Florida Senate - 2009 SB 2584
By Senator Crist
12-01825C-09 20092584__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to state university student fees;
3 amending s. 1009.24, F.S.; requiring that the moneys
4 from the Capital Improvement Trust Fund be used for
5 the purpose of funding projects to benefit the student
6 body; requiring that each university establish a
7 Capital Improvement Trust Fund Committee; requiring
8 that the committee determine and recommend projects
9 that are eligible for funding; providing for committee
10 membership; requiring that the committee submit its
11 recommendations to the local board of trustees for
12 review, subject to the Board of Governors' approval,
13 only if the university president, in consultation with
14 the student body president, approves the
15 recommendations; requiring that each state university
16 board of trustees increase the activity and service
17 fees beginning in the 2009-2010 fiscal year in an
18 amount equal to $1 per credit hour; requiring that the
19 university appropriate the revenues from such fees to
20 its respective university alumni association to fund
21 programs, activities, and services that benefit the
22 student body; providing an effective date.
23
24 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
25
26 Section 1. Subsections (8), (9), and (10) of section
27 1009.24, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
28 1009.24 State university student fees.—
29 (8)(a) The Capital Improvement Trust Fund fee is
30 established as $2.44 per credit hour per semester. The building
31 fee is established as $2.32 per credit hour per semester.
32 (b) Moneys from the trust fund shall be used for the
33 purpose of funding projects of general benefit to the student
34 body.
35 (c) Each university shall establish a Capital Improvement
36 Trust Fund Committee for the purpose of determining which
37 projects are eligible for funding under this subsection and
38 recommending such projects to the university's local board of
39 trustees.
40 (d) At least one-half of the committee membership shall
41 consist of students appointed by the university president. The
42 remainder of the committee shall consist of members appointed by
43 the student body president. A chairperson, appointed jointly by
44 the university president and the student body president, may
45 vote only in the case of a tie.
46 (e) If the university president, in consultation with the
47 student body president, approves the recommendations, the
48 committee shall submit the recommendations to the local board of
49 trustees for review, subject to approval by the Board of
50 Governors.
51 (9) Each university board of trustees is authorized to
52 establish separate activity and service, health, and athletic
53 fees. When duly established, the fees shall be collected as
54 component parts of tuition and fees and shall be retained by the
55 university and paid into the separate activity and service,
56 health, and athletic funds. Beginning in the 2009-2010 fiscal
57 year, each state university board of trustees shall increase the
58 activity and service fees that were established for the 2008
59 2009 fiscal year in an amount equal to $1 per credit hour, which
60 shall be appropriated to its respective university alumni
61 association for the purpose of funding programs, activities, and
62 services that benefit the student body. Notwithstanding any
63 other provision of law to the contrary, a university may
64 transfer revenues derived from the fees authorized pursuant to
65 this subsection to a university direct-support organization of
66 the university to be used only for the purpose of paying and
67 securing debt on projects approved pursuant to s. 1010.62 and
68 pursuant to a written agreement approved by the Board of
69 Governors. The amount transferred may not exceed the amount
70 authorized for annual debt service pursuant to s. 1010.62.
71 (10)(a) Each university board of trustees shall establish a
72 student activity and service fee on the main campus of the
73 university. The university board may also establish a student
74 activity and service fee on any branch campus or center. Any
75 subsequent increase in the activity and service fee, unless
76 otherwise designated by the Legislature, must be recommended by
77 an activity and service fee committee, at least one-half of whom
78 are students appointed by the student body president. The
79 remainder of the committee shall be appointed by the university
80 president. A chairperson, appointed jointly by the university
81 president and the student body president, shall vote only in the
82 case of a tie. The recommendations of the committee shall take
83 effect only after approval by the university president, after
84 consultation with the student body president, with final
85 approval by the university board of trustees. An increase in the
86 activity and service fee may occur only once each fiscal year
87 and must be implemented beginning with the fall term. The Board
88 of Governors is responsible for adopting the rules and
89 timetables necessary to implement this fee.
90 (b) The student activity and service fees shall be expended
91 for lawful purposes to benefit the student body in general. This
92 shall include, but shall not be limited to, student publications
93 and grants to duly recognized student organizations, the
94 membership of which is open to all students at the university
95 without regard to race, sex, or religion. The fund may not
96 benefit activities for which an admission fee is charged to
97 students, except for student-government-association-sponsored
98 concerts. The allocation and expenditure of funds, other than
99 those expressly designated by the Legislature for university
100 specific programs and services that benefit the student body,
101 the fund shall be determined by the student government
102 association of the university, except that the president of the
103 university may veto any line item or portion thereof within the
104 budget when submitted by the student government association
105 legislative body. The university president shall have 15 school
106 days from the date of presentation of the budget to act on the
107 allocation and expenditure recommendations, which shall be
108 deemed approved if no action is taken within the 15 school days.
109 If any line item or portion thereof within the budget is vetoed,
110 the student government association legislative body shall within
111 15 school days make new budget recommendations for expenditure
112 of the vetoed portion of the fund. If the university president
113 vetoes any line item or portion thereof within the new budget
114 revisions, the university president may reallocate by line item
115 that vetoed portion to bond obligations guaranteed by activity
116 and service fees. Unexpended funds and undisbursed funds
117 remaining at the end of a fiscal year shall be carried over and
118 remain in the student activity and service fund and be available
119 for allocation and expenditure during the next fiscal year.
120 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2009.