Bill Text: FL S0442 | 2019 | Regular Session | Comm Sub
Bill Title: Postsecondary Education for Certain Military Personnel
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Failed) 2019-05-03 - Died in Messages [S0442 Detail]
Download: Florida-2019-S0442-Comm_Sub.html
Florida Senate - 2019 CS for SB 442 By the Committee on Military and Veterans Affairs and Space; and Senators Lee, Broxson, Cruz, Mayfield, and Diaz 583-03495-19 2019442c1 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 State Board of 5 Education, in consultation with the Department of 6 Veterans’ Affairs, to create a uniform system for the 7 award of postsecondary credit to certain 8 servicemembers and veterans of the United States Armed 9 Forces; requiring the Articulation Coordinating 10 Committee to convene a workgroup by a specified date; 11 providing membership and duties of the workgroup; 12 providing administrative support for the workgroup; 13 requiring the workgroup to provide recommendations to 14 the Board of Governors and State Board of Education by 15 a specified date; requiring the Articulation 16 Coordinating Committee to review and identify military 17 experience and credentials for postsecondary credit by 18 a specified date; requiring the Articulation 19 Coordinating Committee to approve and the Board of 20 Governors and State Board of Education to adopt a 21 specified list; requiring certain postsecondary 22 institutions to award credit for specified military 23 experience and credentials; authorizing the award of 24 additional credits; requiring that certain credits be 25 transferrable between specified postsecondary 26 institutions; amending s. 1009.26, F.S.; requiring 27 specified postsecondary institutions to waive the 28 transcript fee for active duty members of the Armed 29 Forces of the United States, certain veterans, and 30 their spouses and dependents; providing reporting 31 requirements for such institutions; requiring the 32 Board of Governors and the State Board of Education, 33 respectively, to adopt regulations and rules; 34 providing an effective date. 35 36 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 37 38 Section 1. Section 1004.096, Florida Statutes, is amended 39 to read: 40 1004.096 College credit for military experience and 41 training and education courses.— 42 (1) In consultation with the Department of Veterans’ 43 Affairs, the Board of Governors shall adopt regulations and the 44 State Board of Education shall adopt rules that create a uniform 45 system that enablesenableeligible servicemembers or veterans 46 of the United States Armed Forces to earn postsecondaryacademic47collegecredit at public postsecondary educational institutions 48 for experience and college-level training and education acquired 49 in the military. The regulations and rules shall include 50 procedures for credential evaluation and the award of 51 postsecondaryacademic collegecredit, including, but not 52 limited to, equivalency and alignment of military coursework 53 with appropriate postsecondarycollegecourses,and course 54 descriptions, type and amount of college credit that may be55awarded, and transfer of credit. 56 (2) The Articulation Coordinating Committee shall convene a 57 workgroup by August 31, 2019, to develop a uniform process for 58 determining when military experience and credentials are 59 appropriate for postsecondary credit and to meet the 60 requirements of this section. 61 (a) The workgroup shall be composed of the following 13 62 members: 63 1. The chair of the Articulation Coordinating Committee, 64 who shall serve as chair. 65 2. Four members representing academic affairs 66 administrators and faculty from state universities, appointed by 67 the chair of the Board of Governors. 68 3. Four members representing academic affairs 69 administrators and faculty from Florida College System 70 institutions, appointed by the chair of the State Board of 71 Education. 72 4. Two members representing faculty from career centers, 73 appointed by the chair of the State Board of Education. 74 5. Two members representing veterans, appointed by the 75 executive director of the Department of Veterans’ Affairs. 76 (b) The Office of K-20 Articulation shall provide 77 administrative support for the workgroup. 78 (c) The workgroup shall provide recommendations regarding a 79 uniform process for determining postsecondary course 80 equivalencies and the minimum credit that must be awarded for 81 military experience and credentials to the Board of Governors 82 and the State Board of Education by December 1, 2019, for 83 approval at the next publicly noticed meeting of each board. 84 (d) The Articulation Coordinating Committee shall 85 facilitate the review of military experience and credentials for 86 postsecondary course equivalencies and the amount of credit that 87 must be awarded beginning no later than January 1, 2020, in 88 accordance with the approved process. 89 (e) The Articulation Coordinating Committee shall approve a 90 list of postsecondary course equivalencies and the minimum 91 credit that must be awarded for military experience and 92 credentials no later than November 30, 2020, and annually 93 thereafter. The Board of Governors and the State Board of 94 Education shall adopt the list approved by the Articulation 95 Coordinating Committee at the next publicly noticed meeting of 96 each board. 97 (f) State universities, Florida College System 98 institutions, and career centers must award postsecondary credit 99 for military experience and credentials based on the list 100 adopted by the Board of Governors and the State Board of 101 Education, if the credit is applicable toward the student’s 102 degree or certificate. Institutions may award additional 103 postsecondary credit if appropriate. Credit awarded in 104 accordance with minimum credit requirements is guaranteed to 105 transfer to other state universities, Florida College System 106 institutions, and career centers as if the credit were earned at 107 the receiving institution. 108 Section 2. Subsection (16) is added to section 1009.26, 109 Florida Statutes, to read: 110 1009.26 Fee waivers.— 111 (16)(a) A state university, Florida College System 112 institution, career center operated by a school district under 113 s. 1001.44, or charter technical career center shall waive the 114 transcript fee for a person who is an active duty member or an 115 honorably discharged veteran of the Armed Forces of the United 116 States and his or her spouse and dependents. 117 (b) Each state university, Florida College System 118 institution, career center operated by a school district under 119 s. 1001.44, and charter technical career center shall report to 120 the Board of Governors and the State Board of Education, 121 respectively, the number and value of fee waivers granted 122 annually under this subsection. 123 (c) The Board of Governors and the State Board of Education 124 shall respectively adopt regulations and rules to administer 125 this subsection. 126 Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2019.