FSBA LEGISLATIVE REVIEW WORKSHOPS AND WEBINARS
After the 2016 Legislative Session adjourns, FSBA will be conducting a series of Legislative Session Review Workshops and Webinars for school board members, superintendents, district staff, and any other interested parties. Our on-site Workshops and on-line Webinars provide a comprehensive analysis of education appropriations and detailed summaries of the education related bills that were approved during the 2016 Legislative Session. Attending any of our Workshops and/or Webinars is free and we encourage you to register and attend the Workshop and/or Webinar of your choice. Information and registration links for each of the on-site Workshops and on-line Webinars is available on the FSBA website at www.fsba.org — click on the “Online Registration” tab on the upper right hand side of our home page or use this direct link: https://fsba.org/fsba-
TODAY’S HAPPENINGS
In the House Education Committee:
HB 701 – Art in the Capitol Competition by Lee — PASSED
Creates the “Art in the Capitol Competition” for students in specified grades; provides procedures for student participation, notification, & selection & display of winning submissions.
In the House Regulatory Affairs Committee:
HB 535 – Building Codes by Eagle – AMENDED; PASSED WITH A COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE (CS)
Revises educational provisions for building code inspectors, plans examiners, & building code administrators; revises provisions related to the Florida Building Code; revises provisions regarding the Florida Building Code Compliance and Mitigation Program; restricts application of the Building Code for certain aspects of construction; revises provisions related to portable pools; revises provisions regarding the authority of building officials to issue building permits; revises provisions regarding appeal boards; revising provisions addressing certain fire service access elevators; authorizing DBPR to develop code-related training; creates task force to study electrical safety in swimming pools; creates construction industry workforce task force to study issues associated with training of construction workforce.
In the Senate Appropriations Committee:
SB 432 – Teacher Certification by Hutson — PASSED
Providing alternative requirements for earning a professional educator certificate that covers certain grades, etc.
SB 434 – Principal Autonomy Pilot Program by Garcia – AMENDED; PASSED WITH A CS
Creating the Principal Autonomy Pilot Program Initiative; providing a procedure for a school district to participate in the pilot program; providing requirements for participating school districts and schools; exempting participating schools from certain laws and rules; requiring principals of participating schools and specified personnel to complete a nationally recognized school turnaround program; providing for the term of participation in the pilot program; providing for renewal or revocation of authorization to participate in the pilot program; providing for reporting, funding, and rulemaking; requiring participating district school boards to allocate a specified percentage of certain funds to participating schools; providing additional authority and responsibilities of the principal of a participating schools, etc. [NOTE: The bill was amended via a strike all amendment. This short summary reflects the changes made to the bill.]
SB 436 – Terroristic Threats by Simpson – AMENDED; PASSED WITH A CS
Creating the crime of falsely reporting the use of firearms in a violent manner against a person or persons; defining the terms “family member” and “law enforcement officer”; providing criminal penalties for a person who threatens specified persons with death or serious bodily harm; reenacting ss. 1006.07(2)(m) and 1006.13(3)(b), F.S., relating to district school board duties relating to student discipline and school safety and a policy of zero tolerance for crime and victimization, respectively, to incorporate the amendment made to s. 790.163, F.S., in references thereto. [NOTE: The bill was amended via a Proposed Committee Substitute (PCS) and additional amendment. This short summary reflects the changes made to the bill.]
SB 442 – Educational Facilities by Flores — PASSED
Providing for school district construction flexibility; authorizing exceptions to educational facilities construction requirements under certain circumstances, etc.
SB 524 – SUS Performance-Based Incentives by Gaetz — AMENDED; PASSED WITH A CS
Requiring performance-based metrics to include specified wage thresholds; requiring the Board of Governors to establish minimum performance funding eligibility thresholds; prohibiting a state university that fails to meet the state’s threshold from eligibility for a share of the state’s investment performance funding, etc. [NOTE: Several amendments were adopted, beginning with a strike all amendment that significantly expanded the scope of the bill to include the general substance of several separate Senate bills including, among others, SB 978 relating to the Best and Brightest Teacher awards, SB 434 relating to the Principal Autonomy Pilot Program, SB 1714 relating to the Competency Based Education Pilot Program, SB 1126 relating to Auditory-Oral Education Programs, SB 1360 relating to Student Assessments, SB 1166 relating to Education Funding; SB 1064 relating to the Special Facility Construction Account Program, and the Senate’s proposal with regard to charter school capital outlay funding. The Senate charter school capital outlay proposal does not include any requirement for school districts to share local capital outlay millage revenue with charter schools, but it does include provisions that call for a study of the calculation of the statutory cost per student station, provisions that would limit district spending on capital projects, and provisions that would apply sanctions on school districts that exceed the cost per student station.]
SB 886 – Parent & Student Rights by Benacquisto – AMENDED; PASSED WITH A CS
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.
SB 944 – Out of State Fee Waivers / Active Duty Service by Richter — PASSED
Requiring state universities, Florida College System institutions, and certain centers to waive out-of-state fees for active duty members of the United States Armed Forces residing or stationed outside of this state; prohibiting tuition and fees charged to such students from exceeding a specified amount, etc.
