Florida Senate - 2009                                    SB 2216
       
       
       
       By Senator Gaetz
       
       
       
       
       4-01594-09                                            20092216__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to state employee fee waivers;
    3         amending s. 1009.265, F.S.; revising provisions
    4         relating to the waiver of state university and
    5         community college tuition and fees for state
    6         employees; providing that distance learning and online
    7         courses are included in the types of courses available
    8         for the waiver; requiring that a state employee
    9         receive approval from his or her supervisor before
   10         using the waiver to take a course during normal
   11         working hours; requiring that the available space in a
   12         course be determined no later than the end of the
   13         drop-add period; prohibiting the use of the waiver for
   14         work on a dissertation or thesis, directed individual
   15         study, or other one-on-one instruction; authorizing
   16         state universities and community colleges to include
   17         credit hours generated by students who are using the
   18         waiver in the calculation of full-time equivalent
   19         enrollments for state funding purposes; providing an
   20         effective date.
   21  
   22  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   23  
   24         Section 1. Subsection (1) of section 1009.265, Florida
   25  Statutes, is amended to read:
   26         1009.265 State employee fee waivers.—
   27         (1) As a benefit to the employer and employees of the
   28  state, subject to approval by an employee's agency head or the
   29  equivalent, each state university and community college shall
   30  waive tuition and fees for state employees to enroll for up to 6
   31  credit hours of courses, including distance learning or online
   32  courses, per term on a space-available basis. The employee must
   33  have the approval of his or her supervisor before using the
   34  waiver to take a course during normal working hours. For
   35  purposes of implementing this section, the space available in a
   36  course must be determined no later than the end of the drop-add
   37  period based on the number of seats or capacity remaining in the
   38  course. The waiver may not be used for work on a dissertation or
   39  thesis, directed individual study (DIS), or other one-on-one
   40  instruction. Credit hours generated by students using a state
   41  employee fee waiver may be included in the calculation of full
   42  time equivalent enrollments for state funding purposes.
   43         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2009.