ENROLLED
       2023 Legislature                                           SB 44
       
       
       
       
       
       
                                                               202344er
    1  
    2         An act relating to the Florida Statutes; amending ss.
    3         381.915, 402.7305, 1001.60, 1003.491, 1007.33, and
    4         1008.45, F.S., to conform to section 7 of chapter
    5         2022-70, Laws of Florida, which directs the Division
    6         of Law Revision to prepare a reviser’s bill to replace
    7         references to the phrases “the Southern Association of
    8         Colleges and Schools,” “the Commission on Colleges of
    9         the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools,” and
   10         “the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
   11         Commission on Colleges,” wherever they occur in the
   12         Florida Statutes, with the phrase “an accrediting
   13         agency or association recognized by the database
   14         created and maintained by the United States Department
   15         of Education”; providing an effective date.
   16          
   17  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   18  
   19         Section 1. Paragraph (a) of subsection (3) and paragraph
   20  (c) of subsection (4) of section 381.915, Florida Statutes, are
   21  amended to read:
   22         381.915 Casey DeSantis Cancer Research Program.—
   23         (3) On or before September 15 of each year, the department
   24  shall calculate an allocation fraction to be used for
   25  distributing funds to participating cancer centers. On or before
   26  the final business day of each quarter of the state fiscal year,
   27  the department shall distribute to each participating cancer
   28  center one-fourth of that cancer center’s annual allocation
   29  calculated under subsection (6). The allocation fraction for
   30  each participating cancer center is based on the cancer center’s
   31  tier-designated weight under subsection (4) multiplied by each
   32  of the following allocation factors: number of reportable cases,
   33  peer-review costs, and biomedical education and training. As
   34  used in this section, the term:
   35         (a) “Biomedical education and training” means instruction
   36  that is offered to a student who is enrolled in a biomedical
   37  research program at an affiliated university as a medical
   38  student or a student in a master’s or doctoral degree program,
   39  or who is a resident physician trainee or postdoctoral trainee
   40  in such program. An affiliated university biomedical research
   41  program must be accredited or approved by a nationally
   42  recognized agency and offered through an institution accredited
   43  by an accrediting agency or association recognized by the
   44  database created and maintained by the United States Department
   45  of Education the Commission on Colleges of the Southern
   46  Association of Colleges and Schools. Full-time equivalency for
   47  trainees shall be prorated for training received in oncologic
   48  sciences and oncologic medicine.
   49         (4) Tier designations and corresponding weights within the
   50  Casey DeSantis Cancer Research Program are as follows:
   51         (c) Tier 3: Florida-based cancer centers seeking
   52  designation as either a NCI-designated cancer center or NCI
   53  designated comprehensive cancer center, which shall be weighted
   54  at 1.0.
   55         1. A cancer center shall meet the following minimum
   56  criteria to be considered eligible for Tier 3 designation in any
   57  given fiscal year:
   58         a. Conducting cancer-related basic scientific research and
   59  cancer-related population scientific research;
   60         b. Offering and providing the full range of diagnostic and
   61  treatment services on site, as determined by the Commission on
   62  Cancer of the American College of Surgeons;
   63         c. Hosting or conducting cancer-related interventional
   64  clinical trials that are registered with the NCI’s Clinical
   65  Trials Reporting Program;
   66         d. Offering degree-granting programs or affiliating with
   67  universities through degree-granting programs accredited or
   68  approved by a nationally recognized agency and offered through
   69  the center or through the center in conjunction with another
   70  institution accredited by an accrediting agency or association
   71  recognized by the database created and maintained by the United
   72  States Department of Education the Commission on Colleges of the
   73  Southern Association of Colleges and Schools;
   74         e. Providing training to clinical trainees, medical
   75  trainees accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate
   76  Medical Education or the American Osteopathic Association, and
   77  postdoctoral fellows recently awarded a doctorate degree; and
   78         f. Having more than $5 million in annual direct costs
   79  associated with their total NCI peer-reviewed grant funding.
   80         2. The General Appropriations Act or accompanying
   81  legislation may limit the number of cancer centers which shall
   82  receive Tier 3 designations or provide additional criteria for
   83  such designation.
   84         3. A cancer center’s participation in Tier 3 may not extend
   85  beyond June 30, 2024.
