Florida Senate - 2022                                     SB 554
       
       
        
       By Senator Cruz
       
       
       
       
       
       18-00072-22                                            2022554__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to educational opportunities for
    3         disabled veterans; creating s. 295.011, F.S.; defining
    4         the term “disabled veteran”; providing that disabled
    5         veterans receiving certain federal educational
    6         assistance benefits are eligible to receive a waiver
    7         for the remaining cost of tuition and fees at certain
    8         institutions; requiring certain institutions to submit
    9         an annual report to the Board of Governors and the
   10         State Board of Education; requiring the boards to
   11         respectively adopt regulations and rules; specifying
   12         applicability of other laws; providing an effective
   13         date.
   14          
   15  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   16  
   17         Section 1. Section 295.011, Florida Statutes, is created to
   18  read:
   19         295.011 Disabled veterans; education.—
   20         (1) As used in this section, the term “disabled veteran”
   21  means an individual who is a resident of this state pursuant to
   22  s. 1009.21 and is:
   23         (a) Determined by the United States Department of Veterans
   24  Affairs to have a service-connected total and permanent
   25  disability rating of 100 percent for compensation;
   26         (b) Determined to have a service-connected total and
   27  permanent disability rating of 100 percent and is in receipt of
   28  disability retirement pay from any branch of the United States
   29  Armed Services; or
   30         (c) Issued a valid identification card by the Florida
   31  Department of Veterans’ Affairs pursuant to s. 295.17.
   32         (2) Beginning with the 2022-2023 academic year, a disabled
   33  veteran who receives a tuition benefit to attend a state
   34  university, a Florida College System institution, a career
   35  center operated by a school district under s. 1001.44, or a
   36  charter technical career center under the Post-9/11 Veterans
   37  Educational Assistance Act of 2008, Pub. L. No. 110-252, but who
   38  does not qualify for the 100 percent eligibility tier under
   39  federal law, is eligible to receive a waiver for tuition and
   40  fees which is equal to the amount that is the difference between
   41  the portion of tuition and fees paid in accordance with federal
   42  law and the full amount of tuition and fees at the institution
   43  attended.
   44         (a) Each state university, Florida College System
   45  institution, career center operated by a school district under
   46  s. 1001.44, and charter technical career center shall report to
   47  the Board of Governors and the State Board of Education,
   48  respectively, the number and value of all fee waivers granted
   49  annually under this subsection.
   50         (b) The Board of Governors and the State Board of Education
   51  shall respectively adopt regulations and rules to administer
   52  this subsection.
   53         (3) Sections 295.03, 295.04, 295.05, and 1009.40 apply to
   54  any disabled veteran who receives an award under this section.
   55         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2022.