As we begin this fourth week of the 2018 Legislative Session, we encourage you to view our Legislative Weekly video that features Andrea Messina providing a recap of the major bills and meetings last week. This will be a busy week with several bills of interest under consideration throughout the week, consideration of the House and Senate budget proposals and related bills, and the last round of meetings of the Constitution Revision Commission Committees prior to a series of Public Hearings by the full Commission that will be held around the state beginning February 6 in south Florida. To start off the week, legislative committees will consider several bills of interest tomorrow, including bills relating to student safety and health, juvenile justice, early learning, and curriculum. Please click on the link below for more detailed information on the schedule and bills that will be considered tomorrow.
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Please note that the meeting listed below may be viewed via live webcast on the Florida Channel. For real-time updates, please click HERE to access our Twitter feed.
The Senate Finance & Tax Appropriations Subcommittee will meet, 1:30 – 3:30 pm, to consider the following items and others:
SB 324 – Impact Fees by Young
The bill:
- Requires that the collection of an impact fee be no earlier than the issuance of the building permit for the property that is subject to the fee.
- Codifies the dual rational nexus test. Specifically, the bill requires that an impact fee be reasonably connected to, or have a rational nexus with:
- The need for additional capital facilities and the increased impact generated by the new residential or commercial construction; and
- The expenditures of the funds collected and the benefits accruing to the new residential or commercial construction.
- Requires the local government to specifically earmark funds collected by the impact fees for use in acquiring capital facilities to benefit the new residents.
- Prohibits the use of impact fee revenues to pay existing debt or for prior approved projects unless the expenditure is reasonably connected to, or has a rational nexus with, the increased impact generated by the new residential or commercial construction.
SJR 1742 – Supermajority Vote for State Taxes or Fees by Stargel
The Joint Resolution proposes an amendment to the State Constitution to require a law that imposes a new tax, increases the rate or amount of a tax, or expands a tax base, and that results in a net increase in state revenues, to be approved by three-fifths of the membership of each house of the Legislature.
The House Criminal Justice Subcommittee will meet, 3:00 – 4:00 pm, to consider the following items and others:
HB 361 – Persons Authorized to Visit Juvenile Facilities by Richardson
The bill:
- Authorizes the following persons to visit, at their pleasure, all state facilities housing juveniles that are operated or overseen by the Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ):
- The Governor;
- All Cabinet members;
- Members of the Legislature;
- Judges of state courts;
- State attorneys;
- Public defenders; and
- Authorized representatives of the Florida Commission on Offender Review.
- Prohibits any person not otherwise authorized by law from visiting a facility.
- Prohibits DJJ from unreasonably withholding permission to visit a state facility housing juveniles from a person who provides sufficient evidence that he or she is a bona fide reporter or writer.
HB 515 – Offenses Against Students by Authority Figures by Hahnfeldt
The bill makes it a second-degree felony for an authority figure to solicit or engage in sexual conduct, a relationship of a romantic nature, or lewd conduct with a student enrolled at a school, regardless of the student’s age. The bill defines:
- “Authority figure” as a person 18 years of age or older who is employed by, volunteering at, or under contract with a school, including school resource officers.
- “School” as a private school, a voluntary prekindergarten education program, early learning program, a public school, the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind, and the Florida Virtual School. Facilities dedicated exclusively to adult education, such as colleges and universities, are not included.
The House Local, Federal & Veterans Affairs Subcommittee will meet, 3:00 – 6:00 pm, to consider the following item and others:
HB 79 – Public Meetings by Roth
The bill revises the “Government in the Sunshine Law”. Specifically, the bill:
- Defines “de facto meeting” as the use of board or commission staff or third parties, acting as intermediaries, to facilitate a discussion of public business between or among board or commission members.
- Clarifies that de facto meetings are subject to the Sunshine Law.
