In the House Government Operations Subcommittee:
HB 583 – Single-Sex Public Facilities by Artiles – AMENDED AND PASSED WITH A COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE (CS)
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 — PASSED
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 — PASSED
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 – AMENDED AND PASSED WITH A CS
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.
In the Senate Community Affairs Committee:
SB 824 – Public-Private Partnerships by Evers – AMENDED AND PASSED WITH A CS
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 — PASSED
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 – AMENDED AND PASSED WITH A CS
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. [NOTE: Originally, this bill did not apply to county commissioners or school board members. However, today’s “strike all” amendment made the bill applicable to all constitutional officers and provides that, beginning in the 2015-2016 fiscal year and continuing each fiscal year thereafter, a county official’s adjusted salary rate shall be identical to the official’s adjusted salary rate in the prior fiscal year if the official’s adjusted salary rate would otherwise be less than the prior fiscal year’s adjusted salary rate due to the county’s shift to a new population group as a result of a population increase.]
SB 972 – Value Adjustment Boards by Flores — PASSED
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 – AMENDED AND PASSED WITH A CS
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.
In the Senate Governmental Oversight & Accountability Committee:
SB 778 – Local Government Construction Preferences by Hays – AMENDED AND PASSED WITH A CS
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 SB 7050 – Digital Classrooms by Governmental Oversight – SUBMITTED AS A COMMITTEE BILL
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.
In the Senate Health Policy Committee:
SB 628 – Behavior Analysts by Bean – AMENDED AND PASSED WITH A CS
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.
In the House Government Operations Appropriations Subcommittee:
HB 163 – Public Records/Contractors by Beshears – AMENDED AND PASSED WITH A CS
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.
In the Senate Education Appropriations Subcommittee, Chair Don Gaetz outlined his education budget proposal for FY 2015-2016. Overall FEFP funding in the Senate proposal is slightly lower than the House proposal. The Senate proposes an increase of $745 million in FEFP funding to provide $7,122.85 in FEFP funds per student – an increase of nearly $208 per student (compared to the House increase of nearly $215 per student). However, the Senate proposes a greater increase in the Base Student Allocation than the House suggestions – a BSA of nearly $4,184 in the Senate proposal compared to a BSA of $4,130 in the House proposal. Another key difference is that the Senate has chosen to not fund the allocation for Digital Classrooms — it appears that the Senate is seeking further information about the status and costs needed for this purpose before committing to an allocation. Meanwhile, the House proposal would double the current allocation to a total of $80 million. In addition, the Senate creates a new line item allocation in the FEFP to assist school to assist school districts who serve significant percentages of students who have a parent in the United States Armed Services, live on Native American lands, or have a parent who works on federal property. We are preparing a comparison of current funding levels with the House, Senate, and Governor’s proposals. The comparison will be available with tomorrow’s Daily Update.
In the House SESSION:
HB 7069 – Education Accountability by Education – AMENDED AND PLACED ON THE CALENDAR ON 3RD READING
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 and criteria, teacher certification, and professional development.
COMING UP TOMORROW
[REMINDER: Florida Channel webcasts available at http://thefloridachannel.org]
The House Local Government Affairs Subcommittee will meet (8:00-11:00 am) to consider the following item and others:
HB 383 – Private Property Rights by Edwards
Provides that settlement agreements between owners & governmental entities apply if issues are resolved; creates cause of action for damages caused by unconstitutional exaction of property in this state; authorizes award of certain amounts under certain circumstances.
The House Higher Education & Workforce Subcommittee will meet (9:00-11:00 am) to consider the following items and others:
HB 747 – Bright Futures Scholarship Program by Rooney
Requires student, as prerequisite for Florida Academic Scholars award, Florida Medallion Scholars award, or Florida Gold Seal Vocational Scholars award, to identify social or civic issue or professional area of interest & develop plan for personal involvement in addressing issue or learning about area; prohibits student from receiving remuneration or academic credit for volunteer service work.