   86         4. A cancer center that qualifies as a designated Tier 3
   87  center under the criteria provided in subparagraph 1. by July 1,
   88  2014, is authorized to pursue NCI designation as a cancer center
   89  or a comprehensive cancer center until June 30, 2024.
   90         Section 2. Paragraph (a) of subsection (2) of section
   91  402.7305, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
   92         402.7305 Department of Children and Families; procurement
   93  of contractual services; contract management.—
   94         (2) PROCUREMENT OF COMMODITIES AND CONTRACTUAL SERVICES.—
   95         (a) Notwithstanding s. 287.057(3)(e)12., if the department
   96  intends to contract with a public postsecondary institution to
   97  provide a service, the department must allow all public
   98  postsecondary institutions in this state that are accredited by
   99  an accrediting agency or association recognized by the database
  100  created and maintained by the United States Department of
  101  Education the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to
  102  bid on the contract. Thereafter, notwithstanding any other
  103  provision of law, if a public postsecondary institution intends
  104  to subcontract for any service awarded in the contract, the
  105  subcontracted service must be procured by competitive
  106  procedures.
  107         Section 3. Paragraph (b) of subsection (2) of section
  108  1001.60, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
  109         1001.60 Florida College System.—
  110         (2) FLORIDA COLLEGE SYSTEM.—There shall be a single Florida
  111  College System comprised of the Florida College System
  112  institutions identified in s. 1000.21(3). A Florida College
  113  System institution may not offer graduate degree programs.
  114         (b)1. With the approval of its district board of trustees,
  115  a Florida College System institution may change the
  116  institution’s name set forth in s. 1000.21(3) and use the
  117  designation “college” or “state college” if it has been
  118  authorized to grant baccalaureate degrees pursuant to s. 1007.33
  119  and has been accredited as a baccalaureate-degree-granting
  120  institution by an accrediting agency or association recognized
  121  by the database created and maintained by the United States
  122  Department of Education the Commission on Colleges of the
  123  Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
  124         2. With the approval of its district board of trustees, a
  125  Florida College System institution that does not meet the
  126  criteria in subparagraph 1. may request approval from the State
  127  Board of Education to change the institution’s name set forth in
  128  s. 1000.21(3) and use the designation “college.” The State Board
  129  of Education may approve the request if the Florida College
  130  System institution enters into an agreement with the State Board
  131  of Education to do the following:
  132         a. Maintain as its primary mission responsibility for
  133  responding to community needs for postsecondary academic
  134  education and career degree education as prescribed in s.
  135  1004.65(5).
  136         b. Maintain an open-door admissions policy for associate
  137  level degree programs and workforce education programs.
  138         c. Continue to provide outreach to underserved populations.
  139         d. Continue to provide remedial education.
  140         e. Comply with all provisions of the statewide articulation
  141  agreement that relate to 2-year and 4-year public degree
  142  granting institutions as adopted by the State Board of Education
  143  pursuant to s. 1007.23.
  144         Section 4. Paragraph (a) of subsection (4) of section
  145  1003.491, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
  146         1003.491 Florida Career and Professional Education Act.—The
  147  Florida Career and Professional Education Act is created to
  148  provide a statewide planning partnership between the business
  149  and education communities in order to attract, expand, and
  150  retain targeted, high-value industry and to sustain a strong,
  151  knowledge-based economy.
  152         (4) The State Board of Education shall establish a process
  153  for the continual and uninterrupted review of newly proposed
  154  core secondary courses and existing courses requested to be
  155  considered as core courses to ensure that sufficient rigor and
  156  relevance is provided for workforce skills and postsecondary
  157  education and aligned to state curriculum standards.
  158         (a) The review of newly proposed core secondary courses
  159  shall be the responsibility of a curriculum review committee
  160  whose membership is approved by CareerSource Florida, Inc. The
  161  membership of the committee shall include:
  162         1. Three certified high school counselors recommended by
  163  the Florida Association of Student Services Administrators.
  164         2. Three assistant superintendents for curriculum and
  165  instruction, recommended by the Florida Association of District
  166  School Superintendents, who serve in districts that operate
  167  successful career and professional academies pursuant to s.
  168  1003.492 or a successful series of courses that lead to industry
  169  certification. Committee members in this category shall employ
  170  the expertise of appropriate subject area specialists in the
  171  review of proposed courses.
