Florida Senate - 2023                                     SB 266
       
       
        
       By Senator Grall
       
       
       
       
       
       29-01465B-23                                           2023266__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to higher education; amending s.
    3         1001.706, F.S.; revising the mission of each state
    4         university; revising requirements for the Board of
    5         Governors’ strategic plan relating to the goals and
    6         objectives of the State University System; requiring
    7         each state university to submit documentation of its
    8         efforts to promote specified educational topics and
    9         information relating to the removal of certain
   10         courses; requiring the Board of Governors to annually
   11         require each state university to include certain
   12         information in its economic security report;
   13         authorizing a post-tenure review of state university
   14         faculty at any time, with cause; amending s.
   15         1001.7065, F.S.; requiring each state university to
   16         annually report certain research expenditures of a
   17         specified amount; creating s. 1001.725, F.S.;
   18         providing that each state university board of trustees
   19         is responsible for hiring faculty; authorizing the
   20         board to delegate hiring authority to the president;
   21         prohibiting a university from using specified methods
   22         in its hiring process; authorizing each state
   23         university board of trustees to review any faculty
   24         member’s tenure status; requiring each state
   25         university board of trustees to confirm specified
   26         employee reappointments and contracts; requiring each
   27         state university president to annually present
   28         specified performance evaluations and salaries to the
   29         board of trustees; amending s. 1004.06, F.S.;
   30         prohibiting specified educational institutions from
   31         expending funds to promote specified concepts;
   32         providing construction; amending s. 1004.6496, F.S.;
   33         authorizing the Board of Trustees of the University of
   34         Florida to use funds to establish and fund the
   35         Hamilton College for Classical and Civic Education;
   36         revising the goals of the college; providing powers of
   37         the college; amending s. 1004.6499, F.S.; renaming the
   38         Florida Institute of Politics at the Florida State
   39         University as the Florida Institute for Governance and
   40         Civics; providing the goals of the institute; amending
   41         s. 1004.64991, F.S.; authorizing the Adam Smith Center
   42         for the Study of Economic Freedom to perform certain
   43         tasks in order to carry out its established purpose;
   44         amending s. 1007.25, F.S.; revising how general
   45         education core courses are established; requiring the
   46         Commissioner of Education and Chancellor of the State
   47         University System to consider approval of certain
   48         courses; requiring faculty committees to submit
   49         recommendations to the Articulation Coordinating
   50         Committee and the commissioner relating to certain
   51         courses by a specified date and every three years
   52         thereafter; prohibiting general education core courses
   53         from teaching certain topics or presenting information
   54         in specified ways; providing requirements for general
   55         education core courses; requiring specified
   56         educational institutions to offer certain courses;
   57         creating s. 1007.55, F.S.; providing legislative
   58         findings; requiring the Articulation Coordinating
   59         Committee to submit an annual report to specified
   60         entities relating to courses that have been approved
   61         as meeting specified requirements to be used by public
   62         postsecondary educational institutions; providing
   63         requirements for general education courses; requiring
   64         public postsecondary educational institution boards of
   65         trustees and presidents to annually review and approve
   66         general education requirements; providing a penalty
   67         for failing to meet such review and approval
   68         requirements; requiring public postsecondary
   69         educational institutions to report certain courses to
   70         the department; amending s. 1008.47, F.S.; removing a
   71         prohibition against a public postsecondary institution
   72         from being accredited by the same accrediting body for
   73         multiple consecutive accreditation cycles; providing
   74         an effective date.