HB 4005 – Licenses to Carry Concealed Weapons by Steube
Deletes provision prohibiting concealed carry licensees from openly carrying handgun or carrying concealed weapon or firearm into college or university facility.
The Senate will be in SESSION (10am-12:00 pm) to consider the following item and others on the Special Order Calendar:
SB 290 – Concealed Weapon / Evacuations by Brandes
Providing an exemption from criminal penalties for carrying a concealed weapon or a concealed firearm when evacuating pursuant to a mandatory evacuation order during a declared state of emergency, etc.
The Senate Appropriations Committee will meet (1:30-3:30 pm) to consider the following items and others:
SB 258 – Property and Casualty Insurance by Brandes
Requiring the Office of Insurance Regulation to use certain models or methods, or a straight average of model results or output ranges, to estimate hurricane losses when determining whether the rates in a rate filing are excessive, inadequate, or unfairly discriminatory; increasing the length of time during which an insurer is not required to adhere to certain models found by the Commission on Hurricane Loss Projection Methodology to be accurate or reliable in determining probable maximum loss levels with respect to certain rate filings, etc.
SB 7024 – State Board of Administration by Government Oversight
Requiring that additional income received after distribution of the residual balance be deposited in the Local Government Surplus Funds Trust Fund; establishing conditions for the transfer of any residual balance in the Fund B Surplus Funds Trust Fund upon self-liquidation; repealing provisions relating to restrictions on investments in institutions doing business in or with Northern Ireland; etc.
The House will be in SESSION (2:00 pm- completion of business) to consider the following item and others on 3rd Reading:
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 and criteria, teacher certification, and professional development.
The Senate Education PreK-12 Committee will meet (4:00 – 6:00 pm) to consider:
Senate Confirmation Hearing for Michael Olenick, State Board of Education
SB 530 – Bullying and Harassment Policies in Schools by Ring
Requiring school districts to revise their bullying and harassment policies at specified intervals; specifying that a school district policy require a school to implement the policy in a certain manner and integrate it with the school’s bullying prevention and intervention program, etc.
SB 874 – Dual Enrollment Program by Stargel
Exempting dual enrollment students from paying certain fees, including technology fees; deleting the requirement that a home education secondary student be responsible for his or her own instructional materials in order to participate in the dual enrollment program; authorizing certain instructional materials to be made available free of charge to dual enrollment students in public high schools, home education programs, and private schools, etc.
SB 1020 – Student Transportation Funding by Simmons
Revising the membership of students that a school district reports for transportation funding purposes; revising the school transportation allocation formula used by each school district; revising the types of students eligible for transportation funds used for transportation to and from school in private passenger cars and boats, etc.
SB 1202 – Voter Registration by Brandes
Designating a specified period each year during which supervisors of elections are authorized to provide certain students with the opportunity to register to vote at school and with instruction on the elections process, etc.
SB 1262 – Education by Legg
;Requiring the Department of Education to have an operating electronic IEP system in place for statewide use; authorizing the Commissioner of Education to issue a letter of guidance in response to a complaint against a teacher or administrator in lieu of a probable cause determination, etc.
SB 1264 – Digital Classrooms by Legg
Establishing requirements for digital classrooms technology infrastructure planning by the Agency for State Technology or a contracted organization; requiring the Office of Technology and Information Services of the Department of Education to consult with the Agency for State Technology in developing the 5-year strategic plan for Florida digital classrooms; specifying conditions for a school district to maintain eligibility for Florida digital classrooms allocation funds, etc.
SB 1552 – Parent and Student Rights by Benacquisto
Providing the right of a parent to know the average amount of money expended for the education of his or her child; deleting the definition of and provisions relating to controlled open enrollment; requiring each school district to instead establish a public school parental choice policy that allows students to attend any public school that has not reached capacity in their district; requiring each school district board to establish a classroom teacher transfer process for parents, approve or deny a request within a certain timeframe, and post an explanation of the transfer process in the student handbook, etc.
Ruth Haseman Melton
Director of Government Relations
Florida School Boards Association
Office: 850 / 414-2578
Cell: 850 / 509-6411
Email: melton@fsba.org
