Florida Senate - 2021 SB 1956
By Senator Rodrigues
27-00871-21 20211956__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to postsecondary out-of-state fee
3 waivers; amending s. 1009.26, F.S.; deleting a
4 provision requiring a state university, a Florida
5 College System institution, a career center operated
6 by a school district, or a charter technical career
7 center to waive out-of-state fees for students,
8 including undocumented students, who meet specified
9 conditions; deleting a provision requiring tuition and
10 fees charged to such students to not exceed tuition
11 and fees charged to a resident student; deleting a
12 provision requiring such students to be considered
13 nonresident students for purposes of calculating the
14 systemwide total enrollment of nonresident students as
15 limited by regulation of the Board of Governors;
16 deleting a provision requiring a state university, a
17 Florida College System institution, a career center
18 operated by a school district, or a charter technical
19 career center to prioritize the enrollment of veterans
20 who are granted a certain out-of-state fee waiver over
21 the enrollment of other specified students; providing
22 an effective date.
23
24 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
25
26 Section 1. Subsection (12) of section 1009.26, Florida
27 Statutes, is amended to read:
28 1009.26 Fee waivers.—
29 (12)(a) A state university, a Florida College System
30 institution, a career center operated by a school district under
31 s. 1001.44, or a charter technical career center shall waive
32 out-of-state fees for students, including, but not limited to,
33 students who are undocumented for federal immigration purposes,
34 who meet the following conditions:
35 1. Attended a secondary school in this state for 3
36 consecutive years immediately before graduating from a high
37 school in this state;
38 2. Apply for enrollment in an institution of higher
39 education within 24 months after high school graduation; and
40 3. Submit an official Florida high school transcript as
41 evidence of attendance and graduation.
42 (b) Tuition and fees charged to a student who qualifies for
43 the out-of-state fee waiver under this subsection may not exceed
44 the tuition and fees charged to a resident student. The waiver
45 is applicable for 110 percent of the required credit hours of
46 the degree or certificate program for which the student is
47 enrolled. Each state university, Florida College System
48 institution, career center operated by a school district under
49 s. 1001.44, and charter technical career center shall report to
50 the Board of Governors and the State Board of Education,
51 respectively, the number and value of all fee waivers granted
52 annually under this subsection. By October 1 of each year, the
53 Board of Governors for the state universities and the State
54 Board of Education for Florida College System institutions,
55 career centers operated by a school district under s. 1001.44,
56 and charter technical career centers shall annually report for
57 the previous academic year the percentage of resident and
58 nonresident students enrolled systemwide.
59 (c) A state university student granted an out-of-state fee
60 waiver under this subsection must be considered a nonresident
61 student for purposes of calculating the systemwide total
62 enrollment of nonresident students as limited by regulation of
63 the Board of Governors. In addition, a student who is granted an
64 out-of-state fee waiver under this subsection is not eligible
65 for state financial aid under part III of this chapter and must
66 not be reported as a resident for tuition purposes.
67 (d) A state university, a Florida College System
68 institution, a career center operated by a school district under
69 s. 1001.44, or a charter technical career center shall, within
70 the nonresident student enrollment systemwide, prioritize the
71 enrollment of a veteran who is granted an out-of-state fee
72 waiver pursuant to the Congressman C.W. “Bill” Young Tuition
73 Waiver Act over a student who is granted an out-of-state fee
74 waiver under this subsection.
75 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2021.