Senate Bill 0068c1
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Florida Senate - 2000 CS for SB 68
By the Committee on Fiscal Policy and Senators Diaz-Balart and
Hargrett
309-2194-00
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to postsecondary education;
3 authorizing a college of law at Florida
4 International University and Florida
5 Agricultural and Mechanical University;
6 providing duties of the Board of Regents and
7 others; providing authority to accept grants
8 and other available funds; providing conditions
9 for cessation of a college of law; authorizing
10 certain scholarship recipients to attend a
11 college of law prior to its accreditation;
12 providing an effective date.
13
14 WHEREAS, this state does not provide adequate access to
15 public colleges of law to meet the growing demands of its
16 residents for legal education, and
17 WHEREAS, the residents of this state have not been
18 afforded sufficient opportunities to obtain a public legal
19 education and a need exists for colleges of law within the
20 State University System which can serve this demand, and
21 WHEREAS, minorities are not represented in proper
22 proportion with the practicing bar of this state, and
23 WHEREAS, additional public law schools, if established,
24 should be administered by the public universities whose
25 student enrollment best exemplifies the extent of diversity
26 within the total minority community in the state, and
27 WHEREAS, there are currently no part-time-study
28 programs at the existing public law schools, and
29 part-time-study programs attract significant numbers of
30 minority law school students, NOW, THEREFORE,
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Florida Senate - 2000 CS for SB 68
309-2194-00
1 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
2
3 Section 1. (1) A college of law is authorized at
4 Florida International University.
5 (2) The college of law at Florida International
6 University must be operated in compliance with the standards
7 approved by nationally recognized associations for accredited
8 colleges of law.
9 (3) The Board of Regents shall commence the planning
10 of a college of law at Florida International University. In
11 planning the college of law, the Board of Regents and the
12 State Board of Education may accept grants, donations, gifts,
13 and moneys available for this purpose, including moneys for
14 planning and constructing the college. The Board of Regents
15 may procure and accept any federal funds that are available
16 for the planning, creation, and establishment of the college
17 of law. Classes must commence by January 1, 2002. If the
18 college of law at Florida International University receives a
19 third disapproval of its application for provisional approval
20 or for full approval from the American Bar Association or any
21 other nationally recognized association for the accreditation
22 of colleges of law, the Board of Regents, or other relevant
23 agency, shall determine whether the college of law will cease
24 operations at the end of the full academic year subsequent to
25 the receipt by the college of law of any such third
26 disapproval, or whether the college of law will continue
27 operations, and any conditions for continued operations. If
28 the Board of Regents, or other relevant agency, elects to
29 cease operations of the college of law pursuant to this
30 section, the following conditions apply:
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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
Florida Senate - 2000 CS for SB 68
309-2194-00
1 (a) The authority for the college of law at Florida
2 International University and the authority of the Board of
3 Regents and the State Board of Education provided in this
4 section terminate upon the cessation of operations of the
5 college of law at Florida International University. The
6 college of law at Florida International University shall
7 receive no moneys allocated for the planning, construction, or
8 operation of the college of law after its cessation of
9 operations other than moneys to be expended for the cessation
10 of operations of the college of law. Any moneys allocated to
11 the college of law at Florida International University not
12 expended prior to or scheduled to be expended after the date
13 of the cessation of the college of law shall be appropriated
14 for other use by the Legislature of the State of Florida.
15 (b) Any buildings of the college of law at Florida
16 International University constructed from the expenditure of
17 capital outlay funds appropriated by the Legislature shall be
18 owned and managed by the Board of Regents upon the cessation
19 of the college of law.
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21 Nothing in this section shall undermine commitments to current
22 students receiving support as of the date of the enactment of
23 this section from the law school scholarship program of the
24 Florida Education Fund as provided in section 240.498(8),
25 Florida Statutes. Students attending the college of law at
26 Florida International University shall be eligible for
27 financial, academic, or other support from the Florida
28 Education Fund as provided in section 240.498(8), Florida
29 Statutes, without the college's obtaining accreditation by the
30 American Bar Association.
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Florida Senate - 2000 CS for SB 68
309-2194-00
1 (4) The college of law at Florida International
2 University shall be dedicated to providing opportunities for
3 minorities to attain representation within the legal
4 profession proportionate to their representation in the
5 general population; however, the college of law shall not
6 include preferences in the admissions process for applicants
7 on the basis of race, national origin, or sex.
