Senate Bill sb1356c2
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Florida Senate - 2002 CS for CS for SB 1356
By the Committees on Education; Governmental Oversight and
Productivity; and Senators Lawson and Brown-Waite
304-2313-02
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to education and training
3 opportunities for state employees; amending s.
4 110.1099, F.S.; authorizing certain state
5 employees to enroll in courses without paying
6 matriculation fees on a space-available basis;
7 providing for appropriation of funds to
8 reimburse education institutions for
9 administrative costs; defining the term "state
10 employee"; providing duties of the Department
11 of Education, the Auditor General and the State
12 Comptroller; providing that the department
13 shall request community colleges to provide
14 evening and weekend programs; clarifying
15 provisions and deleting obsolete provisions;
16 providing an effective date.
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18 WHEREAS, space-available tuition waivers have been
19 offered to Florida's state employees as an important benefit
20 to allow productive employees an opportunity to enhance their
21 education, and
22 WHEREAS, valued and valuable employees, and potential
23 employees, have always considered space-available tuition
24 waivers to be of tremendous benefit, and
25 WHEREAS, one of the most effective methods for
26 accomplishing tasks more efficiently is to provide access to
27 education and training, and
28 WHEREAS, with fewer employees handling more tasks,
29 education and training provide avenues to meet these
30 challenges, enhance performance, and reward outstanding
31 productivity, and
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Florida Senate - 2002 CS for CS for SB 1356
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1 WHEREAS, the results of this benefit will be a more
2 educated, well-rounded, productive, driven, appreciative, and
3 efficient workforce, NOW, THEREFORE,
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5 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
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7 Section 1. Subsections (1), (2), and (5) of section
8 110.1099, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
9 110.1099 Education and training opportunities for
10 state employees.--
11 (1)(a) Education and training are an integral
12 component in improving the delivery of services to the public.
13 Recognizing that the application of productivity-enhancing
14 technology and practice demands continuous educational and
15 training opportunities, a state employee may be authorized to
16 receive a voucher or grant, for matriculation fees, to attend
17 work-related courses at public community colleges, public
18 technical centers, or public universities or colleges. A state
19 employee receiving a voucher or grant shall not be required to
20 pay any other fees assessed for enrollment in a work-related
21 course. Student credit hours generated by state employee fee
22 waivers shall be fundable credit hours. The department may
23 implement the provisions of this paragraph section from funds
24 appropriated to the department for this purpose. In the event
25 insufficient funds are appropriated to the department, each
26 state agency may supplement these funds to support the
27 training and education needs of its employees from funds
28 appropriated to the agency.
29 (b)1. As a benefit to employers and employees of the
30 state, subject to the approval of an employee's agency head, a
31 state employee who is not employed by a public university or
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Florida Senate - 2002 CS for CS for SB 1356
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1 college may enroll without paying matriculation fees for up to
2 6 credit hours of courses per term on a space-available basis
3 at a public community college or public university or college
4 without paying matriculation fees or any other fees assessed
5 for enrollment in a course. In order to be eligible for this
6 benefit, the state employee must comply with the minimum
7 requirements of the institution attended, both as to
8 discipline and scholarship. From funds appropriated by the
9 Legislature for implementation of this paragraph, public
10 community colleges and public universities and colleges shall
11 be reimbursed for administrative costs on a pro rata basis
12 according to cost-assessment data developed by the Department
13 of Education.
14 2. The State Comptroller, or his or her successor, in
15 cooperation with the public community colleges and public
16 universities and colleges, shall ease the administrative
17 burden on the individual institutions by facilitating the
18 verification of state employment.
19 3. The Auditor General shall include a review of the
20 cost-assessment data in conjunction with his or her audit
21 responsibilities for the Department of Education.
22 (c) For purposes of this section, the term "state
23 employee" means all persons who are full-time or part-time
24 employees of the legislative, judicial, or executive branches
25 of state government, except those persons who are employed by
26 a public university or college.
27 (b) For the 2001-2002 fiscal year only and
28 notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph (a), state
29 employees may not be authorized to receive fundable tuition
30 waivers on a space-available basis. This paragraph expires
31 July 1, 2002.
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Florida Senate - 2002 CS for CS for SB 1356
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1 (2) The department, in conjunction with the agencies,
2 shall request that public community colleges and public
3 universities and colleges provide evening and weekend programs
4 for state employees. When evening and weekend training and
5 educational programs are not available, an employee may be
6 authorized to take paid time off during his or her regular
7 working hours for training and career development, as provided
8 in s. 110.105(1), if such training benefits the employer as
9 determined by that employee's agency head.
10 (5) The Department of Management Services, in
11 consultation with the agencies and, to the extent applicable,
12 with Florida's public community colleges, public technical
13 centers, and public universities and colleges, shall adopt
14 rules to administer this section.
15 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2002.
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17 STATEMENT OF SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES CONTAINED IN
COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
18 CS for Senate Bill 1356
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20 State employees receiving vouchers or grants for matriculation
fees for work related courses taken at public community
21 colleges, colleges, or universities are not to be charged
additional enrollment fees for the courses. In addition, state
22 employees taking courses on a space available basis at public
postsecondary institutions are not to be charged matriculation
23 or other enrollment fees.
24 For purposes of the bill, state employees are defined as
employees of the legislative, judicial, or executive branches
25 of government. Employees of public colleges or universities
are not included in the definition.
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