Senate Bill 1854c1

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    Florida Senate - 1998                           CS for SB 1854

    By the Committee on Education and Senator Kirkpatrick





    304-2205-98

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to the State University System;

  3         amending s. 240.235, F.S.; authorizing each

  4         university president to submit a plan to the

  5         Board of Regents to increase matriculation and

  6         tuition fees for specified professional

  7         programs; providing a limit on such increase;

  8         specifying certain contents of plans; providing

  9         for the retention of revenue; amending s.

10         240.4042, F.S.; conforming a cross-reference;

11         providing an effective date.

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

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15         Section 1.  Present subsections (2) through (9) of

16  section 240.235, Florida Statutes, are renumbered as

17  subsections (3) through (10), respectively, and a new

18  subsection (2) is added to that section to read:

19         240.235  Fees.--

20         (2)  Notwithstanding any provision of chapter 240 to

21  the contrary, each university president may submit a plan to

22  the Board of Regents to increase matriculation and tuition

23  fees for any one or more of its first-professional programs to

24  a level not to exceed 110 percent of the average full-time

25  tuition at all public universities for the first-professional

26  program as reported by the United States Department of

27  Education National Center for Education Statistics. For

28  purposes of this subsection, first-professional programs

29  include dentistry, medicine, pharmacy, veterinary medicine,

30  and law. The plan may provide for such increases to take place

31  over a period of 3 to 5 years, with automatic adjustments

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    Florida Senate - 1998                           CS for SB 1854
    304-2205-98




  1  thereafter. If approved by the Board of Regents, the plan

  2  shall be implemented without further review or approval. Each

  3  plan shall include a provision for need-based financial

  4  assistance to those students who may be denied access because

  5  of such tuition increases. Any revenue generated as a result

  6  of the fee differential established pursuant to this

  7  subsection shall be retained by the university. The plan must

  8  be recommended by a university committee, at least one-half of

  9  whom are students appointed by the student body president. The

10  remainder of the committee shall be appointed by the

11  university president. A chairperson, appointed jointly by the

12  university president and the student body president, may vote

13  only in case of a tie.  The recommendations of the committee

14  shall take effect only after approval by the university

15  president.

16         Section 2.  Subsection (3) of section 240.4042, Florida

17  Statutes, is amended to read:

18         240.4042  Financial aid appeal process.--

19         (3)  A student involved in a financial aid appeal

20  proceeding is eligible for a deferral of registration and fee

21  payments pursuant to s. 240.235(3)(2).

22         Section 3.  This act shall take effect July 1 of the

23  year in which enacted.

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    Florida Senate - 1998                           CS for SB 1854
    304-2205-98




  1          STATEMENT OF SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES CONTAINED IN
                       COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
  2                             SB 1854

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  4  The Committee Substitute would limit the fee increases to 110
    percent of the national average tuition at public
  5  universities, rather than all universities.

  6  It would retain the limitations on nonresident enrollment in
    first-professional programs at their current levels.
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    It would require a plan to raise tuition to be recommended by
  8  a university committee composed of at least one-half student
    members.
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