  172         3. Three workforce representatives recommended by the
  173  Department of Economic Opportunity.
  174         4. Three admissions directors of postsecondary institutions
  175  accredited by an accrediting agency or association recognized by
  176  the database created and maintained by the United States
  177  Department of Education the Southern Association of Colleges and
  178  Schools, representing both public and private institutions.
  179         5. The Commissioner of Education, or his or her designee,
  180  who is responsible for K-12 curriculum and instruction and shall
  181  employ the expertise of appropriate subject area specialists in
  182  the review of proposed courses.
  183         Section 5. Paragraphs (f), (g), and (h) of subsection (5)
  184  of section 1007.33, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
  185         1007.33 Site-determined baccalaureate degree access.—
  186         (5) The approval process for baccalaureate degree programs
  187  shall require:
  188         (f) The Florida College System institution to obtain from
  189  an accrediting agency or association recognized by the database
  190  created and maintained by the United States Department of
  191  Education the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association
  192  of Colleges and Schools accreditation as a baccalaureate-degree
  193  granting institution if approved by the State Board of Education
  194  to offer its first baccalaureate degree program.
  195         (g) The Florida College System institution to notify an
  196  accrediting agency or association recognized by the database
  197  created and maintained by the United States Department of
  198  Education the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association
  199  of Colleges and Schools of subsequent degree programs that are
  200  approved by the State Board of Education and to comply with the
  201  association’s required substantive change protocols for
  202  accreditation purposes.
  203         (h) The Florida College System institution to annually, and
  204  upon request of the State Board of Education, the Commissioner
  205  of Education, the Chancellor of the Florida College System, or
  206  the Legislature, report its status using the following
  207  performance and compliance indicators:
  208         1. Obtaining and maintaining appropriate Southern
  209  Association of Colleges and Schools accreditation from an
  210  accrediting agency or association recognized by the database
  211  created and maintained by the United States Department of
  212  Education;
  213         2. Maintaining qualified faculty and institutional
  214  resources;
  215         3. Maintaining enrollment in previously approved programs;
  216         4. Managing fiscal resources appropriately;
  217         5. Complying with the primary mission and responsibility
  218  requirements in subsections (2) and (3); and
  219         6. Other indicators of success, including program
  220  completions, placements, and surveys of graduates and employers.
  221  
  222  The State Board of Education, upon review of the performance and
  223  compliance indicators, may require a Florida College System
  224  institution’s board of trustees to modify or terminate a
  225  baccalaureate degree program authorized under this section.
  226         Section 6. Paragraph (g) of subsection (1) of section
  227  1008.45, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
  228         1008.45 Florida College System institution accountability
  229  process.—
  230         (1) It is the intent of the Legislature that a management
  231  and accountability process be implemented which provides for the
  232  systematic, ongoing improvement and assessment of the
  233  improvement of the quality and efficiency of the Florida College
  234  System institutions. Accordingly, the State Board of Education
  235  and the Florida College System institution boards of trustees
  236  shall develop and implement an accountability plan to improve
  237  and evaluate the instructional and administrative efficiency and
  238  effectiveness of the Florida College System. This plan shall be
  239  designed in consultation with staff of the Governor and the
  240  Legislature and must address the following issues:
  241         (g) Institutional assessment efforts related to the
  242  requirements of an accrediting agency or association recognized
  243  by the database created and maintained by the United States
  244  Department of Education s. III in the Criteria for Accreditation
  245  of the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of
  246  Colleges and Schools.
  247         Reviser’s note.—Amended pursuant to the directive of the
  248         Legislature in s. 7, ch. 2022-70, Laws of Florida, to the
  249         Division of Law Revision to prepare a reviser’s bill for
  250         the 2023 Regular Session of the Legislature to replace
  251         references to the phrases “the Southern Association of
  252         Colleges and Schools,” “the Commission on Colleges of the
  253         Southern Association of Colleges and Schools,” and “the
  254         Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on
  255         Colleges,” wherever they occur in the Florida Statutes,
  256         with the phrase “an accrediting agency or association
  257         recognized by the database created and maintained by the
  258         United States Department of Education.”
  259         Section 7. This act shall take effect on the 60th day after
  260  adjournment sine die of the session of the Legislature in which
  261  enacted.