   75          
   76  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   77  
   78         Section 1. Paragraphs (a) through (d) of subsection (5) and
   79  paragraph (b) of subsection (6) of section 1001.706, Florida
   80  Statutes, are amended to read:
   81         1001.706 Powers and duties of the Board of Governors.—
   82         (5) POWERS AND DUTIES RELATING TO ACCOUNTABILITY.—
   83         (a) The Legislature intends that the Board of Governors
   84  shall align the missions of each constituent university with the
   85  academic success of its students; the education for citizenship
   86  of the constitutional republic; the alignment of its programs to
   87  Florida’s existing and emerging workforce needs; the national
   88  reputation of its faculty and its academic and research
   89  programs; the quantity of externally generated research,
   90  patents, and licenses; and the strategic and accountability
   91  plans required in paragraphs (b) and (c). The Board of Governors
   92  shall periodically review the mission of each constituent
   93  university and make updates or revisions as needed. Upon
   94  completion of a review of the mission, the board shall review
   95  existing academic programs to ensure alignment with the mission.
   96  The board shall include in its review direction to each
   97  constituent university to examine its programs for the inclusion
   98  of any specified major or minor in critical race theory, gender
   99  studies, or intersectionality or any derivative major of these
  100  belief systems, that is, any major that engenders beliefs in
  101  those concepts defined in s. 1000.05(4)(a). The mission
  102  alignment and strategic plan shall consider peer institutions at
  103  the constituent universities. The mission alignment and
  104  strategic plan shall acknowledge that universities that have a
  105  national and international impact have the greatest capacity to
  106  promote the state’s economic development through: new
  107  discoveries, patents, licenses, and technologies that generate
  108  state businesses of global importance; research achievements
  109  through external grants and contracts that are comparable to
  110  nationally recognized and ranked universities; the creation of a
  111  resource rich academic environment that attracts high-technology
  112  business and venture capital to the state; and this generation’s
  113  finest minds focusing on solving the state’s economic, social,
  114  environmental, and legal problems in the areas of life sciences,
  115  water, sustainability, energy, and health care. A nationally
  116  recognized and ranked university that has a global perspective
  117  and impact shall be afforded the opportunity to enable and
  118  protect the university’s competitiveness on the global stage in
  119  fair competition with other institutions of other states in the
  120  highest Carnegie Classification.
  121         (b) The Board of Governors shall develop a strategic plan
  122  specifying goals and objectives for the State University System
  123  and each constituent university, including each university’s
  124  contribution to overall system goals and objectives. The
  125  strategic plan must:
  126         1. Include performance metrics and standards common for all
  127  institutions and metrics and standards unique to institutions
  128  depending on institutional core missions, including, but not
  129  limited to, student admission requirements, the education for
  130  citizenship of the constitutional republic, retention,
  131  graduation, percentage of graduates who have attained
  132  employment, percentage of graduates enrolled in continued
  133  education, licensure passage, industry certification attainment,
  134  average wages of employed graduates, average cost per graduate,
  135  excess hours, student loan burden and default rates, faculty
  136  awards, total annual research expenditures, patents, licenses
  137  and royalties, intellectual property, startup companies, annual
  138  giving, endowments, and well-known, highly respected national
  139  rankings for institutional and program achievements.
  140         2. Consider reports and recommendations of the Florida
  141  Talent Development Council under s. 1004.015 and the
  142  Articulation Coordinating Committee under s. 1007.01.
  143         3. Include student enrollment and performance data
  144  delineated by method of instruction, including, but not limited
  145  to, traditional, online, and distance learning instruction.
  146         4. Include criteria for designating baccalaureate degree
  147  and master’s degree programs at specified universities as high
  148  demand programs of emphasis. The programs of emphasis list
  149  adopted by the Board of Governors before July 1, 2021, shall be
  150  used for the 2021-2022 academic year. Beginning in the 2022-2023
  151  academic year, the Board of Governors shall adopt the criteria
  152  to determine value for and prioritization of degree credentials
  153  and degree programs established by the Credentials Review
  154  Committee under s. 445.004 for designating high-demand programs
  155  of emphasis. The Board of Governors must review designated
  156  programs of emphasis, at a minimum, every 3 years to ensure
  157  alignment with the prioritization of degree credentials and
  158  degree programs identified by the Credentials Review Committee.
  159         5. Include criteria for nondegree credential offerings.
