CS for SB 1728                                   First Engrossed
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       20211728e1
       
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to an out-of-state fee waiver for
    3         nonresident students; amending s. 1009.26, F.S.;
    4         requiring a state university to waive the out-of-state
    5         fee for a nonresident student who meets certain
    6         requirements; providing applicability; requiring each
    7         state university to report specified information
    8         regarding such out-of-state fee waivers to the Board
    9         of Governors annually; requiring that a student who is
   10         granted such out-of-state fee waiver be excluded from
   11         the limitation on the systemwide total enrollment of
   12         nonresident students; requiring the Board of Governors
   13         to adopt regulations; creating s. 1009.261, F.S.;
   14         enacting the Grandchild Out-of-State Fees Waiver
   15         Compact; providing the purposes of the compact;
   16         defining terms; requiring postsecondary educational
   17         institutions located within member states to waive
   18         out-of-state fees for students who meet specified
   19         criteria; providing that the waiver is applicable for
   20         up to a specified amount of credits; requiring member
   21         state postsecondary educational institutions to
   22         require a student, or the student’s parent if the
   23         student is a dependent child, to provide a written
   24         declaration verifying eligibility; requiring the
   25         eligible grandparent to provide proof of residency and
   26         honorable discharge; requiring the executive,
   27         legislative, and judicial branches of member state
   28         governments to enforce the compact; providing that the
   29         provisions of the compact have standing as statutory
   30         law; providing for the implementation, withdrawal, and
   31         amendment of the compact; providing construction;
   32         providing an effective date.
   33  
   34  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   35  
   36         Section 1. Subsection (18) is added to section 1009.26,
   37  Florida Statutes, to read:
   38         1009.26 Fee waivers.—
   39         (18)(a)A state university shall waive the out-of-state fee
   40  for a nonresident student from a state in compliance with s.
   41  1009.261 and who:
   42         1. Is a United States citizen.
   43         2.Has a grandparent who is a legal resident as defined in
   44  s. 1009.21(1)(d); has been residing in Florida for at least five
   45  years; and is an honorably discharged veteran of the United
   46  States Armed Forces, the United States Reserve Forces, or the
   47  National Guard.
   48         3.Earns a high school diploma comparable to a standard
   49  Florida high school diploma, or its equivalent, or completes a
   50  home education program.
   51         4.a.Achieves an SAT combined score no lower than the 89th
   52  national percentile on the SAT;
   53         b.Achieves an ACT score concordant to the required SAT
   54  score in sub-subparagraph a., using the latest published
   55  national concordance table developed jointly by the College
   56  Board and ACT, Inc.; or
   57         c.If a state university accepts the Classic Learning Test
   58  (CLT) for admission purposes, achieves a CLT score concordant to
   59  the required SAT score in sub-subparagraph a., using the latest
   60  published scoring comparison developed by Classic Learning
   61  Initiatives.
   62         5.Enrolls as a full-time undergraduate student at a state
   63  university in the fall academic term immediately following high
   64  school graduation.
   65         (b)The waiver under this subsection is applicable for up
   66  to 110 percent of the number of required credit hours of the
   67  degree program for which the student is enrolled.
   68         (c)Prior to waiving the out-of-state fee, the state
   69  university shall require:
   70         1. The student, or the student’s parent if the student is a
   71  dependent child, to provide a written declaration pursuant to s.
   72  92.525(2) verifying the student’s familial relationship to a
   73  grandparent who is a legal resident; and
   74         2. The eligible grandparent to provide proof of Florida
   75  residency and proof of honorable discharge.
   76         (d)Each state university shall report to the Board of
   77  Governors the number and value of all fee waivers granted
   78  annually under this subsection.
   79         (e)A nonresident student granted an out-of-state fee
   80  waiver under this subsection shall be excluded from the
   81  limitation on systemwide total enrollment of nonresident
   82  students established by regulation of the Board of Governors.
   83         (f)The Board of Governors shall adopt regulations to
   84  administer this subsection.
   85         Section 2. Section 1009.261, Florida Statutes, is created
   86  to read:
   87         1009.261Grandchild Out-of-State Fees Waiver Compact.—The
   88  Grandchild Out-of-State Fees Waiver Compact is enacted into law
   89  and entered into by this state with all other jurisdictions
   90  legally joining therein in the form substantially as follows:
   91  
   92                       GRANDCHILD OUT-OF-STATE                     
   93                         FEES WAIVER COMPACT                       
   94  
   95                              ARTICLE I                            
   96                       DECLARATION OF PURPOSE                      
   97  
   98         The general purposes of this compact are to:
   99         (1)Increase access to postsecondary education to students
  100  whose families are split between two or more states by reducing
  101  costs associated with out-of-state fees.
  102         (2)Encourage students to exercise their rights to travel
  103  and to choose the postsecondary education that best suits their
  104  needs.
  105         (3) Increase postsecondary educational choices.
