Florida Senate - 2021 SB By Senator Perry 8-01365A-21 20211798__ CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. A bill to be entitled

An act relating to higher education; amending s. 2 1009.26, F.S.; requiring a state university to waive the tuition and fees for certain courses in which certain resident students are enrolled; providing specified criteria for such waiver; providing applicability; prohibiting the reporting of tuition and fees waived for state funding purposes; requiring each state university to report certain information regarding such waiver to the Board of Governors annually; providing that a state university is ineligible for a specified performance-based incentive for failure to comply; requiring the board to adopt regulations; providing an effective date. 14

Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 16

Section 1. Subsection (18) is added to

section 1009.26, 18 Florida Statutes, to read: 19 1009.26 Fee waivers.— 20 (18)(

a) Beginning with the 2021-2022 academic year, for every course in a program of strategic emphasis in which a student pays the full tuition and fees, a state university shall waive percent of the tuition and fees for another course in a program of strategic emphasis for a student who: 25 1. Is a resident for tuition purposes under s. 1009.21. 26 2. Initially enrolls full-time at a state university for the fall academic term immediately following high school graduation. 29 Florida Senate - 2021 SB 1798 8-01365A-21 20211798__ CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. 3.

Earns at least semester credit hours towards a baccalaureate degree within years after initial enrollment. 31 4. Enrolls in a program of strategic emphasis in one of the following categories as identified by the Board of Governors: 33 a. Science, technology, engineering, or math. 34 b. Critical workforce education. 35 c. Critical workforce healthcare. 36 d. Critical workforce and undersupplied. 37

(

b) A waiver granted under this subsection is applicable only for upper-level courses and up to percent of the number of required credit hours of the baccalaureate degree program for which the student is enrolled. 41

(

c) Tuition and course fees waived under this subsection may not be reported for state funding purposes. 43

(

d) Each state university shall report to the Board of Governors the number and value of all waivers granted annually under this subsection. A state university that fails to comply with the requirements of this

section is ineligible for the State University System Performance-Based Incentive under s. 48 1001.92. 49

(

e) The Board of Governors shall adopt regulations to administer this subsection. 51

Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2021. 52