  160         (c) The Board of Governors shall develop an accountability
  161  plan for the State University System and each constituent
  162  university. The accountability plan must address institutional
  163  and system achievement of goals and objectives specified in the
  164  strategic plan adopted pursuant to paragraph (b) and must be
  165  submitted as part of its legislative budget request. Each
  166  university shall submit, as a component of the university’s
  167  annual accountability plan, information on the effectiveness of
  168  its plan for improving 4-year graduation rates and the level of
  169  financial assistance provided to students pursuant to paragraph
  170  (h). In addition, each university must submit documentation of
  171  its efforts to promote the education for citizenship of the
  172  constitutional republic and the cultivation of the intellectual
  173  autonomy of its undergraduates. It must also submit, as a
  174  component of the university’s annual accountability plan,
  175  information on the university’s process to remove from its
  176  course catalogues any specified major or minor in critical race
  177  theory, gender studies, or intersectionality or any derivative
  178  major of these belief systems, that is, any major that engenders
  179  beliefs in those concepts described in s. 1000.05(4)(a).
  180         (d) Beginning in the 2014-2015 academic year and annually
  181  thereafter, The Board of Governors shall annually require a
  182  state university prior to registration to provide each enrolled
  183  student electronic access to the economic security report of
  184  employment and earning outcomes prepared by the Department of
  185  Economic Opportunity pursuant to s. 445.07. In addition, the
  186  Board of Governors shall require a state university to provide
  187  each student electronic access to the following information each
  188  year prior to registration using the data described in s.
  189  1008.39:
  190         1. The top 25 percent of degrees reported by the university
  191  in terms of highest full-time job placement and highest average
  192  annualized earnings in the year after earning the degree.
  193         2. The bottom 10 percent of degrees reported by the
  194  university in terms of lowest full-time job placement and lowest
  195  average annualized earnings in the year after earning the
  196  degree.
  197         (6) POWERS AND DUTIES RELATING TO PERSONNEL.—
  198         (b) The Board of Governors may adopt a regulation requiring
  199  each tenured state university faculty member to undergo a
  200  comprehensive post-tenure review every 5 years. Each university
  201  may initiate a post-tenure review of a faculty member at any
  202  time, with cause. The board may include other considerations in
  203  the regulation, but the regulation must address:
  204         1. Accomplishments and productivity;
  205         2. Assigned duties in research, teaching, and service;
  206         3. Performance metrics, evaluations, and ratings; and
  207         4. Recognition and compensation considerations, as well as
  208  improvement plans and consequences for underperformance.
  209         Section 2. Paragraph (m) is added to subsection (2) of
  210  section 1001.7065, Florida Statutes, to read:
  211         1001.7065 Preeminent state research universities program.—
  212         (2) ACADEMIC AND RESEARCH EXCELLENCE STANDARDS.—The
  213  following academic and research excellence standards are
  214  established for the preeminent state research universities
  215  program and shall be reported annually in the Board of Governors
  216  Accountability Plan:
  217         (m) Total annual research expenditures of $50 million or
  218  more benefiting STEM-related occupations, businesses, or
  219  industry partners located in this state and currently employing,
  220  or seeking to employ, residents of this state.
  221         Section 3. Section 1001.725, Florida Statutes, is created
  222  to read:
  223         1001.725 University boards of trustees; personnel.—
  224         (1)Each university board of trustees is responsible for
  225  hiring faculty. The president may provide hiring recommendations
  226  to the board. The president and the board are not bound by
  227  recommendations or opinions of faculty or other individuals or
  228  groups.
  229         (a) The board may delegate its hiring authority to the
  230  president; however, the president may not delegate hiring
  231  authority, and the board shall approve or deny any selection by
  232  the president.
  233         (b)A university is prohibited from using diversity,
  234  equity, and inclusion statements, critical race theory, or other
  235  forms of political identity filters as part of the hiring
  236  process, including as part of employment applications, including
  237  applications for promotion and tenure, conditions of employment,
  238  or reviewing job qualifications. This prohibition applies to all
  239  hiring at the institution, including the president.
