FSBA LEGISLATIVE VIDEO UPDATE #4
Our Video Update for the 4th 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 4 under “Legislative Session Updates” (located below the pictures on our main page) or by using this direct link: https://www.fsba.org/2015-
FRIDAY’S HAPPENINGS
[NOTE: Your editor was a bit under the weather on Friday, so I did not send out an Update on the outcome on the bills on 3rd Reading in the House on Friday. I apologize for the delay in reporting on these bills.]
HB 7057 – School Administration – READ 3RD TIME; PASSED THE HOUSE
Revises provisions relating to a school district strategic plan, internal audits, certain standards for certain personnel & school officers, early warning system for certain students, annual review of certain procedures, compulsory student attendance, professional development, protected school speech, parental access to homework, out-of-field teachers, related records, policies, court hearings, & penalties, high school equivalency diploma, parental notices for exceptional students, bullying & harassment, certain school districts policies, & certain policies for principals, district school boards employees, & suspension of educator certifications.
HB 7019 – Workforce Services by Economic Development – READ 3RD TIME; PASSED THE HOUSE
Renames Workforce Florida, Inc., as CareerSource Florida, Inc.; holds in abeyance specified provisions relating to Workforce Estimating Conference; requires EDR to develop & test labor market economic model & submit report; provides for future repeal; creates task force on preparation for state’s implementation of federal Workforce Innovation & Opportunity Act; provides membership & duties of task force; requires task force to submit report & recommendations for approval by CareerSource Florida, Inc.; requires CareerSource Florida, Inc., to submit specified state plan to USDOL; provides for abolishment of task force.
HB 7043 – Standard Student Attire by K-12 – READ 3RD TIME; PASSED THE HOUSE
Designates act as “Students Attired for Education (SAFE) Act”; authorizes school boards to adopt standard student attire policy; limits liability for districts that implement attire policy; creates safe schools allocation to provide funding for certain safe schools activities; provides for withholding of funds from districts that do not comply with certain school safety & student discipline reporting; provides for incentive payments to school districts that implement standard student attire policies; provides appropriation.
HB 7037 – School Choice by Choice & Innovation – READ 3RD TIME; PASSED THE HOUSE
Revises provisions relating to charter school application, certain appeals, funding for and payments to charter schools, long-term charters, nonrenewal, termination, and closure of charter schools, financial statements, charter school representatives and public meetings, governing board residency requirements, high-performing charter schools, termination of virtual instruction provider contracts, capital outlay funding, and charter school professional development; authorizes charter school to defer opening and use of certain funds for educational purposes; establishes Florida Charter School Innovation Institute; provides appropriation.
HB 357 – Principal Autonomy Pilot Program by M. Diaz – READ 3RD TIME; PASSED THE HOUSE
Creates Principal Autonomy Pilot Program Initiative; provides requirements for participation, exemptions, professional development, rulemaking, and reporting; provides authorization period for participation in program; provides for renewal or revocation of authorization to participate in program; revises school district minimum classroom expenditure requirements; requires district school boards participating in program to provide certain funding allocations; provides additional authority and responsibilities to school principals of participating school districts; specifies contents of professional development program.
HB 665 – Maximum Class Size by Moraitis – READ 3RD TIME; PASSED THE HOUSE
Revises calculation of school district’s class size categorical allocation reduction to school average when maximum class size requirements are not met; provides for expenditure of funds; requires that district plan for compliance with class size maximums be posted to district website & provided to school advisory council of each noncompliant school; authorizes that plan be posted on noncompliant school’s website.
HB 55 – Children and Youth Cabinet by Harrell – READ 3RD TIME; PASSED THE HOUSE
Revises membership of Children and Youth Cabinet.
TODAY’S HAPPENINGS
In the Senaate Criminal Justice Committee:
SB 1112 – Sexting by Abruzzo – AMENDED AND PASSED WITH A COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE (CS)
Removing the court’s discretion to impose a specified penalty for a first violation of sexting; requiring a minor cited for a first violation to sign and accept a citation to appear before juvenile court or, in lieu of appearing in court, to complete community service work, pay a civil penalty, or participate in a cyber-safety program within a certain period of time, if such program is locally available, etc.