8 Section 2. (1) A college of law is authorized at
9 Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University.
10 (2) The college of law at Florida Agricultural and
11 Mechanical University must be operated in compliance with the
12 standards approved by nationally recognized associations for
13 accredited colleges of law.
14 (3) The Board of Regents shall commence the planning
15 of a college of law at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical
16 University. In planning the college of law, the Board of
17 Regents and the State Board of Education may accept grants,
18 donations, gifts, and moneys available for this purpose,
19 including moneys for planning and constructing the college.
20 The Board of Regents may procure and accept any federal funds
21 that are available for the planning, creation, and
22 establishment of the college of law. Classes must commence by
23 January 1, 2002. If the college of law at Florida Agricultural
24 and Mechanical University receives a third disapproval of its
25 application for provisional approval or for full approval from
26 the American Bar Association or any other nationally
27 recognized association for the accreditation of colleges of
28 law, the Board of Regents, or other relevant agency, shall
29 determine whether the college of law shall cease operations at
30 the end of the full academic year subsequent to the receipt by
31 the college of law of any such third disapproval, or whether
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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
Florida Senate - 2000 CS for SB 68
309-2194-00
1 the college of law shall continue operations, and any
2 conditions for continued operations. If the Board of Regents,
3 or other relevant agency, elects to cease operations of the
4 college of law pursuant to this section, the following
5 conditions apply:
6 (a) The authority for the college of law at Florida
7 Agricultural and Mechanical University and the authority of
8 the Board of Regents and the State Board of Education provided
9 in this section shall terminate upon the cessation of
10 operations of the college of law at Florida Agricultural and
11 Mechanical University. The college of law at Florida
12 Agricultural and Mechanical University shall receive no moneys
13 allocated for the planning, construction, or operation of the
14 college of law after its cessation of operations other than
15 moneys to be expended for the cessation of operations of the
16 college of law. Any moneys allocated to the college of law at
17 Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University not expended
18 prior to or scheduled to be expended after the date of the
19 cessation of the college of law shall be appropriated for
20 other use by the Legislature of the State of Florida.
21 (b) Any buildings of the college of law at Florida
22 Agricultural and Mechanical University constructed from the
23 expenditure of capital outlay funds appropriated by the
24 Legislature shall be owned and managed by the Board of Regents
25 upon the cessation of the college of law.
26
27 Nothing in this section shall undermine commitments to current
28 students receiving support as of the date of the enactment of
29 this section from the law school scholarship program of the
30 Florida Education Fund as provided in section 240.498(8),
31 Florida Statutes. Students attending the college of law at
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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
Florida Senate - 2000 CS for SB 68
309-2194-00
1 Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University shall be
2 eligible for financial, academic, or other support from the
3 Florida Education Fund as provided in section 240.498(8),
4 Florida Statutes, without the college's obtaining
5 accreditation by the American Bar Association.
6 (3) The college of law at Florida Agricultural and
7 Mechanical University shall be dedicated to providing
8 opportunities for minorities to attain representation within
9 the legal profession proportionate to their representation in
10 the general population; however, the college of law shall not
11 include preferences in the admissions process for applicants
12 on the basis of race, national origin, or sex.
13 Section 3. This act shall be implemented as provided
14 in the General Appropriations Act.
15 Section 4. This act shall take effect upon becoming a
16 law.
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18 STATEMENT OF SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES CONTAINED IN
COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
19 Senate Bill 68
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21 Provides conditions that apply if either college of law fails
to attain accreditation after three applications and if the
22 Board of Regents requires the college of law to cease
operations.
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Delays by one year, until January 1, 2002, the date by which
24 classes must commence at the two new colleges of law.
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