The Florida Senate

110.1099  Education and training opportunities for state employees.--

(1)  Education and training are an integral component in improving the delivery of services to the public. Recognizing that the application of productivity-enhancing technology and practice demand continuous educational and training opportunities, state employees may be authorized to receive fundable tuition waivers on a space-available basis or vouchers to attend work-related courses at public universities. Student credit hours generated by state employee fee waivers shall be fundable credit hours.

(2)  The department, in conjunction with the agencies, shall request that such institutions provide evening and weekend programs for state employees. When evening and weekend training and educational programs are not available, employees may be authorized to take paid time off during their regular working hours for training and career development, as provided in s. 110.105(1), if such training benefits the employer.

(3)  Employees who exhibit superior aptitude and performance may be authorized to take paid educational leaves of absence for up to 1 academic year at a time, for specific approved work-related education and training.

(4)  Such employees must enter into contracts to return to state employment for a period of time equal to the length of the leave of absence or refund salary and benefits paid during their educational leaves of absence.

(5)  The Department of Management Services, in consultation with the agencies and, to the extent applicable, Florida's public postsecondary educational institutions, shall adopt rules to implement and administer this section.

(6)  As a precondition to approving an employee's training request, an agency or the judicial branch may require an employee to enter into an agreement that requires the employee to reimburse the agency or judicial branch for the registration fee or similar expense for any training or training series when the cost of the fee or similar expense exceeds $1,000 if the employee voluntarily terminates employment or is discharged for cause from the agency or judicial branch within a specified period of time not exceeding 4 years after the conclusion of the training. This subsection does not apply to any training program that an agency or the judicial branch requires the employee to attend. An agency or the judicial branch may pay the outstanding balance then due and owing on behalf of a state employee under this subsection in connection with recruitment and hiring of such state employee.

History.--s. 2, ch. 91-431; s. 7, ch. 92-142; s. 5, ch. 94-113; s. 31, ch. 96-399; s. 5, ch. 98-309; s. 2, ch. 99-399.