FSBA LEGISLATIVE VIDEO UPDATE #2
Our Video Update for the 2nd week of the 2015 Legislative Session has been posted on the FSBA website at www.fsba.org – you may access the video by clicking on the link to 2015 Legislative Session Video Update 2 under “Legislative Session Updates” (located below the pictures on our main page) or by using this direct link: https://fsba.org/2015-
TODAY’S HAPPENINGS
In the Senate Finance & Tax Committee:
SB 110 – Communications Services Taxes by Hukill – AMENDED AND PASSED WITH A COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE (CS)
Reducing the tax rate applied to the sale of communications services; reducing the tax rate applied to the retail sale of direct-to-home satellite services; revising the allocation of tax revenue received from the communications services tax; revising the distributions of tax revenue received from the sales and use tax, communications services tax, and gross receipts tax, etc.
SB 118 – Voluntary Contributions for Education Facilities by Hays – AMENDED AND PASSED WITH A CS
Authorizing a participating business that registers with the Department of Revenue to solicit and collect contributions from its customers for the construction and maintenance of public education facilities; providing registration requirements; requiring a participating business to file a return and remit contributions to the department within a specified timeframe; including voluntary contributions as a source of funding for the Public Education Capital Outlay and Debt Service Trust Fund, etc.
In the Senate Higher Education Committee:
SB 176 – Licenses to Carry Concealed Weapons by Evers — PASSED
Deleting a provision prohibiting concealed carry licensees from openly carrying a handgun or carrying a concealed weapon or firearm into a college or university facility, etc.
SB 622 – Higher Educational Facilities Financing by Montford — PASSED
Expanding the definition of the term “project” as it relates to the Higher Educational Facilities Financing Act, etc.
In the Senate Education Appropriations Subcommittee:
SB 154 – Hazardous Walking Conditions by Hays — PASSED
Revising criteria that determine a hazardous walking condition for public school students; requiring a district school board to correct hazardous walking conditions and provide transportation to students who would be subjected to hazardous walking conditions; requiring state or local governmental entities with jurisdiction over a road with a hazardous walking condition to correct the condition within a reasonable period of time, etc.
SB 688 – Opening and Closing of Public Schools by Montford – AMENDED AND PASSED WITH A CS
Revising a requirement for the uniform opening date of public schools to set the date as no earlier than 21 days (rather than 14 days) before Labor Day; providing that academically high-performing school districts must comply with provisions relating to the uniform opening date of public schools, etc. [NOTE: Today’s amendment revised the opening date of school to be no earlier than the 3rd Monday in August (rather than the bill’s original language calling for a start date no earlier than 21 days before Labor Day). FSBA supports a revision to the school start date that will ensure an opening date that provides sufficient time to allow students to complete the first semester, including completion of semester exams, prior to the federally recognized holidays in December.]
SB 818 – Maximum Class Size by Garcia – AMENDED AND PASSED WITH A CS
Requiring the calculation of a school district’s class size categorical allocation reduction at the school average when maximum class size requirements are not met; revising the calculation, etc.
The Committee also discussed the “Technology Gap” — on both a statewide and individual district level — with regard to devices, bandwidth, wireless access, and other indicators of the gap between district technology readiness and remaining needs. In addition, the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability (OPPAGA) presented a summary of its study on the effects of providing an additional hour of instruction in the lowest performing elementary schools. In brief, the study indicates that the additional hour is producing positive effects in the participating schools. Finally, Subcommittee Chair Don Gaetz stated that he would release his education budget proposal on Tuesday. [NOTE: You may access the DOE’s Technology Gap Analysis and a summary of the OPPAGA study at the end of today’s Meeting Packet (see pages 37-60 of the packet).]
In the House Education Appropriations Subcommittee, Subcommittee chair Fresen outlined his education budget proposal for FY 2015-2016. In brief, the Chair is proposing an increase in FEFP funding of $764 million that generates and increase of $214.74 in funds per student, for a total of $7,129.74 per student (3.11% increase over current year). We will provide more details of the education budget after the Senate Education Appropriations Subcommittee Chair Gaetz releases his initial budget proposal. [NOTE: You may access an outline of Chair Fresen’s proposed education budget in today’s Meeting Packet.]
COMING UP TOMORROW
[REMINDER: Florida Channel webcasts available at http://thefloridachannel.org]
The House Government Operations Subcommittee will meet (8:00 – 11:00 am) to consider the following items and others:
HB 583 – Single-Sex Public Facilities by Artiles
Provides purpose & legislative findings; requires that use of single-sex public facilities be restricted to persons of sex for which facility is designated; prohibits knowingly & willfully entering single-sex public facility designated for or restricted to persons of other sex; provides criminal penalties; provides private cause of action against violators; provides exemptions; provides applicability with respect to other laws; provides for preemption. [NOTE: FSBA has grave concerns about how the provisions of this bill may be applied in public schools and the potential this may have on the bullying and harassment of students.]