- Specifies that members of the same board or commission may participate in fact-finding exercises or excursions to research public business, and may participate in meetings with a member of the Legislature, if:
- The board or commission provides reasonable notice;
- A vote, an official act, or an agreement regarding an action at a future meeting does not occur;
- There is no discussion of “public business” that occurs; and
- There are appropriate records, minutes, audio recordings, or video recordings made and retained as a public record.
- Provides that, if there is a gathering of two or more board members where no official acts are taken and no public business is discussed, then no public notice or access is required.
The Senate Education Committee will meet, 4:00 – 6:00 pm, to consider the following items and others:
SB 824 – School District Price Level Index by Garcia
The bill requires the Florida Department of Education (DOE) to issue a competitive solicitation to contract with an independent, third-party consulting firm, by July 1, 2018, and every 10 years thereafter, to conduct a review of the existing price level index methodology. The bill also requires the DOE, by January 1, 2019, and every 10 years thereafter, to submit a report providing recommendations to the chair of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, the chair of the House of Representatives Appropriations Committee, and the Executive Office of the Governor’s Office of Policy and Budget.
SB 856 – High School Graduation Requirements by Montford
The bill authorizes students to use apprenticeship or pre-apprenticeship program credit to meet specified credit requirements for high school graduation. Specifically, the bill:
- Authorizes a student who earns credit upon completion of an apprenticeship or pre-apprenticeship program registered with the Department of Education to use such credit to meet the credit requirements for:
- Fine or performing arts, speech and debate, or practical arts; or
- Electives.
- Requires the State Board of Education to approve and identify in the Course Code Directory the apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs from which a student may use earned credit to meet the specified credit requirements for high school graduation.
SB 996 – Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation in Public Schools by Mayfield
The bill requires each school district to provide to students instruction in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and use of an automated external defibrillator. Specifically the bill:
- Requires the instruction to be part of the physical education curriculum or another required curriculum selected by the school district, and the instruction to be based on an instructional program established by:
- The American Heart Association,
- The American Red Cross, or
- Another nationally recognized program that uses the most current evidence-based emergency cardiovascular care guidelines.
- Requires students to study and practice psychomotor skills associated with performing CPR at least once before graduating from high school.
- Exempts students with disabilities from the specified instruction requirements.
SB 1064 – Dual Enrollment Programs by Baxley
The bill modifies provisions in the dual enrollment articulation agreement between an eligible postsecondary education institution and an eligible private secondary school to specify that tuition and fees for dual enrollment may not be passed along to the private school that the student attends.
SB 1254 – Early Learning by Passidomo
The bill modifies provisions relating to the school readiness program. Specifically, the bill:
- Requires the Office of Early Learning to:
- Coordinate with the Department of Children and Families or its contracted provider to triennially evaluate the accrediting agencies and provide a 20 percent payment differential for accredited providers who meet certain criteria.
- Adopt program assessment requirements that measure the quality of teacher-child interactions using a research-based observation tool.
- Revise the statewide provider contract to include health and safety provisions, contracted slots, quality improvement strategies, and program assessment requirements.
- Modify the annual report to include specified program assessment information.
- Revises Early Learning Coalitions (ELC) plans to add information regarding:
- An assessment based on community data that identifies the needs of children and families and assesses provider capacity to inform local priorities;
- Local eligibility priorities for children, the use of contracted slots in the ELC’s procedures for program implementation, and a description of quality improvement strategies in the ELC’s quality activities and services.
- Modifies school readiness program eligibility, provider standards, and funding to:
- Revise the child eligibility priorities for participation in the school readiness program based on the ELC’s local priorities; and also revise the definition of “at-risk” children for eligibility purposes.
- Revise provider eligibility requirements to specify that the providers must participate in a program assessment and in quality improvement strategies, subject to legislative funding.
- Authorize the award of grants and financial supports to providers and instructors to meet program assessment requirements.
- Appropriates $6 million to the Office of Early Learning for the 2018-2019 fiscal year.
