Florida Senate - 2026 SENATOR AMENDMENT
Bill No. CS for SB 1246
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LEGISLATIVE ACTION
Senate . House
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Floor: WD .
03/12/2026 03:24 PM .
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Senator Davis moved the following:
1 Senate Amendment to House Amendment (271703) (with title
2 amendment)
3
4 Delete lines 5 - 159
5 and insert:
6 Section 1. Subsections (2), (3), and (5) through (9) of
7 section 1009.8962, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
8 1009.8962 Linking Industry to Nursing Education (LINE)
9 Fund.—
10 (2) Recognizing that the state has a persistent and growing
11 nursing shortage and shortages in other related health science
12 professions, it is the intent of the Legislature to address this
13 critical workforce need by incentivizing collaboration between
14 nursing and health science education programs and health care
15 partners that contribute monetary or nonmonetary contributions
16 through the establishment of the LINE Fund. This fund is
17 intended to meet local, regional, and state workforce demand by
18 recruiting faculty and clinical preceptors, increasing the
19 capacity of high-quality nursing and health science education
20 programs as outlined in the State Board of Education’s Career
21 and Technical Education Health Science curriculum framework, and
22 increasing the number of nursing and health science education
23 program graduates who are prepared and licensed to enter the
24 workforce.
25 (3) As used in this section, the term:
26 (a) “Health care partner” means a health care provider as
27 defined in s. 768.38(2) which is licensed to operate in this
28 state.
29 (b) “Health science” means a program that prepares
30 graduates to provide direct patient care or diagnostic services
31 that advance patient care in a health care setting as defined in
32 s. 408.802, that is outlined in the State Board of Education’s
33 Career and Technical Education Health Science curriculum
34 framework. For the purposes of this section, health science
35 includes:
36 1. Respiratory therapist.
37 2. Occupational therapist.
38 3. Medical laboratory technician.
39 4. Surgical technician.
40 5. Radiological technician.
41 (c)(b) “Institution” means a school district career center
42 under s. 1001.44; a charter technical career center under s.
43 1002.34; a Florida College System institution; a state
44 university; an independent nonprofit college or university
45 located and chartered in this state and accredited by an agency
46 or association that is recognized by the database created and
47 maintained by the United States Department of Education to grant
48 baccalaureate degrees; or an independent school, college, or
49 university with an accredited program as defined in s. 464.003
50 which is located in this state and licensed by the Commission
51 for Independent Education pursuant to s. 1005.31, or an
52 institution authorized under s. 1009.521, which has a nursing
53 education program that meets or exceeds the following:
54 1. For a certified nursing assistant program, a completion
55 rate of at least 75 70 percent for the prior year.
56 2. For a licensed practical nurse, associate of science in
57 nursing, and bachelor of science in nursing program, a first
58 time passage rate on the National Council of State Boards of
59 Nursing Licensing Examination of at least 75 percent for the
60 prior year based on a minimum of 10 testing participants.
61 (d)(c) “Student” means a person who is a resident for
62 tuition purposes pursuant to s. 1009.21 and enrolled in a
63 nursing education program at an institution or in a health
64 science education degree or certificate program at an
65 institution that is part of the State Board of Education’s
66 Career and Technical Education Health Science curriculum
67 framework.
68 (5) Subject to available funds, for every monetary or
69 nonmonetary contribution dollar contributed to an institution by
70 a health care partner or other person or entity, the fund shall
71 provide a dollar-to-dollar match to the participating
72 institution to implement the activities outlined in the
73 institution’s approved proposal. Subject to available funds, the
74 fund may also provide a dollar-to-dollar match to the
75 participating institution for every dollar contributed to an
76 institution or its direct-support organization by an individual
77 or entity that does not meet the definition of a health care
78 partner, provided the contribution supports an eligible purpose
79 of the LINE Fund. Monetary contributions from health care
80 partners must receive priority when awarding matching funds to
81 institutions.
82 (6)(a) Funds may be used for student scholarships;,
83 recruitment of additional faculty, preceptors, and students;
84 increasing program enrollment, program completion, and licensure
85 examination passage rates;, equipment, and facility renovation
86 or remodeling; and simulation centers; and internships to
87 advance high-quality nursing and health science education
88 programs throughout this the state.
89 (b) Funds may not be used for the construction of new
90 buildings, but may be used to expand, retrofit, or upgrade
91 existing facilities if the proposal will result in increased
92 program enrollments or improved or modernized educational or
93 simulation space for an institution’s nursing education program
94 students.
95 (7)(a) To participate, an institution’s president, chief
96 administrative officer, or designee institution must submit a
97 timely and completed proposal to the Board of Governors or
98 Department of Education, in a format prescribed by the Board of
99 Governors or Department of Education, as applicable.
100 (b) The proposal must identify a health care partner
101 located and licensed to operate in the state whose monetary
102 contributions will be matched by the fund on a dollar-to-dollar
103 basis.