SB 984 – Education Access & Affordability by Legg — PASSED
Requiring tuition for an online degree program to include costs associated with the provision of instructional materials; requiring a public postsecondary institution to post information relating to required and recommended textbooks and instructional materials and prices in its course registration system and on its website; requiring a state university to publicly notice meetings at which votes on proposed tuition or fee increases are scheduled, etc.
SB 986 – Workers’ Compensation by Simpson — PASSED
Requiring members of limited liability companies to submit specified notices; requiring that the Department of Financial Services allow an employer who has not previously been issued an order of penalty assessment to receive a specified credit to be applied to the penalty; eliminating the certification requirements when an expert medical advisor is selected by a judge of compensation claims; deleting the requirement that employers notify the department within 24 hours of any injury resulting in death, etc.
SB 1060 – Career and Adult Education by Legg – AMENDED; PASSED WITH A CS
Revising the membership requirements for the State Apprenticeship Advisory Council; revising the attributes that characterize apprenticeable occupations; revising the purpose of the Credit Acceleration Program; requiring students to earn passing scores on specified assessments or examinations to earn course credit; revising the membership of the Higher Education Coordinating Council; revising the Department of Education’s responsibility for the development of program standards for career, adult, and community education programs; providing for rulemaking; revising provisions relating to adult general education; providing that adult education programs may only provide academic services to specified students under certain circumstances; deleting duties of the State Board of Education relating to adult general education programs; deleting a requirement that specific expenditures be reported separately; revising allocation requirements for developmental education; providing additional options for students participating in a structured high school acceleration program; prohibiting a district school board from limiting the number of public school students who may enroll in a structured high school acceleration program; revising requirements relating to contracts establishing structured high school acceleration programs; requiring each district school board to notify students in certain grades about the program; revising provisions relating to program funding; providing reporting requirements; 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; deleting the requirement that certain digital tool certificates be updated solely by the Chancellor of Career and Adult Education; expanding the financial aid appeals process to other school entities; requiring school districts and Florida College System institutions to maintain certain records; revising operational and performance funding calculation and allocation for workforce education programs; deleting provisions relating to a program to assist in responding to the needs of new and expanding businesses and a requirement that the State Board of Education and CareerSource Florida, Inc., providing the Legislature with certain formulas and mechanisms for distributing performance funds; creating the Florida Apprenticeship Grant (FLAG) program; providing for the purpose, requirements, and administration of the program; requiring certain career centers and Florida College System institutions to provide quarterly reports; creating the Rapid Response Grant program; providing for the purpose, requirements, and administration of the program; requiring certain career centers and Florida College System institutions to provide quarterly reports; requiring the department to administer the program and conduct an annual program analysis. [NOTE: The bill was amended with a lengthy amendment that expanded the scope of the bill to add, among other things, a structured high school acceleration program and revised funding for workforce education, This short summary reflects the changes made to the bill.]
SB 1166 – Education Funding by Gaetz – AMENDED; PASSED WITH A CS
Revising the calculation for certain supplemental funds for exceptional student education programs, etc. . [NOTE: Several amendments were adopted, beginning with a strike all amendment that significantly expanded the scope of the bill to include the general substance of several separate Senate bills including, among others, SB 830 relating to charter schools, SB 886 relating to open enrollment, SB 834 relating to minimum term funding, SB 884 relating to suicide awareness and prevention.]
SB 1196 – Emergency Allergy Treatment in Schools by Bean — PASSED
Authorizing a public school and a private school, respectively, to enter into certain arrangements with wholesale distributors or manufacturers for epinephrine auto-injectors, revising terminology; revising the storage requirements for epinephrine auto-injectors.
SB 1538 – Veterans’ Employment by Evers — PASSED
Requiring each state agency and authorizing other political subdivisions of the state to develop and implement a veterans recruitment plan; requiring specified goals for veterans recruitment plans; requiring the Department of Management Services to collect specified data and to include the data in its annual workforce report and on its website, etc.
SB 1714 – Competency-Based Education by Brandes – AMENDED; PASSED WITH A CS
Establishing a competency-based innovation pilot program within the Department of Education; defining the term “competency-based education”; authorizing certain schools to apply to he department for approval of a competency-based innovation pilot program; specifying information to be included in the application; authorizing certain waivers; providing reporting and funding requirements for students participating in the pilot program at participating schools; requiring the department to compile certain information and provide access to statewide, standardized assessments; requiring the department to submit an annual report to the Governor and the Legislature by a specified date; specifying the contents of the annual report; providing for expiration of the pilot program. [NOTE: The bill was revised by a strike all amendment and other amendments that, for the most part, made technical changes to the original bill and revised the list of participating schools and districts.]
In the House Judiciary Committee:
HB 7085 – Juvenile Civil Citation / Diversion Programs by Criminal Justice – TEMPORARILY POSTPONED
Requires establishment of civil citation & similar diversion programs for juveniles; specifies program eligibility, participation, & implementation requirements; provides exceptions; provides applicability.
COMING UP TOMORROW
There are no legislative committee meetings scheduled for Friday but Senate President Gardiner and House Speaker Crissifulli announced that they hoped to begin budget conferencing this weekend. We will keep you informed if there is any significant progress over the weekend. In any case, we will also send you our Weekly Video Update and our next issue of the Daily Update on Monday, February 29.
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
