Florida Senate - 2023                        COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
       Bill No. CS for SB 266
       
       
       
       
       
       
                                Ì350942&Î350942                         
       
                              LEGISLATIVE ACTION                        
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       The Appropriations Committee on Education (Grall) recommended
       the following:
       
    1         Senate Amendment to Amendment (459430) (with title
    2  amendment)
    3  
    4         Delete lines 597 - 633
    5  and insert:
    6         (18)(a) For every course in a Program of Strategic
    7  Emphasis, or in a state-approved teacher preparation program
    8  identified by the Board of Governors, as identified in
    9  subparagraph 3., in which a student is enrolled, a state
   10  university shall waive 100 percent of the tuition and fees for
   11  an equivalent course in such program for a student who:
   12         1. Is a resident for tuition purposes under s. 1009.21.
   13         2. Has earned at least 60 semester credit hours towards a
   14  baccalaureate degree within 2 academic years after initial
   15  enrollment at a Florida public postsecondary institution.
   16         3. Enrolls in one of 10 Programs of Strategic Emphasis as
   17  adopted by the Board of Governors or in one of two state
   18  approved teacher preparation programs identified by the Board of
   19  Governors. The Board of Governors shall adopt eight Programs of
   20  Strategic Emphasis in science, technology, engineering, or math;
   21  and, beginning with the 2022-2023 academic year, two Programs of
   22  Strategic Emphasis in the critical workforce gap analysis
   23  category; and beginning with the 2023-2024 academic year, two
   24  state-approved teacher preparation programs for which a student
   25  may be eligible to receive the tuition and fee waiver authorized
   26  by this subsection. The programs identified by the board must
   27  reflect the priorities of the state and be offered at a majority
   28  of state universities at the time the Board of Governors
   29  approves the list.
   30         (b) A waiver granted under this subsection is applicable
   31  only for upper-level courses and up to 110 percent of the number
   32  of required credit hours of the baccalaureate degree program for
   33  which the student is enrolled. A student granted a waiver under
   34  this subsection shall continue receiving the waiver until the
   35  student graduates, exceeds the number of allowable credit hours,
   36  or withdraws from an eligible program, regardless of whether the
   37  program is removed from the approved list of eligible programs
   38  subsequent to the student’s enrollment.
   39         (c) Upon enrollment in a Program of Strategic Emphasis or
   40  in one of two teacher preparation programs identified by the
   41  Board of Governors, the tuition and fees waived under this
   42  subsection must be reported for state funding purposes under ss.
   43  1009.534 and 1009.535 and must be disbursed to the student. The
   44  amount disbursed to the student must shall be equal to the award
   45  amount the student has received under s. 1009.534(2) or s.
   46  1009.535(2).
   47  
   48  ================= T I T L E  A M E N D M E N T ================
   49  And the title is amended as follows:
   50         Delete lines 728 - 730
   51  and insert:
   52         amending s. 1009.26, F.S.; requiring the Board of
   53         Governors to identify state-approved teacher
   54         preparation programs eligible for a tuition waiver;
   55         providing that certain