SB 1306 – Reading Instruction by Perry
The bill modifies provisions related to reading intervention. Specifically, the bill:
- Beginning with the 2020-2021 school year, requires teachers who provide reading interventions under a school district’s K-12 comprehensive reading plan to be certified or endorsed in reading.
- Requires the Florida Department of Education (DOE), as part of its review of certain certification and endorsement requirements, to consider awarding a reading endorsement to teachers who:
- Are certified by an internationally recognized organization that establishes standards for reading intervention, or
- Complete a postsecondary program that is accredited by such organization.
- Requires each school district to provide to all elementary grades instructional personnel access to training to earn a reading endorsement.
SB 1388 – Pre-apprenticeship and Apprenticeship Programs by Garcia
The bill provides supports to expand apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs. Specifically, the bill:
- Creates the “Earn and Learn Grant Program” (grant program) within the Department of Education (DOE) to assist school districts, public postsecondary education institutions, and charter technical career centers in the development and expansion of apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs to recruit, retain, and graduate participants who are prepared to enter the workforce and contribute to their own success and to the growth of the state’s economy.
- Requires the DOE to administer the grant program and establish the standards for participation.
- Establishes requirements for apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs that receive funds under the grant program.
- Creates the Task Force on Apprenticeship Expansion (task force) within the Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO); and specifies goals, membership, and expiration of the task force.
- Appropriates $6,750,000 to the DOE to administer the grant program and distribute funds to the specified education entities under grant program.
- Appropriates $100,000 to the DEO to fund the task force.
SB 1532 – Early Learning Coalitions by Stargel
The bill authorizes early learning coalitions to refuse to contract with a school readiness program provider if the provider has been cited for a class I violation.
The Senate Children, Families, and Elder Affairs Committee will meet, 4:00 – 6:00 pm, to consider the following items and others:
SB 1520 – Licensure of Child Care Programs by Hutson
The bill amends the law related to child care facilities. Specifically, the bill:
- Revises legislative intent related to child care facilities to clarify that membership organizations affiliated with national organizations which provide child care are considered to be child care facilities and are therefore subject to licensing requirements or minimum standards for child care facilities.
- Redefines ‘after-school program’ to include all programs offering child care for school-age children during out of school times.
- Exempts after-school programs that are offered by a school on school grounds, all programs that are solely instructional or tutorial, open-access programs, and programs providing child care exclusively for children in grades 6 through 12 from the licensure requirement.
- Removes an existing requirement that DCF adopt by rule a definition for child care which distinguishes between child care programs that require child care licensure and after school programs that do not require licensure.
SB 1650 – Child Abuse, Abandonment, and Neglect by Montford
The bill amends s. 39.202, F.S., relating to confidentiality of reports and records in cases of child abuse or neglect, to protect the confidentiality of instructional personnel, school administrators, and educational support employees who have provided information as collateral contacts to child protective investigators, even if the individual was not the individual reporting the alleged maltreatment to the Hotline.
The Senate Criminal Justice Committee will meet, 4:00 – 6:00 pm, to consider the following items and others:
SB 310 – Threats to Kill or do Bodily Injury by Steube
The bill deletes the current statutory requirements that a specific person be directly threatened by a person making a threat through means of a letter, inscribed communication, or electronic communication, and that the specific person actually receive the threat. The bill amends the statute to prohibit a person from making a threat in writing or other record, including an electronic record, to kill or injure another, and posts or transmits the threat in any manner.
SB 1318 – Education For Prisoners by Rouson
The bill amends current statutes authorizing a county or municipal detention facility or the Department of Corrections (DOC) to contract with a district school board, the Florida Virtual School, or a charter school (school provider) to provide educational services to its inmates. The educational services may include any educational, career, or vocational training. The bill also amends s. 1011.80, F.S., to allow state funding for postsecondary education to be used on inmates with less than 24 months of time remaining on his or her sentence.
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