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A bill to be entitled

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An act relating to postsecondary student fees; amending s.

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1009.22, F.S.; revising provisions relating to workforce

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education postsecondary student fees; prohibiting the fee

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from exceeding a certain percentage of the tuition per

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credit hour and the out-of-state fee; requiring that such

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fees be used to enhance instructional technology

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resources; prohibiting the fee from being included in any

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award under the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship

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Program; amending s. 1009.23, F.S.; conforming provisions

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relating to community college student fees to changes made

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by the act; amending s. 1009.24, F.S.; revising provisions

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relating to state university student fees; requiring a

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referendum of the student body in which a majority of the

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students vote to establish the technology fee; requiring

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each university board of trustees to report to the

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Legislature and the Board of Governors by a certain date

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each year regarding such fee; providing an effective date.

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

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     Section 1.  Subsection (7) of section 1009.22, Florida

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Statutes, is amended to read:

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     1009.22  Workforce education postsecondary student fees.--

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     (7)  Each district school board and community college board

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of trustees is authorized to establish a separate fee for

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technology, not to exceed 5 percent of the tuition per credit

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hour and the out-of-state fee $1.80 per credit hour or credit-

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hour equivalent for resident students and not more than $5.40 per

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credit hour or credit-hour equivalent for nonresident students,

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or the equivalent, to be used to enhance instructional technology

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resources for students and faculty and shall not be included in

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any award under the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program

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expended in accordance with technology improvement plans. The

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technology fee may apply only to associate degree programs and

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courses. Fifty percent of technology fee revenues may be pledged

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by a community college board of trustees as a dedicated revenue

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source for the repayment of debt, including lease-purchase

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agreements, not to exceed the useful life of the asset being

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financed. Revenues generated from the technology fee may not be

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bonded.

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     Section 2.  Subsections (3) and (10) of section 1009.23,

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Florida Statutes, are amended to read:

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     1009.23  Community college student fees.--

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     (3)(a)  Effective January 1, 2008, for advanced and

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professional, postsecondary vocational, college preparatory, and

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educator preparation institute programs, the following tuition

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and fee rates shall apply:

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     1. The sum of the standard tuition and the technology fee

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shall be $51.35 per credit hour for students who are residents

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for tuition purposes.

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     2. The sum of the standard tuition, the technology fee, and

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the out-of-state fee shall be $154.14 per credit hour for

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students who are nonresidents for tuition purposes.

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     (b)  Effective January 1, 2008, for baccalaureate degree

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programs, the following tuition and fee rates shall apply:

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     1. The sum of the tuition and the technology fee shall be

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$65.47 per credit hour for students who are residents for tuition

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purposes.

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     2. The sum of the tuition, the technology fee, and the out-

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of-state fee per credit hour for students who are nonresidents

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for tuition purposes shall be no more than 85 percent of the sum

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of the tuition and the out-of-state fee at the state university

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nearest the community college.

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     (c)  Beginning with the 2008-2009 fiscal year and each year

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thereafter, the tuition and fees specified in paragraphs (a) and

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(b) shall increase at the beginning of each fall semester at a

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rate equal to inflation, unless otherwise provided in the General

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Appropriations Act. The Office of Economic and Demographic

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Research shall report the rate of inflation to the President of

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the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the

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Governor, and the State Board of Education each year prior to

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March 1. For purposes of this paragraph, the rate of inflation

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shall be defined as the rate of the 12-month percentage change in

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the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers, U.S. City

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Average, All Items, or successor reports as reported by the

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United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, or

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its successor for December of the previous year. In the event the

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percentage change is negative, the sum of the tuition and the

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technology fee per credit hour and the out-of-state fee per

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credit hour shall remain at the same levels as the prior fiscal

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year.

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     (10)  Each community college board of trustees is authorized

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to establish a separate fee for technology, which may not exceed

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5 percent of the tuition per credit hour and the out-of-state fee

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$1.80 per credit hour or credit-hour equivalent for resident

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students and not more than $5.40 per credit hour or credit-hour

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equivalent for nonresident students, to be used to enhance

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instructional technology resources for students and faculty

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expended according to technology improvement plans. The

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technology fee may apply to both college credit and college-

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preparatory instruction and shall not be included in any award

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under the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program. Fifty

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percent of technology fee revenues may be pledged by a community

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college board of trustees as a dedicated revenue source for the

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repayment of debt, including lease-purchase agreements, not to

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exceed the useful life of the asset being financed. Revenues

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generated from the technology fee may not be bonded.

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     Section 3.  Paragraph (s) of subsection (13) of section

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1009.24, Florida Statutes, as created by section 5 of chapter

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2007-329, Laws of Florida, is amended to read:

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     1009.24  State university student fees.--

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     (13)  Each university board of trustees is authorized to

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establish the following fees:

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     (s)  A technology fee of up to 5 percent of the tuition per

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credit hour, beginning with the fall term of the 2009-2010

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academic year. The establishment of this fee is contingent upon a

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referendum of the student body in which a majority of the

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students participating in such referendum vote to support the

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establishment of the technology fee. The revenue from this fee

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shall be used to enhance instructional technology resources for

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students and faculty. By September 1 of each year, each board of

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trustees shall report to the President of the Senate, the Speaker

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of the House of Representatives, and the Board of Governors the

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total amount of revenue generated by the technology fee for the

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prior academic year and how the revenue was expended to support

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technology as required in this paragraph. The technology fee

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shall not be included in any award under the Florida Bright

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Futures Scholarship Program.

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     Section 4.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2008.