Florida Senate - 2012                        COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
       Bill No. SJR 1508
       
       
       
       
       
       
                                Barcode 348956                          
       
                              LEGISLATIVE ACTION                        
                    Senate             .             House              
                   Comm: WD            .                                
                  02/09/2012           .                                
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       The Committee on Higher Education (Altman) recommended the
       following:
       
    1         Senate Amendment 
    2  
    3         Delete everything after the resolving clause
    4  and insert:
    5         That the following amendment to Section 7 of Article IX of
    6  the State Constitution is agreed to and shall be submitted to
    7  the electors of this state for approval or rejection at the next
    8  general election or at an earlier special election specifically
    9  authorized by law for that purpose:
   10                             ARTICLE IX                            
   11                              EDUCATION                            
   12         SECTION 7. State University System.—
   13         (a) PURPOSES. In order to achieve excellence through
   14  teaching students, advancing research and providing public
   15  service for the benefit of Florida’s citizens, their communities
   16  and economies, the people hereby establish a system of
   17  governance for the state university system of Florida.
   18         (b) STATE UNIVERSITY SYSTEM. There shall be a single state
   19  university system comprised of all public universities. A board
   20  of trustees shall administer each public university and a board
   21  of governors shall govern the state university system.
   22         (c) LOCAL BOARDS OF TRUSTEES. Each local constituent
   23  university shall be administered by a board of trustees
   24  consisting of thirteen members dedicated to the purposes of the
   25  state university system. The board of governors shall establish
   26  the powers and duties of the boards of trustees. Each board of
   27  trustees shall consist of six citizen members appointed by the
   28  governor and five citizen members appointed by the board of
   29  governors. The appointed members shall be confirmed by the
   30  senate and serve staggered terms of five years as provided by
   31  law. The chair of the faculty senate, or the equivalent, and the
   32  president of the student body of the university shall also be
   33  members.
   34         (d) STATEWIDE BOARD OF GOVERNORS. The board of governors
   35  shall be a body corporate consisting of seventeen members. The
   36  board shall operate, regulate, control, and be fully responsible
   37  for the management of the whole university system. These
   38  responsibilities shall include, but not be limited to, defining
   39  the distinctive mission of each constituent university and its
   40  articulation with free public schools and community colleges,
   41  ensuring the well-planned coordination and operation of the
   42  system, and avoiding wasteful duplication of facilities or
   43  programs. The board’s management shall be subject to the powers
   44  of the legislature to appropriate for the expenditure of funds,
   45  and the board shall account for such expenditures as provided by
   46  law. The governor shall appoint to the board fourteen citizens
   47  dedicated to the purposes of the state university system. The
   48  appointed members shall be confirmed by the senate and serve
   49  staggered terms of seven years as provided by law. The
   50  commissioner of education, the chair of the advisory council of
   51  faculty senates, or the equivalent, and a student body president
   52  from the state university system duly elected by the other
   53  student body presidents of the state university system on or
   54  before May 30 of each year and the president of the Florida
   55  student association, or the equivalent, shall also be members of
   56  the board.
   57         BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the following statement be
   58  placed on the ballot:
   59                      CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT                     
   60                        ARTICLE IX, SECTION 7                      
   61         APPOINTMENT OF STUDENT BODY PRESIDENT TO BOARD OF GOVERNORS
   62  OF THE STATE UNIVERSITY SYSTEM.—Proposing an amendment to the
   63  State Constitution to remove the Florida Student Association, or
   64  the equivalent, as the organization responsible for electing the
   65  student member of the Board of Governors of the State University
   66  System and to require instead that the state university student
   67  body presidents elect one of the state university student body
   68  presidents to the Board of Governors on or before May 30 of each
   69  year.