Florida Senate - 2014 SB 1148
By the Committee on Education
581-01853-14 20141148__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to postsecondary education; amending
3 s. 1009.24, F.S.; deleting a provision relating to the
4 automatic rate of inflation increase in resident
5 undergraduate tuition per credit hour at state
6 universities; deleting a requirement that the Office
7 of Economic and Demographic Research annually report
8 the rate of inflation to the Governor, the
9 Legislature, and the Board of Governors; deleting the
10 definition of the term “rate of inflation”; lowering
11 the annual percentage increase allowed in the
12 aggregate sum of tuition and the tuition differential
13 at state universities; providing an effective date.
14
15 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
16
17 Section 1. Paragraph (b) of subsection (4) and paragraph
18 (b) of subsection (16) of section 1009.24, Florida Statutes, are
19 amended to read:
20 1009.24 State university student fees.—
21 (4)
22 (b) Beginning with the 2008-2009 fiscal year and each year
23 thereafter, the resident undergraduate tuition per credit hour
24 shall increase at the beginning of each fall semester at a rate
25 equal to inflation, unless otherwise provided in the General
26 Appropriations Act. If the rate is not provided in the General
27 Appropriations Act The Office of Economic and Demographic
28 Research shall report the rate of inflation to the President of
29 the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the
30 Governor, and the Board of Governors each year prior to March 1.
31 For purposes of this paragraph, the rate of inflation shall be
32 defined as the rate of the 12-month percentage change in the
33 Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers, U.S. City Average,
34 All Items, or successor reports as reported by the United States
35 Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, or its
36 successor for December of the previous year. In the event the
37 percentage change is negative, the resident undergraduate
38 tuition shall remain at the same level as the prior fiscal year.
39 (16) Each university board of trustees may establish a
40 tuition differential for undergraduate courses upon receipt of
41 approval from the Board of Governors. The tuition differential
42 shall promote improvements in the quality of undergraduate
43 education and shall provide financial aid to undergraduate
44 students who exhibit financial need.
45 (b) Each tuition differential is subject to the following
46 conditions:
47 1. The tuition differential may be assessed on one or more
48 undergraduate courses or on all undergraduate courses at a state
49 university.
50 2. The tuition differential may vary by course or courses,
51 campus or center location, and by institution. Each university
52 board of trustees shall strive to maintain and increase
53 enrollment in degree programs related to math, science, high
54 technology, and other state or regional high-need fields when
55 establishing tuition differentials by course.
56 3. For each state university that has total research and
57 development expenditures for all fields of at least $100 million
58 per year as reported annually to the National Science
59 Foundation, the aggregate sum of tuition and the tuition
60 differential may not be increased by more than 6 15 percent of
61 the total charged for the aggregate sum of these fees in the
62 preceding fiscal year. For each state university that has total
63 research and development expenditures for all fields of less
64 than $100 million per year as reported annually to the National
65 Science Foundation, the aggregate sum of tuition and the tuition
66 differential may not be increased by more than 6 15 percent of
67 the total charged for the aggregate sum of these fees in the
68 preceding fiscal year.
69 4. The aggregate sum of undergraduate tuition and fees per
70 credit hour, including the tuition differential, may not exceed
71 the national average of undergraduate tuition and fees at 4-year
72 degree-granting public postsecondary educational institutions.
73 5. The tuition differential shall not be included in any
74 award under the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program
75 established pursuant to ss. 1009.53-1009.538.
76 6. Beneficiaries having prepaid tuition contracts pursuant
77 to s. 1009.98(2)(b) which were in effect on July 1, 2007, and
78 which remain in effect, are exempt from the payment of the
79 tuition differential.
80 7. The tuition differential may not be charged to any
81 student who was in attendance at the university before July 1,
82 2007, and who maintains continuous enrollment.
83 8. The tuition differential may be waived by the university
84 for students who meet the eligibility requirements for the
85 Florida public student assistance grant established in s.
86 1009.50.
87 9. Subject to approval by the Board of Governors, the
88 tuition differential authorized pursuant to this subsection may
89 take effect with the 2009 fall term.
90 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2014.