  106         (4)Decrease the economic burden posed by postsecondary
  107  out-of-state fees.
  108  
  109                             ARTICLE II                            
  110                             DEFINITIONS                           
  111  
  112         As used in this compact, the term:
  113         (1) “Grandparent” means a person who has a legal
  114  relationship to a student’s parent as the natural or adopted
  115  parent or legal guardian of the student’s parent.
  116         (2) “Member state” means a state that has enacted this
  117  compact.
  118         (3) “Out-of-state fees” means any additional fee for
  119  instruction, which is charged to a student who does not qualify
  120  for the in-state tuition rate pursuant to the laws of a member
  121  state, imposed by a public postsecondary educational institution
  122  located within the member state. A charge for any other purpose
  123  may not be included within this fee.
  124         (4) “Postsecondary educational institution” means a public
  125  university or college located within a member state.
  126         (5) “State” includes the District of Columbia and any
  127  state, territory, or possession of the United States which
  128  oversees one or more public postsecondary educational
  129  institutions.
  130         (6) “Student’s parent” means a person who has a legal
  131  relationship to a student as the natural or adopted parent or
  132  legal guardian of the student.
  133  
  134                             ARTICLE III                           
  135                      OUT-OF-STATE FEES WAIVER                     
  136  
  137         (1)Postsecondary educational institutions located within
  138  each member state shall waive out-of-state fees for a
  139  nonresident student who:
  140         (a) Is a United States citizen.
  141         (b)Has a grandparent who is a legal resident under the
  142  applicable laws of the member state; has been residing in that
  143  state for at least five years; and is an honorably discharged
  144  veteran of the United States Armed Forces, the United States
  145  Reserve Forces, or the National Guard.
  146         (c)1.Achieves an SAT combined score no lower than the 89th
  147  national percentile on the SAT;
  148         2.Achieves an ACT score concordant to the SAT score
  149  required in subparagraph 1., as designated in the latest
  150  published national concordance table developed jointly by the
  151  College Board and ACT, Inc.; or
  152         3.Achieves a Classic Learning Test (CLT) score concordant
  153  to the required SAT score in subparagraph 1., as designated in
  154  the latest published scoring comparison developed by Classic
  155  Learning Initiatives, but only if the member state postsecondary
  156  educational institution accepts the CLT for admission purposes.
  157         (d)Enrolls as a full-time undergraduate student at a
  158  member state postsecondary educational institution in the fall
  159  academic term immediately following high school graduation.
  160         (2)The waiver under this compact is applicable for up to
  161  110 percent of the number of required credit hours of the degree
  162  program in which the student is enrolled.
  163         (3) Prior to waiving any out-of-state fees, a member state
  164  postsecondary educational institution shall require:
  165         (a) The student, or the student’s parent if the student is
  166  a dependent child, to provide a written declaration verifying
  167  the student’s familial relationship to a grandparent who is a
  168  legal resident of the member state; and
  169         (b) The eligible grandparent to provide proof of residency
  170  and proof of honorable discharge.
  171  
  172                             ARTICLE IV                            
  173                              OVERSIGHT                            
  174  
  175         The executive, legislative, and judicial branches of state
  176  government in each member state shall enforce this compact and
  177  take all actions necessary and appropriate to effectuate the
  178  compact’s purposes and intent. The provisions of this compact
  179  have standing as statutory law.
  180  
  181                              ARTICLE V                            
  182          DATE OF IMPLEMENTATION, WITHDRAWAL, AND AMENDMENT        
  183  
  184         (1)The compact shall take effect on the date on which it
  185  is enacted into law by two states. Thereafter it is effective as
  186  to any state upon its enactment by that state.
  187         (2)A member state may withdraw from this compact by
  188  repealing the statute in which it is enacted. A member state’s
  189  withdrawal may not take effect until 6 months after enactment of
  190  the repeal.
  191         (3)This compact may not be construed to invalidate or
  192  prohibit any law of a member state that does not conflict with
  193  the provisions of this compact.
  194         (4)This compact may be amended by the member states. An
  195  amendment to this compact is effective and binding after it is
  196  enacted into the laws of all member states.
  197  
  198                             ARTICLE VI                            
  199                    CONSTRUCTION AND SEVERABILITY                  
  200  
  201         This compact shall be liberally construed so as to
  202  effectuate its purposes. The provisions of this compact are
  203  severable, and if any phrase, clause, sentence, or provision
  204  thereof is declared to be contrary to the constitution of any
  205  state or to the Constitution of the United States, or the
  206  application thereof to any government, agency, person, or
  207  circumstance is held invalid, the validity of the remainder of
  208  this compact and the applicability thereof to any government,
  209  agency, person, or circumstance is not affected thereby. If this
  210  compact is held to be contrary to the constitution of any state
  211  participating therein, it remains in full force and effect as to
  212  the state affected as to all severable provisions.
  213         Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2021.