Bill Text: FL S0372 | 2020 | Regular Session | Comm Sub
Bill Title: Postsecondary Education for Certain Military Personnel
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-03-04 - Laid on Table, refer to CS/HB 171 [S0372 Detail]
Download: Florida-2020-S0372-Comm_Sub.html
Florida Senate - 2020 CS for SB 372 By the Committee on Education; and Senators Lee, Cruz, Harrell, and Broxson 581-01999-20 2020372c1 1 A bill to be entitled 2 An act relating to postsecondary education for certain 3 military personnel; amending s. 1004.096, F.S.; 4 requiring the Board of Governors and the State Board 5 of Education, in consultation with the Department of 6 Veterans’ Affairs, to create a process for the uniform 7 award of postsecondary credit or career education 8 clock hours to certain servicemembers and veterans of 9 the United States Armed Forces; requiring the 10 Articulation Coordinating Committee to convene a 11 workgroup by a specified date; providing for 12 membership and duties of the workgroup; providing 13 administrative support for the workgroup; requiring 14 the workgroup to provide recommendations to the Board 15 of Governors and the State Board of Education by a 16 specified date; requiring the Board of Governors and 17 the State Board of Education to approve the 18 recommendations; requiring the Articulation 19 Coordinating Committee to facilitate the review of 20 courses taken and occupations held by individuals 21 during their service in the military for postsecondary 22 credit and career education clock hours; requiring the 23 Articulation Coordinating Committee to approve and the 24 Board of Governors and the State Board of Education to 25 adopt a specified list within a specified timeframe; 26 requiring delineation of credit and career education 27 clock hours in the statewide articulation agreement; 28 requiring certain postsecondary institutions to award 29 uniform postsecondary credit or career education clock 30 hours for specified courses taken and occupations held 31 by individuals during their service in the military; 32 authorizing the award of additional credits or career 33 education clock hours; requiring certain credits and 34 career education clock hours to transfer between 35 specified postsecondary institutions; amending s. 36 1009.26, F.S.; requiring specified postsecondary 37 institutions to waive the transcript fee for active 38 duty members of the United States Armed Forces, 39 certain veterans, and their spouses and dependents; 40 providing reporting requirements for such fee waivers; 41 requiring the Board of Governors and the State Board 42 of Education to adopt regulations and rules, 43 respectively; providing an effective date. 44 45 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 46 47 Section 1. Section 1004.096, Florida Statutes, is amended 48 to read: 49 1004.096 College credit for military training and education 50 courses.— 51 (1) In consultation with the Department of Veterans’ 52 Affairs, the Board of Governors shall adopt regulations and the 53 State Board of Education shall adopt rules that create a process 54 that enablesenableeligible servicemembers or veterans of the 55 United States Armed Forces to earn uniform postsecondary 56academic collegecredit across all Floridaatpublic 57 postsecondary educational institutions for college-level 58 training and education acquired in the military. The regulations 59 and rules shall include procedures for credential evaluation and 60 the uniform award of postsecondaryacademic collegecredit or 61 career education clock hours, including, but not limited to, 62 equivalency and alignment of military coursework with 63 appropriate postsecondarycollegecourses and,course 64 descriptions, type and amount of college credit that may be65awarded, and transfer of credit. 66 (2) The Articulation Coordinating Committee shall convene a 67 workgroup by July 15, 2020, which is responsible for developing 68 a process for determining postsecondary course equivalencies and 69 the minimum postsecondary credit or career education clock hours 70 that must be awarded for courses taken and occupations held by 71 individuals during their service in the military. 72 (a) The workgroup shall be composed of the following 13 73 members: 74 1. The chair of the Articulation Coordinating Committee, or 75 his or her designee, who shall serve as chair. 76 2. Four members representing academic affairs 77 administrators and faculty from state universities, appointed by 78 the chair of the Board of Governors. 79 3. Four members representing academic affairs 80 administrators and faculty from Florida College System 81 institutions, appointed by the chair of the State Board of 82 Education. 83 4. Two members representing faculty from career centers, 84 appointed by the State Board of Education. 85 5. Two members representing veterans, appointed by the 86 executive director of the Department of Veterans’ Affairs. 87 (b) The Office of K-20 Articulation shall provide 88 administrative support for the workgroup. 89 (c) The workgroup shall establish a process for 90 prioritizing and determining postsecondary course equivalencies 91 and the minimum postsecondary credit or career education clock 92 hours that must be awarded for courses taken and occupations 93 held by individuals during their service in the military. The 94 workgroup shall provide recommendations to the Board of 95 Governors and the State Board of Education by December 1, 2020, 96 for approval at the next meeting of each board to allow for 97 adequate public notice. 98 (d) Upon approval of the workgroup’s recommendations by the 99 Board of Governors and the State Board of Education, the 100 Articulation Coordinating Committee shall facilitate the review 101 of courses taken and occupations held by individuals during 102 their service in the military for postsecondary course 103 equivalencies and the minimum postsecondary credit or career 104 education clock hours that must be awarded in accordance with 105 the approved process. 106 (e) Within 1 year after approval of the workgroup’s 107 recommendations by the Board of Governors and the State Board of 108 Education pursuant to paragraph (c), the Articulation 109 Coordinating Committee shall approve a prioritized list of 110 postsecondary course equivalencies and the minimum postsecondary 111 credit or career education clock hours that must be awarded for 112 courses taken and occupations held by individuals during their 113 service in the military. The list must be updated annually. The 114 Board of Governors and the State Board of Education shall timely 115 adopt the list approved by the Articulation Coordinating 116 Committee at the next meeting of each board to allow for 117 adequate public notice. For the purpose of statewide 118 application, postsecondary course equivalencies and the minimum 119 postsecondary credit or career education clock hours that must 120 be awarded for courses taken and occupations held by individuals 121 during their service in the military shall be delineated by the 122 State Board of Education and the Board of Governors in the 123 statewide articulation agreement required by s. 1007.23(1). 124 (f) State universities, Florida College System 125 institutions, and career centers must award postsecondary credit 126 or career education clock hours for courses taken and 127 occupations held by individuals during their service in the 128 military based on the list adopted by the Board of Governors and 129 the State Board of Education pursuant to paragraph (e) if the 130 credit or career education clock hours are applicable toward the 131 student’s degree or certificate. Institutions may award 132 additional postsecondary credit or career education clock hours 133 if appropriate. Credit or career education clock hours awarded 134 in accordance with minimum postsecondary credit and clock hour 135 requirements, respectively, are guaranteed to transfer to other 136 state universities, Florida College System institutions, and 137 career centers. 138 Section 2. Subsection (17) is added to section 1009.26, 139 Florida Statutes, to read: 140 1009.26 Fee waivers.— 141 (17)(a) Each state university, Florida College System 142 institution, career center operated by a school district under 143 s. 1001.44, and charter technical career center under s. 1002.34 144 shall waive the transcript fee for a person who is an active 145 duty member or an honorably discharged veteran of the United 146 States Armed Forces and his or her spouse and dependents. 147 (b) Each state university, Florida College System 148 institution, career center operated by a school district under 149 s. 1001.44, and charter technical career center under s. 1002.34 150 shall report to the Board of Governors and the State Board of 151 Education, respectively, the number and value of fee waivers 152 granted annually under this subsection. 153 (c) The Board of Governors and the State Board of Education 154 shall adopt regulations and rules, respectively, to administer 155 this subsection. 156 Section 3. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law.