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.