Florida Senate - 2013 CS for SB 920
By the Committee on Education; and Senator Detert
581-02282-13 2013920c1
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to college tuition; amending s.
3 1009.24, F.S.; providing that resident undergraduate
4 tuition and student fees at a state university remain
5 unchanged for certain undergraduate students;
6 providing an effective date.
7
8 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
9
10 Section 1. Present subsection (19) of section 1009.24,
11 Florida Statutes, is renumbered as subsection (20) of that
12 section, a new subsection (19) is added to that section, and
13 subsection (4) of that section is amended, to read:
14 1009.24 State university student fees.—
15 (4)(a) Effective July 1, 2011, the resident undergraduate
16 tuition for lower-level and upper-level coursework shall be
17 $103.32 per credit hour.
18 (b) Beginning with the 2008-2009 fiscal year and each year
19 thereafter, the resident undergraduate tuition per credit hour
20 shall increase at the beginning of each fall semester at a rate
21 equal to inflation, unless:
22 1. Otherwise provided in the General Appropriations Act.
23 The Office of Economic and Demographic Research shall report the
24 rate of inflation to the President of the Senate, the Speaker of
25 the House of Representatives, the Governor, and the Board of
26 Governors each year prior to March 1. For purposes of this
27 paragraph, the rate of inflation shall be defined as the rate of
28 the 12-month percentage change in the Consumer Price Index for
29 All Urban Consumers, U.S. City Average, All Items, or successor
30 reports as reported by the United States Department of Labor,
31 Bureau of Labor Statistics, or its successor for December of the
32 previous year. In the event the percentage change is negative,
33 the resident undergraduate tuition shall remain at the same
34 level as the prior fiscal year.
35 2. Tuition remains unchanged for 4 years as provided in
36 this subparagraph. Beginning with the 2013-2014 academic year
37 and each year thereafter, the resident undergraduate tuition for
38 lower-level and upper-level coursework, as provided under
39 paragraph (a), shall remain unchanged for 4 consecutive years,
40 beginning with the time of initial enrollment at a state
41 university for an undergraduate student who:
42 a. Enrolls full time at a state university for the first
43 time beginning the 2013 fall semester or during an academic term
44 thereafter;
45 b. Remains continuously enrolled at the state university
46 for 4 consecutive years;
47 c. Qualifies as a resident for tuition purposes pursuant to
48 s. 1009.21; and
49 d. Completes degree requirements within 4 academic years,
50 unless the degree requirements for an academic program exceed
51 120 semester hours as approved by the Board of Governors
52 pursuant to s. 1007.25(8).
53 (c) The Board of Governors, or the board’s designee, may
54 establish tuition for graduate and professional programs, and
55 out-of-state fees for all programs. Except as otherwise provided
56 in this section, the sum of tuition and out-of-state fees
57 assessed to nonresident students must be sufficient to offset
58 the full instructional cost of serving such students. However,
59 adjustments to out-of-state fees or tuition for graduate
60 programs and professional programs may not exceed 15 percent in
61 any year.
62 (d) The Board of Governors may consider and approve
63 flexible tuition policies as requested by a university board of
64 trustees in accordance with the provisions of subsection (15)
65 only to the extent such policies are in alignment with the
66 mission of the university and do not increase the state’s fiscal
67 liability or obligations, including, but not limited to, any
68 fiscal liability or obligation for programs authorized under ss.
69 1009.53-1009.538 and ss. 1009.97-1009.984.
70 (e) The sum of the activity and service, health, and
71 athletic fees a student is required to pay to register for a
72 course shall not exceed 40 percent of the tuition established in
73 law or in the General Appropriations Act. No university shall be
74 required to lower any fee in effect on the effective date of
75 this act in order to comply with this subsection. Within the 40
76 percent cap, universities may not increase the aggregate sum of
77 activity and service, health, and athletic fees more than 5
78 percent per year, or the same percentage increase in tuition
79 authorized under paragraph (b), whichever is greater, unless
80 specifically authorized in law or in the General Appropriations
81 Act. A university may increase its athletic fee to defray the
82 costs associated with changing National Collegiate Athletic
83 Association divisions. Any such increase in the athletic fee may
84 exceed both the 40 percent cap and the 5 percent cap imposed by
85 this subsection. Any such increase must be approved by the
86 athletic fee committee in the process outlined in subsection
87 (12) and cannot exceed $2 per credit hour. Notwithstanding the
88 provisions of ss. 1009.534, 1009.535, and 1009.536, that portion
89 of any increase in an athletic fee pursuant to this subsection
90 that causes the sum of the activity and service, health, and
91 athletic fees to exceed the 40 percent cap or the annual
92 increase in such fees to exceed the 5 percent cap shall not be
93 included in calculating the amount a student receives for a
94 Florida Academic Scholars award, a Florida Medallion Scholars
95 award, or a Florida Gold Seal Vocational Scholars award.
96 Notwithstanding this paragraph and subject to approval by the
97 board of trustees, each state university is authorized to exceed
98 the 5-percent cap on the annual increase to the aggregate sum of
99 activity and service, health, and athletic fees for the 2010
100 2011 fiscal year. Any such increase shall not exceed 15 percent
101 or the amount required to reach the 2009-2010 fiscal year
102 statewide average for the aggregate sum of activity and service,
103 health, and athletic fees at the main campuses, whichever is
104 greater. The aggregate sum of the activity and service, health,
105 and athletic fees shall not exceed 40 percent of tuition. Any
106 increase in the activity and service fee, health fee, or
107 athletic fee must be approved by the appropriate fee committee
108 pursuant to subsection (10), subsection (11), or subsection
109 (12).
110 (f) This subsection does not prohibit a university from
111 increasing or assessing optional fees related to specific
112 activities if payment of such fees is not required as a part of
113 registration for courses.
114 (19) For a resident undergraduate student who meets the
115 requirements of subparagraph (4)(b)2., the fees may not, for 4
116 years, exceed the fees established by the state university at
117 the time of the student’s initial enrollment at the state
118 university.
119 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2013.