SB 1182 – Terroristic Threats by J. Latvala – TEMPORARILY POSTPONED
Providing that a person commits the crime of terroristic threats if he or she communicates, directly or indirectly, a threat to do specified acts; providing criminal penalties, etc.
SB 1534 – Disposition of Liens & Forfeited Property by Brandes — PASSED
Deleting a provision authorizing a seizing agency to retain seized property for its use; revising the distribution and the use of proceeds from the sales of forfeited property seized by a county or municipal agency; deleting provisions that exempt certain agencies of the state from depositing proceeds from seizures into the General Revenue Fund, etc.
In the Senate Finance & Tax Committee:
SB 972 – Value Adjustment Boards by Flores – AMENDED AND PASSED WITH A CS
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.
COMING UP TOMORROW
The House Government Operations Appropriations Subcommittee will meet (9:00 – 11:00 am) to consider the following item and others:
HB 1083 – Employment of Individuals With Disabilities by Rooney
Provides legislative findings & purpose; requires specified state agencies & organizations to develop & implement interagency cooperative agreement for certain purposes.
The Senate Community Affairs Committee will meet (10:00 am – 12:00 pm) to consider the following items and others:
SB 1372 – Government Accountability by D. Gaetz
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; revising reporting requirements applicable to the Florida Clerks of Court Operations Corporation; expanding the types of governmental entities that are subject to lobbyist registration requirements; revising the responsibilities of the governing board of a charter school to include the establishment and maintenance of internal controls, etc.
SB 238 – Athletic Coaches by Ring
Requiring an independent sanctioning authority to dismiss an athletic coach ejected from a game for the remainder of that sport season under certain circumstances; authorizing such athletic coach to resume working under certain circumstances, etc.
SB 934 – Public Works Projects by Brandes
Prohibiting state and political subdivisions that contract for the construction, maintenance, repair, or improvement of public works from imposing certain conditions on certain contractors, subcontractors, or material suppliers or carriers; providing an exception; prohibiting state and political subdivisions from restricting qualified bidders from submitting bids, being awarded any bid or contract, or performing work on a public works project, etc.
The Senate Governmental Oversight & Accountability Committee will meet (10:30 am – 12:00 pm) 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
Requiring, beginning in a specified fiscal year, that a county official’s adjusted salary rate 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 certain circumstances, etc.
The House Education Appropriations Subcommittee will meet (12:30 – 2:30 pm) to consider:
HB 85 – Public School Instruction / Terrorist Attacks by Hill
Requires that instructional staff of public schools provide instruction to students about terrorist attacks occurring on September 11, 2001, & impact of those events.
HB 1045 – Homebound Instruction by Burgess
Requires school districts to provide instruction to homebound or hospitalized students; provides for student eligibility, methods of providing instruction to homebound or hospitalized students, & initiation of services.
HB 1145 – Education / Parent and Student Rights by Sprowls
Revises provisions relating to public & private school choice, fiscal transparency, controlled open enrollment, educational funding accountability, assignment of teachers, salary incentives, & certification of adjunct educators. [NOTE: Although FSBA supports public school choice in concept, this bill contains several very troubling provisions that are likely to prove to be very disruptive and potentially damaging to existing district public school choice options.]
HB 7125 – Postsecondary Access & Affordability by Higher Education
Revises provisions relating to apprenticeships, postsecondary tuition & fees, tuition differentials, career education, textbooks & instructional materials, & Higher Education Coordinating Council; creates Florida Apprenticeship Grant Program & Rapid Response Education & Training Program; provides requirements for programs.
HB 7127 – Higher Education by Higher Education
Revises provisions relating to apprenticeships, baccalaureate degree programs, career centers & charter technical career centers, applied technology diplomas, common placement test, & adult & workforce education programs.
