Florida Senate - 2022                              CS for SB 554
       
       
        
       By the Committee on Military and Veterans Affairs, Space, and
       Domestic Security; and Senator Cruz
       
       
       
       
       583-01959-22                                           2022554c1
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to educational opportunities for
    3         disabled veterans; creating s. 295.011, F.S.; defining
    4         the term “disabled veteran”; providing that disabled
    5         veterans receiving certain federal educational
    6         assistance benefits are eligible to receive a waiver
    7         for the remaining cost of tuition and fees at certain
    8         institutions; providing a calculation for waiver
    9         amounts; requiring the amount awarded by the state to
   10         be contingent on the application of specified federal
   11         benefits; requiring certain institutions to submit an
   12         annual report to the Board of Governors and the State
   13         Board of Education; requiring the boards to
   14         respectively adopt regulations and rules; specifying
   15         applicability of other laws; providing an effective
   16         date.
   17          
   18  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   19  
   20         Section 1. Section 295.011, Florida Statutes, is created to
   21  read:
   22         295.011 Disabled veterans; education.—
   23         (1) As used in this section, the term “disabled veteran”
   24  means an individual who is a resident of this state pursuant to
   25  s. 1009.21 and is:
   26         (a) Determined by the United States Department of Veterans
   27  Affairs to have a service-connected total and permanent
   28  disability rating of 100 percent for compensation;
   29         (b) Determined to have a service-connected total and
   30  permanent disability rating of 100 percent and is in receipt of
   31  disability retirement pay from any branch of the United States
   32  Armed Services; or
   33         (c) Issued a valid identification card by the Florida
   34  Department of Veterans’ Affairs pursuant to s. 295.17.
   35         (2) Beginning with the 2022-2023 academic year, a disabled
   36  veteran enrolled in a program of education approved for
   37  educational assistance under 38 U.S.C. s. 3313, at a state
   38  university, a Florida College System institution, a career
   39  center operated by a school district under s. 1001.44, or a
   40  charter technical career center who does not qualify for the 100
   41  percent eligibility tier under federal law is eligible to
   42  receive a waiver for tuition and fees. The waiver amount is
   43  equal to the difference between the portion of tuition and fees
   44  paid in accordance with federal law and the full amount of
   45  tuition and fees at the institution attended. The amount awarded
   46  by the state is not to be determined until after the application
   47  of federal benefits under 38 U.S.C. s. 3313.
   48         (a) Each state university, Florida College System
   49  institution, career center operated by a school district under
   50  s. 1001.44, and charter technical career center shall report to
   51  the Board of Governors and the State Board of Education,
   52  respectively, the number and value of all fee waivers granted
   53  annually under this subsection.
   54         (b) The Board of Governors and the State Board of Education
   55  shall respectively adopt regulations and rules to administer
   56  this subsection.
   57         (3) Sections 295.03, 295.04, 295.05, and 1009.40 apply to
   58  any disabled veteran who receives an award under this section.
   59         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2022.