| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to university growth funding; creating s. |
| 3 | 1011.96, F.S.; requiring future enrollment growth funds to |
| 4 | be appropriated to the Department of Education or to a |
| 5 | trust fund to be distributed to public or nonpublic |
| 6 | postsecondary educational institutions providing |
| 7 | instruction in fields vital to the citizens of the state; |
| 8 | providing for a request for proposals and requirements of |
| 9 | such proposals; requiring establishment annually of a |
| 10 | priority list; providing for creation of a committee and |
| 11 | specifying terms and duties thereof; providing an |
| 12 | effective date. |
| 13 |
|
| 14 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 15 |
|
| 16 | Section 1. Section 1011.96, Florida Statutes, is created |
| 17 | to read: |
| 18 | 1011.96 University growth funding.-- |
| 19 | (1) To meet the critical workforce needs of Florida and to |
| 20 | maximize the number of diplomas, certificates, and degrees that |
| 21 | are awarded to postsecondary education students in fields vital |
| 22 | to the citizens of the state, beginning with the 2006-2007 |
| 23 | fiscal year, all future enrollment growth funds for state |
| 24 | universities, community colleges, and postsecondary workforce |
| 25 | education programs shall be appropriated by the Legislature to |
| 26 | the Department of Education or to an appropriate trust fund |
| 27 | administered by the department to be distributed according to |
| 28 | the provisions of this section. |
| 29 | (2) The department shall develop and issue a request for |
| 30 | proposals. In response to the request for proposals: |
| 31 | (a) A proposal may be made by an accredited public or |
| 32 | nonpublic postsecondary educational institution in the state |
| 33 | that provides postsecondary instruction in a field specified in |
| 34 | the priority list established pursuant to subsection (3). |
| 35 | (b) A proposal must indicate the number of postsecondary |
| 36 | diplomas, certificates, or degrees that the institution will |
| 37 | award using funds received pursuant to this section and the |
| 38 | fields in which the diplomas, certificates, or degrees will be |
| 39 | awarded. |
| 40 | (c) A proposal must indicate how the funds received will |
| 41 | leverage other grants and scholarships and how the funds will be |
| 42 | used to offset student tuition costs. |
| 43 | (3) By March 1 of each year, the chair of Workforce |
| 44 | Florida, Inc., shall advise the Legislature of the state's most |
| 45 | pressing workforce needs for postsecondary instruction and the |
| 46 | geographic locations of these needs. The Legislature shall |
| 47 | annually establish a priority list for funds provided pursuant |
| 48 | to this section in the General Appropriations Act. |
| 49 | (4) The rankings and decisions of the request-for- |
| 50 | proposals process shall be made by a committee based on the |
| 51 | priority list established pursuant to subsection (3). The |
| 52 | committee shall be composed of nine members appointed by the |
| 53 | Governor, none of whom may be elected officials. The members |
| 54 | shall serve staggered 4-year terms. In order to achieve |
| 55 | staggered terms, of the initial appointments, three members |
| 56 | shall serve 2-year terms, three members shall serve 3-year |
| 57 | terms, and three members shall serve 4-year terms. |
| 58 | Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2005. |