The Senate Education PreK-12 Committee will meet (1:30 – 3:30 pm) to consider:
SB 180 – School Safety by Evers
Permitting a school superintendent, with approval of the school board, to authorize a school safety designee to carry a concealed weapon or firearm on school property; requiring school boards to formulate policies and procedures for managing active-shooter and hostage situations; permitting district school boards to commission one or more school safety officers on each school campus, etc. [NOTE:FSBA has grave concerns about the possible tragedies and other unintended consequences if a school district were to choose to pursue the provisions of the bill.]
SB 352 – American Founders’ Month by Flores
Designating the month of September as “American Founders’ Month”; authorizing the Governor to annually issue a proclamation designating the month and urging participation; requiring district school boards to celebrate the American Founders and the principles inherent in the country’s founding documents by observing American Founders’ Month, etc.
SB 344 – Mental Health First Aid Training Program by Sobel
Requiring the Department of Education to establish a mental health first aid training program; requiring the department to use a competitive procurement process to select a statewide association to develop, implement, and manage the program; providing for expiration of the program; providing an appropriation; requiring the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability to submit a report to the Legislature by a specified date, etc.
SB 448 – Educational Facilities by Flores
Providing for school district construction flexibility; authorizing exceptions to educational facilities construction requirements under certain circumstances, etc.
SB 572 – School Support Organizations by Montford
Defining the term “school support organization”; authorizing such organizations to pay tax on specified items purchased for resale in lieu of collecting the tax upon resale, etc.
SB 888 – Educational Professional Practices by Detert
Authorizing certain employees or agents of the Department of Education to have access to certain reports and records; revising the membership of the Education Practices Commission; authorizing the Commissioner of Education to appoint emeritus members to the commission; authorizing the commissioner 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 1474 – District School Boards by Legg
Requiring district school boards to adopt a strategic plan; revising standards of ethical conduct for instructional personnel and school administrators to apply to certain administrative personnel and school officers, etc.
The House Appropriations Committee will meet (3:00 – 5:00 pm) to consider the following items and others:
HB 695 – Value Adjustment Boards by Avila
Revises provisions related to VAB proceedings; revises provisions related to appointments & selection of special magistrates; authorizes property appraisers to contract to examine & audit homestead exemption claims; revises provisions addressing payment plans for payment of certain taxes, interest, & penalties; specifies that certain unpaid tax liens be included in next assessment roll; revises provisions providing information required on notice of proposed property taxes & non-ad valorem assessments; specifies that certain persons may seek or obtain funds from the failure of other persons to comply with certain tax laws; provides statement of important state interest.
HB 913 – State Board of Administration by Trumbull
Repeals provisions relating to investments in institutions doing business in or with Northern Ireland; provides for distribution of Fund B Surplus Funds Trust Fund assets to certain participants.
HB 7015 – Agriculture and Consumer Services by Agriculture
Revising provisions relating to limited certification for urban landscape commercial fertilizer application; Florida Food Safety Act; power & duties of DACS relating to program services; designation of Pompano State Farmers Market; powers & duties of Division of Administration relating to information technology support; powers & duties of Division of Food Safety relating to food & feed sample analysis; powers & duties of Division of Marketing and Development relating to dealers in agricultural products; powers & duties of Division of Consumer Services relating to dealers in agricultural products; Florida Agriculture Center & Horse Park; Florida Agricultural Promotional Campaign; notice of infection of plants; School Food & Nutrition Service programs; Florida Farm Fresh Schools Program; children’s summer nutrition program; commodity distribution services; bond & certificate of deposit prerequisite for agricultural products dealers; & security requirements for grain dealers; & provides for specified property owned by Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund to be deeded to DACS; directs DACS to sell portion of such property & provides for use of proceeds.
Ruth Haseman Melton
Director of Government Relations
Florida School Boards Association
Office: 850 / 414-2578
Cell: 850 / 509-6411
Email: melton@fsba.org
