House Bill 0573

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    Florida House of Representatives - 2000                 HB 573

        By Representatives Detert and Bilirakis






  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to benefits for district school

  3         instructional personnel; amending s. 110.1099,

  4         F.S.; providing educational and training

  5         opportunities for instructional personnel

  6         employed by district school boards in the same

  7         manner and to the same extent as currently

  8         provided for state employees; amending s.

  9         121.021, F.S.; providing for a separate normal

10         retirement date for such instructional

11         personnel under the Florida Retirement System;

12         providing an effective date.

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

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16         Section 1.  Section 110.1099, Florida Statutes, is

17  amended to read:

18         110.1099  Education and training opportunities for

19  state employees and certain employees of district school

20  boards.--

21         (1)  Education and training are an integral component

22  in improving the delivery of services to the public.

23  Recognizing that the application of productivity-enhancing

24  technology and practice demand continuous educational and

25  training opportunities, state employees and instructional

26  personnel of the district school boards may be authorized to

27  receive fundable tuition waivers on a space-available basis or

28  vouchers to attend work-related courses at public

29  universities. Student credit hours generated by state employee

30  and instructional personnel of the district school boards fee

31  waivers shall be fundable credit hours.

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    Florida House of Representatives - 2000                 HB 573

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  1         (2)  The department, in conjunction with the agencies

  2  and the district school boards, shall request that such

  3  institutions provide evening and weekend programs for state

  4  employees and instructional personnel of the district school

  5  boards. When evening and weekend training and educational

  6  programs are not available, employees may be authorized to

  7  take paid time off during their regular working hours for

  8  training and career development, as provided in s. 110.105(1),

  9  if such training benefits the employer.

10         (3)  Employees who exhibit superior aptitude and

11  performance may be authorized to take paid educational leaves

12  of absence for up to 1 academic year at a time, for specific

13  approved work-related education and training.

14         (4)  Such employees must enter into contracts to return

15  to state employment for a period of time equal to the length

16  of the leave of absence or refund salary and benefits paid

17  during their educational leaves of absence.

18         (5)  The Department of Management Services, in

19  consultation with the agencies , the district school boards,

20  and, to the extent applicable, Florida's public postsecondary

21  educational institutions, shall adopt rules to implement and

22  administer this section.

23         (6)  As a precondition to approving an employee's

24  training request, an agency or the judicial branch may require

25  an employee to enter into an agreement that requires the

26  employee to reimburse the agency or judicial branch for the

27  registration fee or similar expense for any training or

28  training series when the cost of the fee or similar expense

29  exceeds $1,000 if the employee voluntarily terminates

30  employment or is discharged for cause from the agency or

31  judicial branch within a specified period of time not

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    Florida House of Representatives - 2000                 HB 573

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  1  exceeding 4 years after the conclusion of the training. This

  2  subsection does not apply to any training program that an

  3  agency or the judicial branch requires the employee to attend.

  4  An agency or the judicial branch may pay the outstanding

  5  balance then due and owing on behalf of a state employee under

  6  this subsection in connection with recruitment and hiring of

  7  such state employee.

  8         Section 2.  Subsection (29) of section 121.021, Florida

  9  Statutes, is amended to read:

10         121.021  Definitions.--The following words and phrases

11  as used in this chapter have the respective meanings set forth

12  unless a different meaning is plainly required by the context:

13         (29)  "Normal retirement date" means the first day of

14  any month following the date a member attains one of the

15  following statuses:

16         (a)  1.  If a Regular Class member, the member:

17         a.1.  Completes 10 or more years of creditable service

18  and attains age 62; or

19         b.2.  Completes 30 years of creditable service,

20  regardless of age, which may include a maximum of 4 years of

21  military service credit as long as such credit is not claimed

22  under any other system.

23         2.  If a Regular Class member, and the member is

24  employed by a district school board as a member of the

25  instructional personnel, the member completes 25 years of

26  creditable service regardless of age, which may include a

27  maximum of 4 years of military service credit as long as such

28  credit is not claimed under any other system.

29         (b)  If a Special Risk Class member, the member:

30         1.  Completes 10 or more years of creditable service in

31  the Special Risk Class and attains age 55;

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    Florida House of Representatives - 2000                 HB 573

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  1         2.  Completes 25 years of creditable service in the

  2  Special Risk Class, regardless of age; or

  3         3.  Completes 25 years of creditable service and

  4  attains age 52, which service may include a maximum of 4 years

  5  of military service credit as long as such credit is not

  6  claimed under any other system and the remaining years are in

  7  the Special Risk Class.

  8         (c)  If a Senior Management Service Class member, the

  9  member:

10         1.  Completes 7 years of creditable service in the

11  Senior Management Service Class and attains age 62; or

12         2.  Completes 30 years of any creditable service,

13  regardless of age, which may include a maximum of 4 years of

14  military service credit as long as such credit is not claimed

15  under any other system.

16         (d)  If an Elected Officers' Class member, the member:

17         1.  Completes 8 years of creditable service in the

18  Elected Officers' Class and attains age 62; or

19         2.  Completes 30 years of any creditable service,

20  regardless of age, which may include a maximum of 4 years of

21  military service credit as long as such credit is not claimed

22  under any other system.

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24  "Normal retirement age" is attained on the "normal retirement

25  date."

26         Section 3.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2000.

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    Florida House of Representatives - 2000                 HB 573

    724-109-00






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  2                          HOUSE SUMMARY

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      Provides for educational and training opportunities for
  4    instructional personnel employed by district school
      boards in the same manner and to the same extent as is
  5    currently provided for state employees.

  6
      Revises the definition of the term "normal retirement
  7    date" for the purposes of the Florida Retirement System
      to provide that a regular member of the system who is an
  8    employee of a district school board employed as a member
      of the instructional personnel reaches normal retirement
  9    date after completing 25 years of creditable service
      regardless of age.
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