  240         (2)Each university board of trustees may, at the request
  241  of its chair, initiate a process to review any faculty member’s
  242  tenure status.
  243         (3)Each university board of trustees shall confirm its
  244  president’s selection and reappointment of the university’s
  245  executive management team members and their respective contracts
  246  and annual salaries, in accordance with the university’s
  247  personnel program established by the Board of Governors.
  248  Contracts and responsibilities of the president and executive
  249  team members, including, but not limited to, provost positions,
  250  must explicitly delineate that the duties of positions, other
  251  than the president, are limited to administrative oversight and
  252  operational supervision of curricular, instructional, and
  253  research affairs, as applicable to the position.
  254         (4)Each university president shall annually present to his
  255  or her board of trustees for review the results of performance
  256  evaluations and associated salaries of all evaluated personnel
  257  earning an annual compensation of $200,000 or more, regardless
  258  of fund source.
  259         Section 4. Section 1004.06, Florida Statutes, is amended to
  260  read:
  261         1004.06 Prohibited expenditures.—
  262         (1) No Florida College System institution, state
  263  university, Florida College System institution direct-support
  264  organization, or state university direct-support organization
  265  shall expend any funds, regardless of source, to purchase
  266  membership in, or goods and services from, any organization that
  267  discriminates on the basis of race, national origin, gender, or
  268  religion.
  269         (2)(a) No Florida College System institution, state
  270  university, Florida College System institution direct-support
  271  organization, or state university direct-support organization
  272  may expend any funds, regardless of source, to promote, support,
  273  or maintain any programs or campus activities that violate s.
  274  1000.05(4)(a) or that espouse diversity, equity, and inclusion
  275  or critical race theory rhetoric.
  276         (b) Programs required for compliance with federal
  277  regulations, or access programs for military veterans, Pell
  278  Grant recipients, first generation college students,
  279  nontraditional students, “2+2” transfer students from the
  280  Florida College System, students from low-income families, or
  281  students with unique abilities, are not prohibited by this
  282  subsection.
  283         Section 5. Section 1004.6496, Florida Statutes, is amended
  284  to read:
  285         1004.6496 Hamilton College Center for Classical and Civic
  286  Education.—
  287         (1) By July 1, 2024, the Board of Trustees of the
  288  University of Florida may use funds as provided in the General
  289  Appropriations Act and charitable donations to establish and
  290  fund the Hamilton College Center for Classical and Civic
  291  Education as an academic unit within the University of Florida.
  292  The purpose of the college center is to support teaching and
  293  research concerning the ideas, traditions, and texts that form
  294  the foundations of Western and American civilization.
  295         (2) The goals of the college center are to:
  296         (a) Educate university students in core texts and great
  297  debates of Western civilization and the Great Books.
  298         (b) Educate university students in the principles, ideals,
  299  and institutions of the American political order.
  300         (c) Educate university students in the foundations of
  301  responsible leadership and informed citizenship.
  302         (d) Provide programming and training related to civic
  303  education and the values of open inquiry and civil discourse to
  304  support the K-20 system.
  305         (e) Coordinate with the Florida Institute for Governance
  306  and Civics of Politics created pursuant to s. 1004.6499 and the
  307  Adam Smith Center for the Study of Economic Freedom created
  308  pursuant to s. 1004.64991 and assist in the curation and
  309  implementation of Portraits in Patriotism created pursuant to s.
  310  1003.44.
  311         (3) In order to carry out the purposes set forth in
  312  subsection (2), the college is authorized to:
  313         (a) Hire necessary faculty and staff;
  314         (b)Enroll students;
  315         (c) Develop curriculum and offer new courses, including
  316  honors courses, certificates, and major and minor programs;
  317         (d) Award degrees;
  318         (e) Hold events, including fundraisers;
  319         (f) Fulfill other actions approved by the president of the
  320  university; and
  321         (g) Generate resources based on student credit hour
  322  enrollment, in the same manner as any other college within the
  323  institution.
