Senate Bill sb0850c1

    Florida Senate - 2007                            CS for SB 850

    By the Committee on Higher Education; and Senator Lawson





    589-2565-07

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to postsecondary student fees;

  3         amending s. 1009.24, F.S.; authorizing state

  4         universities to charge a technology fee under

  5         certain circumstances; providing certain

  6         procedures for establishing and implementing

  7         such fee; requiring a referendum and a vote

  8         before university boards of trustees may

  9         consider establishing such a fee; providing

10         requirements concerning the referendum;

11         specifying fee limits; providing for alteration

12         of an established fee by university boards of

13         trustees after approval of a technology fee

14         committee, the university president, and the

15         president of the student government of the

16         university; providing for membership of and

17         appointment to the committee; specifying limits

18         concerning fee changes; providing that the fee

19         may not be included in certain awards;

20         providing requirements for the expenditure of

21         funds received from the fee; providing that any

22         funds unexpended at the end of a fiscal year

23         remain available for expenditure during the

24         next fiscal year; providing an effective date.

25  

26  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

27  

28         Section 1.  Subsections (12), (13), and (14) of section

29  1009.24, Florida Statutes, are redesignated as subsections

30  (13), (14), and (15), respectively, and a new subsection (12)

31  is added to that section, to read:

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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.






    Florida Senate - 2007                            CS for SB 850
    589-2565-07




 1         1009.24  State university student fees.--

 2         (12)(a)  Each university board of trustees may

 3  establish a technology fee to be paid by all students if the

 4  fee is supported by the student body of each university

 5  wishing to establish the fee. Student support for establishing

 6  the fee shall be determined by a referendum of the student

 7  body conducted by the student government association upon a

 8  request for such a referendum from the president of the

 9  university. A university's board of trustees may not consider

10  establishment of the fee before a majority of the students

11  participating in the referendum vote for establishing a

12  technology fee. The referendum must include the proposed

13  amount of the fee and an explanation of what technologies will

14  be put into place or enhanced as a result of the fee being

15  established. Any subsequent change in the technology fee shall

16  be recommended by a technology fee committee, at least

17  one-half of whom must be students appointed by the student

18  body president. The remainder of the committee shall be

19  appointed by the university president. A chairperson,

20  appointed jointly by the university president and the student

21  body president, shall vote only in the case of a tie. The

22  committee's recommendation must be approved jointly by the

23  university president and the student body president before

24  being considered by the university board of trustees for final

25  approval.

26         (b)  A fee established under this section may not

27  exceed $10 per credit hour in the first year of

28  implementation. In subsequent years, any increase in the fee

29  established under this section may not exceed 8 percent per

30  year unless otherwise specifically authorized by law or in the

31  General Appropriations Act. A change in the technology fee may

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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.






    Florida Senate - 2007                            CS for SB 850
    589-2565-07




 1  occur only once each fiscal year and must be implemented

 2  beginning with the fall term. Notwithstanding ss. 1009.53 and

 3  1009.531, the technology fee may not be included in any award

 4  under such sections.

 5         (c)  The technology fee shall be expended for

 6  establishing or improving the use of technology that benefits

 7  the students directly and may not be expended on technology

 8  resources that are not intended for general student use. The

 9  university board of trustees may not establish a technology

10  fee under this section unless a majority of students voting in

11  the referendum votes to establish the fee. The amount charged

12  for the fee and expenditure of the funds received from the fee

13  must be in accordance with the referendum. Funds received from

14  the fee which are unexpended at the end of a fiscal year shall

15  be carried over and remain available for technology

16  expenditures consistent with this paragraph during the next

17  fiscal year.

18         Section 2.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2007.

19  

20          STATEMENT OF SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES CONTAINED IN
                       COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
21                         Senate Bill 850

22                                 

23  The committee substitute provides that a university board of
    trustees may not establish a technology fee without the
24  support of a majority of students in a referendum. The fee
    charged and technology expenditures must be in accordance with
25  the results of the student referendum.

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31  

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