Florida Senate - 2021 SB 1110
By Senator Diaz
36-00783-21 20211110__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to relations between postsecondary
3 institutions and communist regimes; amending s.
4 288.8175, F.S.; removing the Florida-China Institute
5 from the list of authorized Florida linkage
6 institutes; prohibiting the creation or funding of
7 linkage institutes based on agreements between the
8 Board of Governors or the State Board of Education and
9 a counterpart organization in a country governed by a
10 communist regime; requiring the Board of Governors and
11 the State Board of Education to withdraw from such
12 agreements by a specified date; creating s. 1004.061,
13 F.S.; defining the term “communist regime”;
14 prohibiting certain postsecondary institutions from
15 entering into specified agreements with a communist
16 regime, or an entity that is organized and exists
17 under the laws of a country governed by a communist
18 regime; requiring certain postsecondary institutions
19 to withdraw from such agreements by a specified date;
20 amending s. 1009.43, F.S.; prohibiting certain
21 programs of study from being located in a country
22 governed by a communist regime; providing an effective
23 date.
24
25 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
26
27 Section 1. Paragraph (e) of subsection (4) and subsection
28 (7) of section 288.8175, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
29 288.8175 Linkage institutes between postsecondary
30 institutions in this state and foreign countries.—
31 (4) The institutes are:
32 (e) Florida-China Institute (University of West Florida,
33 University of South Florida, and Eastern Florida State College).
34 (7)(a) A linkage institute may not be created or funded
35 except upon the recommendation of the Department of Education
36 and except by amendment to this section.
37 (b) A linkage institute may not be created or funded based
38 on an agreement between the Board of Governors or the State
39 Board of Education and a counterpart organization in a foreign
40 country governed by a communist regime as defined in s.
41 1004.061(1).
42 (c) The Board of Governors and the State Board of Education
43 shall withdraw from any agreement establishing a linkage
44 institute with a counterpart organization in a country governed
45 by a communist regime by January 1, 2022.
46 Section 2. Section 1004.061, Florida Statutes, is created
47 to read:
48 1004.061 Prohibited agreements.—
49 (1) As used in this section, the term “communist regime”
50 means a government, or a ruling party or individual, which
51 professes to subscribe to the doctrine of communism.
52 (2) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a Florida
53 College System institution, state university, Florida College
54 System institution direct-support organization, or state
55 university direct-support organization may not enter into an
56 agreement with a communist regime, or an entity that is
57 organized and exists under the laws of a country governed by a
58 communist regime, concerning research, development, courses, or
59 student or cultural exchange or to establish a campus.
60 (3) A Florida College System institution, state university,
61 Florida College System institution direct-support organization,
62 or state university direct-support organization shall withdraw
63 from any agreement prohibited by subsection (2) by January 1,
64 2022.
65 Section 3. Section 1009.43, Florida Statutes, is amended to
66 read:
67 1009.43 State student financial assistance; authorization
68 for use in program of study in another state or foreign
69 country.—A student who is enrolled in a public or private
70 postsecondary educational institution in this state may apply
71 state student financial assistance toward the cost of a program
72 of study in another state or a foreign country for a period of
73 up to 1 year, if the program of study is offered or promoted by
74 the Florida institution as an integral part of the academic
75 studies of that degree-seeking student or as a program that
76 would enhance the student’s academic experience. This program
77 must be approved by the president of the institution in this
78 state or by his or her designee; however, private, postsecondary
79 Florida institutions with out-of-state subsidiary institutions
80 are not authorized to make Florida residents attending their
81 out-of-state subsidiary institutions eligible for Florida
82 financial assistance. The program of study may not be located in
83 a country governed by a communist regime as defined in s.
84 1004.061(1).
85 Section 4. This act shall take effect July 1, 2021.