  324         (4)The president of the university may hire a dean for the
  325  college, subject to the approval of the board of trustees.
  326         (a) If at any time the position of dean becomes vacant, the
  327  president of the university may appoint a faculty member of the
  328  college to serve as the acting dean. The president of the
  329  university may remove the dean in accordance with the policies
  330  and procedures established at the university.
  331         (b) The dean of the college must report directly to the
  332  president of the university.
  333         (c) The dean of the college has the same delegated
  334  authority, in the same manner, as any other dean at the
  335  university.
  336         (5) Faculty of the college may be awarded tenure subject to
  337  the tenure policies of the university.
  338         (6) Funds appropriated specifically to the college may not
  339  be used for any other purpose at the university; however, the
  340  university can provide additional funding as available to the
  341  college.
  342         Section 6. Section 1004.6499, Florida Statutes, is amended
  343  to read:
  344         1004.6499 Florida Institute for Governance and Civics of
  345  Politics.—
  346         (1) The Florida Institute for Governance and Civics of
  347  Politics is established at the Florida State University within
  348  the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy. The purpose of
  349  the institute is to provide the southeastern region of the
  350  United States with a world class, bipartisan, nationally
  351  renowned institute of politics.
  352         (2) The goals of the institute are to:
  353         (a) Provide students with access to an interdisciplinary
  354  hub that will develop academically rigorous scholarship and
  355  coursework on the origins of the American system of government,
  356  its foundational documents, its subsequent political traditions
  357  and evolutions, and its impact on comparative political systems
  358  Motivate students throughout the Florida State University to
  359  become aware of the significance of government and civic
  360  engagement at all levels and politics in general.
  361         (b) Encourage civic literacy in this state through the
  362  development of educational tools and resources for K-12 and
  363  postsecondary students which foster an understanding of how
  364  individual rights, constitutionalism, separation of powers, and
  365  federalism function within the American system Provide students
  366  with an opportunity to be politically active and civically
  367  engaged.
  368         (c) Model civic discourse that recognizes the importance of
  369  viewpoint diversity, intellectual rigor, and an evidence-based
  370  approach to history Nurture a greater awareness of and passion
  371  for public service and politics.
  372         (d) Plan and host forums to allow students and guests to
  373  hear from exceptional individuals who have excelled in a wide
  374  range of sectors of American life, to highlight the
  375  possibilities created by individual achievement and
  376  entrepreneurial vision and interact with experts from
  377  government, politics, policy, and journalism on a frequent
  378  basis.
  379         (e) Become a national and state resource on using polling
  380  instruments and other assessments to measure civic literacy and
  381  make recommendations for improving civic education information
  382  and survey methodology.
  383         (f) Provide fellowships and internship opportunities to
  384  students in government, nonprofit organizations, and community
  385  organizations.
  386         (g) Create through scholarship, original research,
  387  publications, symposia, testimonials, and other means a body of
  388  resources that can be accessed by students, scholars, and
  389  government officials to understand the innovations in public
  390  policy in this state over a rolling 30-year time period Provide
  391  training sessions for newly elected state and local public
  392  officials.
  393         (h) Organize and sponsor conferences, symposia, and
  394  workshops throughout this state to educate and inform citizens,
  395  elected officials, and appointed policymakers regarding
  396  effective policymaking techniques and processes.
  397         (i) Create and promote research and awareness regarding
  398  politics, citizen involvement, and public service.
  399         (j) Collaborate with related policy institutes and research
  400  activities at the Florida State University and other
  401  institutions of higher education to motivate, increase, and
  402  sustain citizen involvement in public affairs.
