Senate Bill sb2558c1
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
Florida Senate - 2006 CS for SB 2558
By the Committee on Education; and Senator Saunders
581-2256-06
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to interscholastic athletics;
3 requiring the Florida High School Athletic
4 Association to hold certain bylaws in abeyance;
5 providing for creation of a task force to
6 review student athlete recruiting issues;
7 providing for task force membership and duties;
8 requiring recommendations to the Governor and
9 the Legislature; requiring the Office of
10 Program Policy Analysis and Government
11 Accountability to conduct a review of
12 recruiting violations by Florida High School
13 Athletic Association member schools; providing
14 an appropriation; providing an effective date.
15
16 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
17
18 Section 1. (1) The Florida High School Athletic
19 Association shall, until July 1, 2007, hold in abeyance the
20 2006-2007 revisions to sections 11.01, 11.02, 11.2, 11.3, and
21 11.4, Bylaws of the Florida High School Athletic Association,
22 relating to student athlete residence and transfer, adopted
23 pursuant to s. 1006.20, Florida Statutes.
24 (2) A Student Athlete Recruiting Task Force shall be
25 created to review issues concerning recruiting of secondary
26 school student athletes. The task force shall make
27 recommendations that preserve the parental right to school
28 choice while protecting the integrity of Florida's
29 interscholastic athletic programs. The task force shall
30 consider:
31 (a) The definition of recruiting.
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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
Florida Senate - 2006 CS for SB 2558
581-2256-06
1 (b) Current and proposed procedures governing
2 recruiting of secondary school student athletes.
3 (c) Documented past recruiting practices and
4 violations. Practices to be reviewed shall include, but not be
5 limited to, the provision of tuition scholarships and other
6 inducements, recruitment of foreign athletes, and active
7 solicitation of student athletes and parents by school
8 employees or boosters.
9 (d) The impact of student athlete recruiting rules on
10 parental school choice.
11 (e) The relationship between student athlete transfers
12 and recruiting, including the role of student athlete transfer
13 rules in preventing recruiting.
14 (f) Measures for preventing improper student athlete
15 recruiting and penalties for recruiting violations.
16 (3) The task force shall be comprised of
17 representatives from home school and public and private
18 secondary school proponents and opponents of the 2006-2007
19 revisions to the bylaws specified in subsection (1). The task
20 force members shall be appointed as follows:
21 (a) Three proponents of the bylaws and three opponents
22 of the bylaws each appointed by the President of the Senate.
23 (b) Three proponents of the bylaws and three opponents
24 of the bylaws each appointed by the Speaker of the House of
25 Representatives.
26 (c) A task force chair appointed by the Governor.
27 (4) Task force members shall serve without
28 compensation but shall be reimbursed for per diem and travel
29 expenses in accordance with s. 112.061, Florida Statutes.
30 (5) The task force shall be staffed by the Office of
31 Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability and be
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Florida Senate - 2006 CS for SB 2558
581-2256-06
1 monitored by the Department of Education. The chair shall
2 convene meetings of the task force as needed and shall ensure
3 that the recommendations are completed and forwarded on time.
4 (6) The task force shall hold its initial meeting not
5 later than June 1, 2006, and shall submit its recommendations
6 to the Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker
7 of the House of Representatives by January 1, 2007. The task
8 force shall dissolve upon rendering its recommendations.
9 Section 2. The Office of Program Policy Analysis and
10 Government Accountability shall conduct an independent review
11 of secondary school recruiting violations among Florida High
12 School Athletic Association member schools and shall have full
13 access to Florida High School Athletic Association records for
14 the purpose of this review.
15 Section 3. The sum of $60,000 is appropriated from the
16 General Revenue Fund to the Office of Program Policy Analysis
17 and Government Accountability for the 2006-2007 fiscal year to
18 support the work of the Student Athlete Recruiting Task Force.
19 Section 4. This act shall take effect upon becoming a
20 law.
21
22 STATEMENT OF SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES CONTAINED IN
COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
23 Senate Bill 2558
24
25 The committee substitute deletes the revisions to the
eligibility requirements for student athletes. The committee
26 substitute also delays the effective date until July 1, 2007,
for implementing the Florida High School Athletic
27 Association's (FHSSA) revised bylaws. It creates a student
athlete recruiting task force to review issues related to
28 recruiting student athletes and requires recommendations by
January 1, 2007. The committee substitute also requires the
29 Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government
Accountability (OPPAGA) to independently review recruiting
30 violations among FHSSA's member schools and provides an
appropriation of $60,000 from General Revenue to fund OPPAGA
31 in 2006-2007 to support the task force's work.
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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.