Florida Senate - 2019                                     SB 442
       
       
        
       By Senator Lee
       
       
       
       
       
       20-01074-19                                            2019442__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to postsecondary education for certain
    3         military personnel; amending s. 1004.096, F.S.;
    4         requiring the Board of Governors and State Board of
    5         Education, in consultation with the Chancellors of the
    6         State University System and the Florida College
    7         System, to create a uniform system for the award of
    8         postsecondary college credit to certain servicemembers
    9         and veterans of the United States military; providing
   10         the requirements for such uniform system; requiring
   11         public postsecondary institutions to participate in
   12         the uniform system; amending s. 1009.26, F.S.;
   13         requiring specified postsecondary institutions to
   14         waive the transcript fee for active duty members of
   15         the Armed Forces of the United States and certain
   16         veterans; requiring specified postsecondary
   17         institutions to provide a report to the Board of
   18         Governors and the State Board of Education; requiring
   19         the Board of Governors and the State Board of
   20         Education to adopt regulations and rules,
   21         respectively; providing an effective date.
   22          
   23  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   24  
   25         Section 1. Section 1004.096, Florida Statutes, is amended
   26  to read:
   27         1004.096 College credit for military experience and
   28  training and education courses.—
   29         (1) In consultation with the Chancellors of the State
   30  University System and the Florida College System, the Board of
   31  Governors shall adopt regulations and the State Board of
   32  Education shall adopt rules that create a uniform system that
   33  enables enable eligible servicemembers or veterans of the United
   34  States Armed Forces to earn academic college credit at public
   35  postsecondary educational institutions for experience and
   36  college-level training and education acquired in the military.
   37         (2) The regulations and rules shall include, but are not
   38  limited to:
   39         (a) Procedures for the credential evaluation of military
   40  credentials and experience and the award of academic college
   41  credit based on such credentials and experience, including, but
   42  not limited to, equivalency and alignment of military coursework
   43  and experience with appropriate college courses and, course
   44  descriptions.
   45         (b)1. A list of courses for which academic college credit
   46  shall be awarded for specified military credentials and
   47  experience. Academic college credit must be offered for required
   48  coursework based on military credentials and experience, when
   49  appropriate.
   50         2. The State Board of Education and Board of Governors must
   51  use the American Council on Education’s “Guide to the Evaluation
   52  of Educational Experiences in the Armed Services,” or a similar
   53  resource if such guide is discontinued, when determining which
   54  military credentials and experience shall be applied toward the
   55  award of academic college credit, type and amount of college
   56  credit that may be awarded, and transfer of credit.
   57         (c) A policy for the mandatory transfer of academic college
   58  credits awarded pursuant to this section between public
   59  postsecondary educational institutions.
   60         (d) The minimum number of academic college credits each
   61  public postsecondary educational institution must offer for
   62  qualifying military credentials and experience; however, a
   63  public postsecondary educational institution may offer
   64  additional academic credits for such credentials and experience,
   65  when appropriate.
   66         (3) Each public postsecondary educational institution must
   67  participate in the uniform system created under this section.
   68         Section 2. Subsection (16) is added to section 1009.26,
   69  Florida Statutes, to read:
   70         1009.26 Fee waivers.—
   71         (16)(a) A state university, Florida College System
   72  institution, career center operated by a school district under
   73  s. 1001.44, or charter technical career center shall waive the
   74  transcript fee for a person who is an active duty member of the
   75  Armed Forces of the United States or an honorably discharged
   76  veteran of the Armed Forces of the United States.
   77         (b) Each state university, Florida College System
   78  institution, career center operated by a school district under
   79  s. 1001.44, and charter technical career center shall report to
   80  the Board of Governors and the State Board of Education,
   81  respectively, the number and value of fee waivers granted
   82  annually under this subsection.
   83         (c) The Board of Governors and the State Board of Education
   84  shall respectively adopt regulations and rules to administer
   85  this subsection.
   86         Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2019.