  403         Section 7. Subsection (3) is added to section 1004.64991,
  404  Florida Statutes, to read:
  405         1004.64991 The Adam Smith Center for the Study of Economic
  406  Freedom.—
  407         (3) In order to carry out the purpose set forth in this
  408  section, the institute is authorized to:
  409         (a) Hire necessary faculty and staff;
  410         (b) Enroll students;
  411         (c) Develop curriculum and offer new courses, including
  412  honors courses, certificates, and major and minor programs;
  413         (d) Award degrees;
  414         (e) Hold events, including fundraisers;
  415         (f) Fulfill other actions approved by the president of the
  416  university; and
  417         (g) Generate resources based on student credit hour
  418  enrollment, in the same manner as any other college within the
  419  institution.
  420         Section 8. Subsection (3) of section 1007.25, Florida
  421  Statutes, is amended to read:
  422         1007.25 General education courses; common prerequisites;
  423  other degree requirements.—
  424         (3) The chair of the State Board of Education and the chair
  425  of the Board of Governors, or their designees, shall jointly
  426  appoint faculty committees to review and recommend to the
  427  Articulation Coordinating Committee for approval by the
  428  Commissioner of Education and Chancellor of the State University
  429  System identify statewide general education core course options
  430  for inclusion in the statewide course numbering system
  431  established under s. 1007.24. Faculty committees shall, by
  432  December 1, 2023, and by December 1 every 3 years thereafter,
  433  review and submit recommendations to the Articulation
  434  Coordinating Committee and the commissioner for the removal,
  435  alignment, realignment, or addition of general education core
  436  courses that satisfy the requirements of this subsection.
  437         (a) General education core course options shall consist of
  438  a maximum of five courses within each of the subject areas of
  439  communication, mathematics, social sciences, humanities, and
  440  natural sciences. The core courses may be revised, or the five
  441  course maximum within each subject area may be exceeded, if
  442  approved by the State Board of Education and the Board of
  443  Governors, as recommended by the subject area faculty committee
  444  and approved by the Articulation Coordinating Committee as
  445  necessary for a subject area.
  446         (b) Each general education core course option must contain
  447  high-level academic and critical thinking skills and common
  448  competencies that students must demonstrate to successfully
  449  complete the course.
  450         (c) General education core courses may not suppress or
  451  distort significant historical events or include a curriculum
  452  that teaches identity politics, such as critical race theory, or
  453  defines American history as contrary to the creation of a new
  454  nation based on universal principles stated in the Declaration
  455  of Independence.
  456         (d)General education core courses must meet the following
  457  standards:
  458         1.Communication courses must afford students the ability
  459  to communicate effectively, including the ability to write
  460  clearly and engage in public speaking, through engagement with
  461  the Western literary tradition.
  462         2.Humanities courses must afford students the ability to
  463  think critically through the mastering of subjects concerned
  464  with human culture, especially literature, history, art, music,
  465  and philosophy.
  466         3.Social science courses must afford students an
  467  understanding of the basic social and behavioral science
  468  concepts and principles used in the analysis of behavior and
  469  past and present social, political, and economic issues.
  470         4.Natural science courses must afford students the ability
  471  to critically examine and evaluate the principles of the
  472  scientific method, model construction, and use the scientific
  473  method to explain natural experiences and phenomena.
  474         5.Mathematics courses must afford students a mastery of
  475  foundational mathematical and computation models and methods by
  476  applying such models and methods in problem solving.
  477         (e) Beginning with students initially entering a Florida
  478  College System institution or state university in 2015-2016 and
  479  thereafter, each student must complete at least one identified
  480  core course in each subject area as part of the general
  481  education course requirements. Beginning in the 2022-2023
  482  academic year and thereafter, students entering a technical
  483  degree education program as defined in s. 1004.02(13) must
  484  complete at least one identified core course in each subject
  485  area as part of the general education course requirements before
  486  a degree is awarded.
  487         (f) All public postsecondary educational institutions shall
  488  offer at least one general education core course in each of the
  489  identified subject areas and accept these courses as meeting
  490  general education core course requirements upon transfer,
  491  regardless of whether the receiving institution offers the
  492  identical general education core courses. The remaining general
  493  education course requirements shall be identified by each
  494  institution as approved in accordance with this section and
  495  listed in the statewide course numbering system and reported to
  496  the department by their statewide course number.