104 (c) Allowable nonmonetary contributions are limited to the
105 following:
106 1. The value of the donated use of health care partner
107 employees as nursing education program instructors or
108 preceptors.
109 2. The value of the donated use of a health care partner’s
110 space or equipment by a nursing education program.
111 3. The value of donated educational or simulation
112 equipment.
113 4. Other similar quantifiable donated goods and services
114 deemed by the Board of Governors or Department of Education, as
115 applicable, to be good faith contributions that support the
116 goals of the LINE Fund.
117 (d) To accept nonmonetary contributions as health care
118 matching funds, the applicant and Board of Governors or
119 Department of Education, as applicable, must quantify the fair
120 market value of the contribution in dollars and certify that the
121 proposed contribution directly supports the goals of the LINE
122 Fund outlined in subsection (2).
123 (e) A proposal may not be composed solely of nonmonetary
124 contributions.
125 (8) The Board of Governors or Department of Education, as
126 applicable, must review and evaluate each completed and timely
127 submitted proposal according to the following minimum criteria,
128 where applicable:
129 (a) Whether monetary and nonmonetary contributions funds
130 committed by the health care partner will contribute to an
131 eligible purpose.
132 (b) How the institution plans to use the funds or
133 nonmonetary contribution, including how such funds or
134 nonmonetary contribution will be utilized to increase student
135 enrollment and program completion.
136 (c) How the health care partner will onboard and retain
137 graduates or otherwise improve the likelihood that graduates
138 will successfully join the state or local workforce.
139 (d) How the funds or nonmonetary contribution will be used
140 to expand the institution’s nursing and health science education
141 programs to meet local, regional, or state workforce demands. If
142 applicable, this shall include advanced education nursing
143 programs and how the funds or nonmonetary contribution will
144 increase the number of faculty and clinical preceptors and
145 planned efforts to utilize the clinical placement process
146 established in s. 14.36.
147 (9)(a) Each institution with an approved proposal shall
148 notify the Board of Governors or Department of Education, as
149 applicable, upon receipt of the health care partner provided
150 funds or nonmonetary contribution identified in the proposal.
151 The Board of Governors or Department of Education, as
152 applicable, shall release grant funds, on a dollar-for-dollar
153 basis, up to the amount of funds or the fair market value of the
154 nonmonetary contribution received by the institution, including
155 notifications made on a rolling or periodic basis.
156 (b) If deemed to meet the long-term goals of the LINE Fund,
157 the Board of Governors or Department of Education, as
158 applicable, may, but are not required to, award funds for an
159 approved proposal for up to 2 academic years immediately
160 following the academic year within which the initial approval is
161 granted. If the Board of Governors or Department of Education,
162 as applicable, approves a multiyear award to an institution, it
163 must notify the recipient that the award amount in subsequent
164 years is subject to a LINE Fund appropriation and the continued
165 notification of the health care partner’s contribution to match
166 the multiyear award of state funds.
167 (c) Annually, by February 1, each institution awarded grant
168 funds in the previous fiscal year shall submit a report to the
169 Board of Governors or Department of Education, as applicable,
170 that demonstrates the expansion as outlined in the proposal and
171 the use of funds. At minimum, the report must include, by
172 program level, the number of additional nursing and other
173 applicable health science education students enrolled; if
174 scholarships were awarded using grant funds, the number of
175 students who received scholarships and the average award amount;
176 and the outcomes of students as reported by the Office of
177 Reimagining Education and Career Help pursuant to s.
178 14.36(3)(l).
179 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026.
180
181 ================= T I T L E A M E N D M E N T ================
182 And the title is amended as follows:
183 Delete lines 165 - 189
184 and insert:
185 An act relating to the Linking Industry to Nursing
186 Education (LINE) Fund; amending s. 1009.8962, F.S.;
187 providing that the LINE Fund was established for
188 shortages in health science professions as well as for
189 nursing shortages; revising the intended purpose of
190 the fund; defining the term “health science”; revising
191 definitions; requiring that the fund match certain
192 contributions, subject to available funds; requiring
193 that monetary contributions from health care partners
194 receive priority when awarding matching funds to
195 institutions; revising how funds may be used; revising
196 participation requirements; providing allowable
197 nonmonetary contributions; providing conditions for
198 accepting nonmonetary contributions as health care
199 matching funds; prohibiting a proposal from being
200 composed solely of nonmonetary contributions; revising
201 criteria according to which each proposal must be
202 reviewed and evaluated; revising how grant funds shall
203 be released; authorizing the Board of Governors or the
204 department to award funds for a proposal for up to 2
205 academic years; providing requirements if a multiyear
206 award is granted; providing an effective date.