HB 913 – State Board of Administration by Trumbull
Provides for distribution of Fund B Surplus Funds Trust Fund assets to certain participants; repeals provisions relating to investments in institutions doing business in or with Northern Ireland.
HB 1283 – Inspectors General by Rader
Requires Chief Inspector General to publish final investigative reports on EOG’s website; requires agency inspector general to publish final investigative reports on agency’s website; requires unit of local government to publish final investigative reports on its website; specifies when investigation becomes final.
HB 1309 – Publicly Funded Retirement Plans by Drake
Requires that actuarial reports for certain retirement plans include mortality tables; revises information to be included in defined benefit system or plan’s annual report to DMS; provides declaration of important state interest.
The Senate Community Affairs Committee will meet (9:00-10:30 am) to consider the following items and others:
SB 824 – Public-Private Partnerships by Evers
Deleting provisions creating the Public-Private Partnership Guidelines Task Force; deleting a provision that requires approval of the local governing body before a school board enters into a comprehensive agreement; revising the conditions necessary for a responsible public entity to approve a comprehensive agreement; deleting provisions relating to notice to affected local jurisdictions, etc.
SB 826 – Public Records / Public-Private Partnerships by Evers
Transferring, renumbering, and amending provisions relating to qualifying public-private projects for public facilities and infrastructure; providing an exemption from public records requirements for unsolicited proposals received by a responsible public entity for a specified period; providing an exemption from public meeting requirements for any portion of a meeting of a responsible public entity during which exempt proposals are discussed; providing for future legislative review and repeal of the exemptions; providing a statement of public necessity, etc.
SB 782 – County Officers by Montford
Providing that the salaries of a clerk of circuit court, county comptroller, sheriff, supervisor of elections, property appraiser, tax collector, and district school superintendent may not be decreased under specific circumstances as the county population increases, etc.
SB 972 – Value Adjustment Boards by Flores
Establishing deadlines for value adjustment boards to complete final tax roll certifications; revising the interest rate upon which unpaid and overpaid ad valorem taxes accrue; authorizing the district school board and district county commission to audit certain expenses of the value adjustment board; revising the entities that may represent a taxpayer before the value adjustment board, etc.
SB 1114 – Associations of Government Officials by Stargel
Requiring a membership association that receives more than a specified percentage of its budget from public funds to file a report with the Legislature; prohibiting a membership association whose membership dues are paid for by public funds from expending such funds on litigation against the state, etc.
The Senate Governmental Oversight & Accountability Committee will meet (9:00-10:30 am) to consider the following items and others:
SB 778 – Local Government Construction Preferences by Hays
Prohibiting local ordinances and regulations from restricting a certified contractor’s competition for award of a contract for construction services based upon certain conditions; requiring a state college, school district, or other political subdivision to make specified disclosures in competitive solicitation documents, etc.
Proposed Committee Bill (PCB) SB 7050 – Digital Classrooms by Governmental Oversight
Requiring the Agency for State Technology to establish and publish information technology architecture standards for purposes of implementing digital classrooms by a specified date; requiring the agency’s annual assessment of the Department of Education to review specified issues with respect to school district digital classrooms plans and to provide planning assistance to address and reduce issues identified by the assessment, etc.
The Senate Health Policy Committee will meet (9:00-10:30 am) to consider the following item and others:
SB 628 – Behavior Analysts by Bean
Establishing the Board of Applied Behavior Analysis within the Division of Medical Quality Assurance; including licensed behavior analysts and licensed assistant behavior analysts in the definition of “health care practitioner”; providing requirements for initial licensure as a behavior analyst or assistant behavior analyst; providing penalties for practicing applied behavior analysis or for identifying oneself as a licensed behavior analyst or licensed assistant behavior analyst without a license, etc.
The House Government Operations Appropriations Subcommittee will meet (12:30-2:30 pm) to consider the following item and others:
HB 163 – Public Records/Contractors by Beshears
Requires public agency contract for services to include name & contact information of custodian of public records; revises provision in such contract regarding contractor’s compliance with public records laws; requires records request relating to such contract be made to agency; requires contractor to produce requested records; specifies penalties & attorney fee awards for reasonable cost of enforcement.
The Senate Education Appropriations Subcommittee will meet (2:00-5:00 pm) to review the Chair’s budget proposal for FY 2015-2016.
The House will be in SESSION (3:00 pm-completion of day’s agenda) to consider the following item and others on the Special Order Calendar:
HB 7069 – Education Accountability by Education
Revises provisions relating to uniform opening date of public schools, high-performing school districts, student & parent rights, student remediation, scholar designation for standard high school diploma, statewide standardized assessment program, administration & proctoring of assessments, student progression, student evaluation for college readiness, research-based reading instruction allocation, salary schedules, evaluation procedures & criteria, teacher certification, & professional development.
Ruth Haseman Melton
Director of Government Relations
Florida School Boards Association
Office: 850 / 414-2578
Cell: 850 / 509-6411
Email: melton@fsba.org