  497         (g) The general education core course options shall be
  498  adopted in rule by the State Board of Education and in
  499  regulation by the Board of Governors.
  500         Section 9. Section 1007.55, Florida Statutes, is created to
  501  read:
  502         1007.55 General education course principles, standards, and
  503  content.—
  504         (1) The Legislature finds it necessary to ensure that every
  505  undergraduate student of a Florida public postsecondary
  506  educational institution graduates as an informed citizen through
  507  participation in rigorous general education courses that promote
  508  values necessary to preserve the constitutional republic through
  509  traditional, historically accurate, and high-quality coursework.
  510  Courses with a curriculum based on unproven, theoretical, or
  511  exploratory content are best suited as elective or specific
  512  program prerequisite credit, not general education credit.
  513         (2) In performing its duties under ss. 1007.24 and 1007.25,
  514  by July 1, 2023, and each July 1 thereafter, the Articulation
  515  Coordinating Committee shall submit to the State Board of
  516  Education and Board of Governors courses that have been approved
  517  to be used by public postsecondary educational institutions as
  518  meeting the additional general education requirements.
  519         (3)General education courses must meet the following
  520  criteria:
  521         (a)Be in the general education core subject areas and meet
  522  the course standards as provided in s. 1007.25;
  523         (b) Be offered by at least half of all public postsecondary
  524  educational institutions;
  525         (c)Be identified as lower level in the statewide course
  526  numbering system; and
  527         (d) Whenever applicable, promote the philosophical
  528  underpinnings of Western civilization and include studies of
  529  this nation’s historical documents, such as the United States
  530  Constitution, the Bill of Rights and subsequent amendments, and
  531  the Federalist Papers.
  532         (4)If a course is approved as a general education course,
  533  that course must be accepted as a general education course, in
  534  the same subject area and regardless of whether it is offered by
  535  the institution, by all public postsecondary educational
  536  institutions.
  537         (5) Public postsecondary educational institution boards of
  538  trustees and presidents are responsible for annually reviewing
  539  and approving, at a public meeting, general education course
  540  requirements, as authorized and approved in accordance with ss.
  541  1007.24 and 1007.25 and this section, at their respective
  542  institutions. Public postsecondary educational institutions that
  543  fail to comply with the requirements of this section are not
  544  eligible to receive performance-based funding pursuant to ss.
  545  1001.66 and 1001.92.
  546         (6) Public postsecondary educational institutions must
  547  report courses meeting institutional general education subject
  548  requirements to the department by their statewide course number.
  549         Section 10. Paragraph (a) of subsection (2) of section
  550  1008.47, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
  551         1008.47 Postsecondary education institution accreditation.—
  552         (2) ACCREDITATION.—
  553         (a) By September 1, 2022, the Board of Governors or the
  554  State Board of Education, as applicable, shall identify and
  555  determine the accrediting agencies or associations best suited
  556  to serve as an accreditor for public postsecondary institutions.
  557  Such accrediting agencies or associations must be recognized by
  558  the database created and maintained by the United States
  559  Department of Education. A public postsecondary institution may
  560  not be accredited by the same accrediting agency or association
  561  for consecutive accreditation cycles. In the year following
  562  reaffirmation or fifth-year review by its accrediting agencies
  563  or associations, each public postsecondary institution must seek
  564  and obtain accreditation from an accrediting agency or
  565  association identified by the Board of Governors or State Board
  566  of Education, respectively, before its next reaffirmation or
  567  fifth-year review date. The requirements in this section are
  568  limited to a one-time change in accreditation. The requirements
  569  of this subsection are not applicable to those professional,
  570  graduate, departmental, or certificate programs at public
  571  postsecondary institutions that have specific accreditation
  572  requirements or best practices, including, but not limited to,
  573  law, pharmacy, engineering, or other similarly situated
  574  educational programs.
  575         Section 11. This act shall take effect July 1, 2023.