Florida Senate - 2010 CS for CS for SB 2102
By the Committees on Higher Education Appropriations; and
Education Pre-K - 12; and Senator Wise
605-05192-10 20102102c2
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to postsecondary education; amending
3 s. 501.0117, F.S.; providing that a convenience fee
4 imposed upon a student or family paying tuition, fees,
5 and other student account charges by credit card to an
6 institution that is eligible to participate in the
7 William L. Boyd, IV, Florida Resident Access Grant
8 Program is not considered to be a surcharge under
9 certain circumstances; amending s. 1004.26, F.S.;
10 prohibiting a cause of action against a state
11 university for the actions or decisions of a state
12 university student government; amending s. 1009.26,
13 F.S.; authorizing state universities and community
14 colleges to waive tuition and fees for certain public
15 school teachers for certain courses; requiring that
16 the State Board of Education adopt a rule that
17 prescribes the process for the approval of courses by
18 the Department of Education; providing an effective
19 date.
20
21 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
22
23 Section 1. Subsection (1) of section 501.0117, Florida
24 Statutes, is amended to read:
25 501.0117 Credit cards; transactions in which seller or
26 lessor prohibited from imposing surcharge; penalty.—
27 (1) A seller or lessor in a sales or lease transaction may
28 not impose a surcharge on the buyer or lessee for electing to
29 use a credit card in lieu of payment by cash, check, or similar
30 means, if the seller or lessor accepts payment by credit card. A
31 surcharge is any additional amount imposed at the time of a sale
32 or lease transaction by the seller or lessor that increases the
33 charge to the buyer or lessee for the privilege of using a
34 credit card to make payment. Charges imposed pursuant to
35 approved state or federal tariffs are not considered to be a
36 surcharge, and charges made under such tariffs are exempt from
37 this section. A convenience fee imposed upon a student or family
38 paying tuition, fees, and other student account charges by
39 credit card to an institution that is eligible to participate in
40 the William L. Boyd, IV, Florida Resident Access Grant Program
41 under s. 1009.89 is not considered to be a surcharge and is
42 exempt from this section only if the amount of the convenience
43 fee does not exceed the total cost charged by the credit card
44 company to the institution. The term “credit card” includes
45 those cards for which unpaid balances are payable on demand.
46 This section does not apply to the offering of a discount for
47 the purpose of inducing payment by cash, check, or other means
48 not involving the use of a credit card, if the discount is
49 offered to all prospective customers.
50 Section 2. Subsection (5) is added to section 1004.26,
51 Florida Statutes, to read:
52 1004.26 University student governments.—
53 (5) There shall be no cause of action against a state
54 university for the actions or decisions of the student
55 government of the state university unless such actions or
56 decisions are made final by the state university and constitute
57 a violation of state or federal law.
58 Section 3. Subsection (10) is added to section 1009.26,
59 Florida Statutes, to read:
60 1009.26 Fee waivers.—
61 (10) A state university or community college may waive
62 tuition and fees for a classroom teacher as defined in s.
63 1012.01(2)(a) who is employed full-time by a school district and
64 meets any academic requirements established by the community
65 college or state university to enroll for up to 6 credit hours
66 per term on a space-available basis in undergraduate courses
67 approved by the State Board of Education. Such courses shall be
68 limited to undergraduate courses related to special education,
69 mathematics, or science. The waiver may not be used for courses
70 scheduled during the school day. The State Board of Education
71 shall adopt a rule that prescribes the process for the approval
72 of courses by the Department of Education.
73 Section 4. This act shall take effect July 1, 2010.