other improvements, and for other specified purposes of the various agencies of state government; providing for contingent retroactive operation, etc.
SB 2502– Implementing / 2016-2017 General Appropriations Act by Appropriations
Incorporating by reference certain calculations of the Florida Education Finance Program; revising the method for allocating funds for exceptional student education programs; extending the date by which the Adults with Disabilities Workforce Education Pilot Program may operate; authorizing a university board of trustees to expend certain reserve or carry forward balances from a prior year for specified capital outlay projects if certain conditions are met, etc.
SB 7042 – Florida Retirement System Contribution Rates by Gov. Oversight
Revising required employer retirement contribution rates for each membership class and subclass of the Florida Retirement System, etc.
SB 7012 – Death Benefits under FRS by Gov. Oversight
Authorizing payment of death benefits to the surviving spouse or children of a Special Risk Class member killed in the line of duty under specified circumstances; authorizing payment of death benefits to the surviving spouse or surviving children of a Special Risk Class member in the investment plan; requiring the State Board of Administration to transfer moneys to fund survivor benefit payments under specified circumstances, etc.
SB 350 – Online Procurement by Montford
Revising the powers and duties of the district school board to authorize the adoption of rules regarding procurement practices; authorizing a district school board to use online procurement for certain services and purchases; authorizing each district school board, Florida College System board of trustees, and university board of trustees to make purchases through an online procurement system, etc.
Bills on 3rd Reading:
SB 500 – Children & Youth Cabinet by Montford
Revising the membership of the cabinet to include a superintendent, etc.
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 7016 – Interstate Compact / Military Children by Military Affairs
Providing for payment of annual dues for the compact; repealing s. 2 of chapter 2013-20, Laws of Florida; abrogating the future repeal of provisions relating to the compact; providing for contingent retroactive operation, etc.
I hope you find this information useful. Please let me know if you have any questions.
Ruth
Ruth Haseman Melton
Director of Government Relations
Florida School Boards Association
Office: 850 / 414-2578
Cell: 850 / 509-6411
Email: melton@fsba.org
