| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to interscholastic athletics; requiring |
| 3 | the Florida High School Athletic Association to hold |
| 4 | certain bylaws in abeyance; providing for creation of a |
| 5 | task force to review student athlete recruiting issues; |
| 6 | providing for task force membership and duties; requiring |
| 7 | recommendations to the Governor and the Legislature; |
| 8 | requiring the Office of Program Policy Analysis and |
| 9 | Government Accountability to conduct a review of |
| 10 | recruiting violations by Florida High School Athletic |
| 11 | Association member schools; providing an appropriation; |
| 12 | providing an effective date. |
| 13 |
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| 14 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 15 |
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| 16 | Section 1. (1) The Florida High School Athletic |
| 17 | Association shall, until July 1, 2007, hold in abeyance the |
| 18 | 2006-2007 revisions to sections 11.01, 11.02, 11.2, 11.3, and |
| 19 | 11.4, Bylaws of the Florida High School Athletic Association, |
| 20 | relating to student athlete residence and transfer, adopted |
| 21 | pursuant to s. 1006.20, Florida Statutes. |
| 22 | (2) A Student Athlete Recruiting Task Force shall be |
| 23 | created to review issues concerning recruiting of secondary |
| 24 | school student athletes. The task force shall make |
| 25 | recommendations that preserve the parental right to school |
| 26 | choice while protecting the integrity of Florida's |
| 27 | interscholastic athletic programs. The task force shall |
| 28 | consider: |
| 29 | (a) The definition of recruiting. |
| 30 | (b) Current and proposed procedures governing recruiting |
| 31 | of secondary school student athletes. |
| 32 | (c) Documented past recruiting practices and violations. |
| 33 | Practices to be reviewed shall include, but not be limited to, |
| 34 | the provision of tuition scholarships and other inducements, |
| 35 | recruitment of foreign athletes, and active solicitation of |
| 36 | student athletes and parents by school employees or boosters. |
| 37 | (d) The impact of student athlete recruiting rules on |
| 38 | parental school choice. |
| 39 | (e) The relationship between student athlete transfers and |
| 40 | recruiting, including the role of student athlete transfer rules |
| 41 | in preventing recruiting. |
| 42 | (f) Measures for preventing improper student athlete |
| 43 | recruiting and penalties for recruiting violations. |
| 44 | (g) Policies to allow students attending private schools |
| 45 | that do not have athletic programs to participate in the |
| 46 | athletic programs at their assigned public school. |
| 47 | (3) The task force shall be comprised of representatives |
| 48 | from home school and public and private secondary school |
| 49 | proponents and opponents of the 2006-2007 revisions to the |
| 50 | bylaws specified in subsection (1). The task force members shall |
| 51 | be appointed as follows: |
| 52 | (a) Three proponents of the bylaws and three opponents of |
| 53 | the bylaws each appointed by the President of the Senate. |
| 54 | (b) Three proponents of the bylaws and three opponents of |
| 55 | the bylaws each appointed by the Speaker of the House of |
| 56 | Representatives. |
| 57 | (c) A task force chair appointed by the Governor. |
| 58 | (4) Task force members shall serve without compensation |
| 59 | but shall be reimbursed for per diem and travel expenses in |
| 60 | accordance with s. 112.061, Florida Statutes. |
| 61 | (5) The task force shall be staffed by the Office of |
| 62 | Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability and be |
| 63 | monitored by the Department of Education. The chair shall |
| 64 | convene meetings of the task force as needed and shall ensure |
| 65 | that the recommendations are completed and forwarded on time. |
| 66 | (6) The task force shall hold its initial meeting not |
| 67 | later than June 1, 2006, and shall submit its recommendations to |
| 68 | the Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of |
| 69 | the House of Representatives by January 1, 2007. The task force |
| 70 | shall dissolve upon rendering its recommendations. |
| 71 | Section 2. The Office of Program Policy Analysis and |
| 72 | Government Accountability shall conduct an independent review of |
| 73 | secondary school recruiting violations among Florida High School |
| 74 | Athletic Association member schools and shall have full access |
| 75 | to Florida High School Athletic Association records for the |
| 76 | purpose of this review. |
| 77 | Section 3. The sum of $60,000 is appropriated from the |
| 78 | General Revenue Fund to the Office of Program Policy Analysis |
| 79 | and Government Accountability for the 2006-2007 fiscal year to |
| 80 | support the work of the Student Athlete Recruiting Task Force. |
| 81 | Section 4. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law. |