Florida Senate - 2025                        COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
       Bill No. CS for SB 1726
       
       
       
       
       
       
                                Ì217134ÄÎ217134                         
       
                              LEGISLATIVE ACTION                        
                    Senate             .             House              
                  Comm: RCS            .                                
                  04/22/2025           .                                
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       The Committee on Rules (Calatayud) recommended the following:
       
    1         Senate Amendment (with title amendment)
    2  
    3         Between lines 309 and 310
    4  insert:
    5         Section 9. Section 1001.93, Florida Statutes, is amended to
    6  read:
    7         1001.93 Offices of Public policy events within the State
    8  University System.—
    9         (1) The Legislature finds that the advancement of knowledge
   10  is the fundamental purpose of the State University System and
   11  that such advancement is facilitated by the fearless sifting and
   12  winnowing of a wide diversity of views and that the open
   13  discussion and debate of contested public policy issues from
   14  diverse perspectives provides essential preparation for mature
   15  citizenship and an informed exercise of the right to vote.
   16         (2) For purposes of this section, the term:
   17         (a) “Debate” means an event at which two or more
   18  participants speak in favor of opposing approaches to the same
   19  public policy dispute, after which each participant is allotted
   20  time to address and rebut the position presented by the opposing
   21  speakers.
   22         (b) “Group forum” means an event at which two or more
   23  speakers address a public policy dispute from divergent or
   24  opposing perspectives, after which each participant is allotted
   25  time to address questions from the audience and to comment on
   26  the other speakers’ positions.
   27         (3) Each state university within the State University
   28  System must have an Office of Public Policy Events and must
   29  appoint a Director of Public Policy Events who is responsible
   30  for the duties and reporting responsibilities of the office. The
   31  office must, at a minimum:
   32         (a)1. Organize, publicize, and stage debates or group
   33  forums at the state university. These events must address, from
   34  multiple, divergent, and opposing perspectives, an extensive
   35  range of public policy issues widely discussed and debated in
   36  society at large. Each such The university shall sponsor no less
   37  than four events each academic year. At least two events must
   38  occur during the fall semester and at least two events must
   39  occur during the spring semester.
   40         1.2. Such debates and group forums must include speakers
   41  who represent widely held views on opposing sides of the most
   42  widely discussed public policy issues of the day and who hold a
   43  wide diversity of perspectives from within and outside of the
   44  state university community.
   45         2.3. If a state university the office is unable to readily
   46  find an advocate from within the state university community who
   47  is well-versed in a perspective, as required in subparagraph 1.,
   48  the state university must office shall invite a speaker who is
   49  able to represent such perspective. The state university may
   50  reimburse office shall, when necessary, provide such speakers
   51  who are not from within the state university community with per
   52  diem and a reimbursement for travel expenses and per diem.
   53         (b) Maintain on its website a permanent, publicly
   54  accessible listing of all of the events sponsored by the state
   55  university during the prior and current academic year,
   56  searchable, and up-to-date calendar in print, on the office’s
   57  website, and on the state university’s website listing all of
   58  the events sponsored by the office and all other debates, group
   59  forums, and events open to the entire campus community at the
   60  state university that address public policy issues. The calendar
   61  must itemize the title of the event; the name and institutional
   62  affiliation of the speaker or speakers; and the office,
   63  institute, department, program, or organization that sponsored
   64  the event, excluding those events sponsored by off-campus groups
   65  in rented state university facilities. Such calendars must be
   66  kept in the library system of each state university.
   67         (c) Beginning September 1, 2024, and annually each
   68  September 1 thereafter, provide to the Board of Governors a
   69  report, which must reflect prior academic year statistics,
   70  detailing all of the following:
   71         1. The number of debates and group forums.
   72         2. In chronological order, an itemization of the calendars
   73  itemizing the title of each event; the name and institutional
   74  affiliation of the speaker or speakers; and the office,
   75  institute, department, program, or organization that sponsored
   76  the event.
   77         3. The number of people enrolled students attending each
   78  event.
   79         4. Expenditure information relating to any per diem or
   80  reimbursement for travel expenses.
   81  
   82  The report must reflect prior academic year statistics.
   83         (d) Make publicly available, in an online format, a
   84  complete video recording record of every debate and group forum
   85  organized by the state university office. The video recording
   86  for an event organized by the state university office must be
   87  posted on the state university’s office’s website within 10
   88  business days after the event. Such video must remain publicly
   89  accessible on the state university’s office’s website for at
   90  least 1 year 5 years after the date of the event. Such videos
   91  must also be permanently preserved within, and made available to
   92  the public through, the library of the state university that
   93  hosted the event.
   94         (4) Upon approval of the board of trustees of the state
   95  university and the Board of Governors, a state university may
   96  assign the duties of the office to an existing administrative
   97  office within the state university rather than establish a
   98  separate office.
   99         (5) Each office shall report directly to either the state
  100  university’s office that is responsible for compiling and
  101  reporting the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System’s
  102  graduation rate survey or Office of General Counsel.
  103         (6) Each debate and group forum organized under subsection
  104  (3) by the office must be open to all students, faculty, and
  105  staff of the state university and, unless restricting attendance
  106  to such event is necessary to achieve a compelling governmental
  107  interest, to the general public.
  108  
  109  ================= T I T L E  A M E N D M E N T ================
  110  And the title is amended as follows:
  111         Between lines 52 and 53
  112  insert:
  113         1001.93, F.S.; deleting a requirement for each state
  114         university to have an Office of Public Policy Events;
  115         deleting a requirement that each state university
  116         appoint a Director of Public Policy Events; revising
  117         the timeframe within which a video recording of a
  118         debate or group forum must remain publicly accessible;
  119         making technical changes; amending s.