Florida Senate - 2013              PROPOSED COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE
       Bill No. SB 920
       
       
       
       
       
                                Barcode 466020                          
       
       581-02115-13                                                    
       Proposed Committee Substitute by the Committee on Education
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to college tuition; amending s.
    3         1009.24, F.S.; providing that resident undergraduate
    4         tuition and student fees at a state university remain
    5         unchanged for certain undergraduate students;
    6         providing an effective date.
    7  
    8  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
    9  
   10         Section 1. Present subsection (19) of section 1009.24,
   11  Florida Statutes, is redesignated as subsection (20) of that
   12  section, a new subsection (19) is added to that section, and
   13  subsection (4) of that section is amended, to read:
   14         1009.24 State university student fees.—
   15         (4)(a) Effective July 1, 2011, the resident undergraduate
   16  tuition for lower-level and upper-level coursework shall be
   17  $103.32 per credit hour.
   18         (b) Beginning with the 2008-2009 fiscal year and each year
   19  thereafter, the resident undergraduate tuition per credit hour
   20  shall increase at the beginning of each fall semester at a rate
   21  equal to inflation, unless:
   22         1. Otherwise provided in the General Appropriations Act.
   23  The Office of Economic and Demographic Research shall report the
   24  rate of inflation to the President of the Senate, the Speaker of
   25  the House of Representatives, the Governor, and the Board of
   26  Governors each year prior to March 1. For purposes of this
   27  paragraph, the rate of inflation shall be defined as the rate of
   28  the 12-month percentage change in the Consumer Price Index for
   29  All Urban Consumers, U.S. City Average, All Items, or successor
   30  reports as reported by the United States Department of Labor,
   31  Bureau of Labor Statistics, or its successor for December of the
   32  previous year. In the event the percentage change is negative,
   33  the resident undergraduate tuition shall remain at the same
   34  level as the prior fiscal year.
   35         2. Tuition remains unchanged for 4 years as provided in
   36  this subparagraph. Beginning with the 2013-2014 academic year
   37  and each year thereafter, the resident undergraduate tuition for
   38  lower-level and upper-level coursework, as provided under
   39  paragraph (a), shall remain unchanged for 4 consecutive years,
   40  beginning with the time of initial enrollment at a state
   41  university for an undergraduate student who:
   42         a. Enrolls full time at a state university for the first
   43  time beginning the 2013 fall semester or during an academic term
   44  thereafter;
   45         b. Remains continuously enrolled at the state university
   46  for 4 consecutive years;
   47         c. Qualifies as a resident for tuition purposes pursuant to
   48  s. 1009.21; and
   49         d. Completes degree requirements within 4 academic years,
   50  unless the degree requirements for an academic program exceed
   51  120 semester hours as approved by the Board of Governors
   52  pursuant to s. 1007.25(8).
   53         (c) The Board of Governors, or the board’s designee, may
   54  establish tuition for graduate and professional programs, and
   55  out-of-state fees for all programs. Except as otherwise provided
   56  in this section, the sum of tuition and out-of-state fees
   57  assessed to nonresident students must be sufficient to offset
   58  the full instructional cost of serving such students. However,
   59  adjustments to out-of-state fees or tuition for graduate
   60  programs and professional programs may not exceed 15 percent in
   61  any year.
   62         (d) The Board of Governors may consider and approve
   63  flexible tuition policies as requested by a university board of
   64  trustees in accordance with the provisions of subsection (15)
   65  only to the extent such policies are in alignment with the
   66  mission of the university and do not increase the state’s fiscal
   67  liability or obligations, including, but not limited to, any
   68  fiscal liability or obligation for programs authorized under ss.
   69  1009.53-1009.538 and ss. 1009.97-1009.984.
   70         (e) The sum of the activity and service, health, and
   71  athletic fees a student is required to pay to register for a
   72  course shall not exceed 40 percent of the tuition established in
   73  law or in the General Appropriations Act. No university shall be
   74  required to lower any fee in effect on the effective date of
   75  this act in order to comply with this subsection. Within the 40
   76  percent cap, universities may not increase the aggregate sum of
   77  activity and service, health, and athletic fees more than 5
   78  percent per year, or the same percentage increase in tuition
   79  authorized under paragraph (b), whichever is greater, unless
   80  specifically authorized in law or in the General Appropriations
   81  Act. A university may increase its athletic fee to defray the
   82  costs associated with changing National Collegiate Athletic
   83  Association divisions. Any such increase in the athletic fee may
   84  exceed both the 40 percent cap and the 5 percent cap imposed by
   85  this subsection. Any such increase must be approved by the
   86  athletic fee committee in the process outlined in subsection
   87  (12) and cannot exceed $2 per credit hour. Notwithstanding the
   88  provisions of ss. 1009.534, 1009.535, and 1009.536, that portion
   89  of any increase in an athletic fee pursuant to this subsection
   90  that causes the sum of the activity and service, health, and
   91  athletic fees to exceed the 40 percent cap or the annual
   92  increase in such fees to exceed the 5 percent cap shall not be
   93  included in calculating the amount a student receives for a
   94  Florida Academic Scholars award, a Florida Medallion Scholars
   95  award, or a Florida Gold Seal Vocational Scholars award.
   96  Notwithstanding this paragraph and subject to approval by the
   97  board of trustees, each state university is authorized to exceed
   98  the 5-percent cap on the annual increase to the aggregate sum of
   99  activity and service, health, and athletic fees for the 2010
  100  2011 fiscal year. Any such increase shall not exceed 15 percent
  101  or the amount required to reach the 2009-2010 fiscal year
  102  statewide average for the aggregate sum of activity and service,
  103  health, and athletic fees at the main campuses, whichever is
  104  greater. The aggregate sum of the activity and service, health,
  105  and athletic fees shall not exceed 40 percent of tuition. Any
  106  increase in the activity and service fee, health fee, or
  107  athletic fee must be approved by the appropriate fee committee
  108  pursuant to subsection (10), subsection (11), or subsection
  109  (12).
  110         (f) This subsection does not prohibit a university from
  111  increasing or assessing optional fees related to specific
  112  activities if payment of such fees is not required as a part of
  113  registration for courses.
  114         (19) For a resident undergraduate student who meets the
  115  requirements of subparagraph (4)(b)2., the fees may not, for 4
  116  years, exceed the fees established by the state university at
  117  the time of the student’s initial enrollment at the state
  118  university.
  119         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2013.