Florida Senate - 2012                        COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
       Bill No. SB 828
       
       
       
       
       
       
                                Barcode 636690                          
       
                              LEGISLATIVE ACTION                        
                    Senate             .             House              
                   Comm: WD            .                                
                  01/26/2012           .                                
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       The Committee on Higher Education (Lynn) recommended the
       following:
       
    1         Senate Substitute for Amendment (732322) (with title
    2  amendment)
    3  
    4         Delete everything after the enacting clause
    5  and insert:
    6         Section 1. Paragraph (f) of subsection (1) of section
    7  1005.06, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
    8         1005.06 Institutions not under the jurisdiction or purview
    9  of the commission.—
   10         (1) Except as otherwise provided in law, the following
   11  institutions are not under the jurisdiction or purview of the
   12  commission and are not required to obtain licensure:
   13         (f) A faith-based postsecondary institution whose president
   14  or other administrative official religious college may operate
   15  without governmental oversight if the college annually verifies
   16  by sworn affidavit to the commission that the institution is in
   17  compliance with the following requirements:
   18         1. The name of the institution includes a religious
   19  modifier or the name of a religious patriarch, saint, person, or
   20  symbol of the church.
   21         1.2. The institution offers only educational programs that
   22  prepare students for religious vocations as ministers,
   23  professionals, or laypersons in the categories of ministry,
   24  counseling, theology, education, administration, music, fine
   25  arts, media communications, or social work.
   26         2.3. The institution acknowledges that it will not be
   27  exempt from licensure and must seek licensure by the commission
   28  if it confers The titles of degrees issued by the institution
   29  cannot be confused with secular degree titles. For this purpose,
   30  each degree title must include a religious modifier that
   31  immediately precedes, or is included within, any of the
   32  following degrees: Associate of Arts, Associate of Science,
   33  Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Master of Arts, Master of
   34  Science, Doctor of Philosophy, and Doctor of Education. The
   35  religious modifier must be placed on the title line of the
   36  degree, on the transcript, and whenever the title of the degree
   37  appears in official school documents or publications.
   38         3.4. The duration of all degree programs offered by the
   39  institution is consistent with the standards of the commission.
   40         4.5. The institution’s consumer practices are consistent
   41  with those required by s. 1005.04.
   42  
   43  Within 60 days after receipt of a faith-based postsecondary
   44  institution’s sworn affidavit, the commission must may provide
   45  the such a religious institution with a letter stating that the
   46  institution has submitted a sworn affidavit stating that it
   47  meets met the requirements of this paragraph. The commission
   48  shall post the name and address of the institution on the
   49  commission’s Internet website along with a statement
   50  acknowledging that the institution has submitted the required
   51  sworn affidavit state law and is not subject to governmental
   52  oversight.
   53         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2012.
   54  
   55  ================= T I T L E  A M E N D M E N T ================
   56         And the title is amended as follows:
   57         Delete everything before the enacting clause
   58  and insert:
   59                        A bill to be entitled                      
   60         An act relating to faith-based postsecondary
   61         institutions; amending s. 1005.06, F.S.; revising the
   62         requirements by which a faith-based postsecondary
   63         institution may be exempt from licensure by the
   64         Commission on Independent Education; deleting
   65         provisions requiring that an institution have a
   66         religious modifier in the institution’s name and the
   67         titles of degrees that it offers; requiring that the
   68         commission acknowledge receipt of an institution’s
   69         sworn affidavit within a specified period and post the
   70         institution’s name and address on the commission’s
   71         Internet website along with a statement acknowledging
   72         that the institution has submitted the required sworn
   73         affidavit; providing an effective date.