Florida Senate - 2023 COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
Bill No. SB 958
Ì657040uÎ657040
LEGISLATIVE ACTION
Senate . House
Comm: RCS .
03/22/2023 .
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The Committee on Education Postsecondary (Perry) recommended the
following:
1 Senate Amendment (with title amendment)
2
3 Delete lines 83 - 169
4 and insert:
5 1001.93 Offices of Public Policy Events within the State
6 University System.—
7 (1) The Legislature finds that the advancement of knowledge
8 is the fundamental purpose of the State University System and
9 that such advancement is facilitated by the fearless sifting and
10 winnowing of a wide diversity of views and that the open
11 discussion and debate of contested public policy issues from
12 diverse perspectives provides essential preparation for mature
13 citizenship and an informed exercise of the right to vote.
14 (2) For purposes of this section, the term:
15 (a) “Debate” means an event at which two or more
16 participants speak in favor of opposing approaches to the same
17 public policy dispute, after which each participant is allotted
18 time to address and rebut the position presented by the opposing
19 speakers.
20 (b) “Group forum” means an event at which two or more
21 speakers address a public policy dispute from divergent or
22 opposing perspectives, after which each participant is allotted
23 time to address questions from the audience and to comment on
24 the other speakers’ positions.
25 (3) The Board of Governors of the State University System
26 shall establish a Committee on Public Policy Events. Each state
27 university within the State University System shall establish an
28 Office of Public Policy Events and shall appoint a Director of
29 Public Policy Events who is responsible for the duties and
30 reporting responsibilities of the office. The office shall, at a
31 minimum:
32 (a)1. Organize, publicize, and stage debates, group forums,
33 or individual lectures at the state university. These events
34 must address, from multiple, divergent, and opposing
35 perspectives, an extensive range of public policy issues widely
36 discussed and debated in society at large. The university shall
37 hold no less than four events each academic year. At least two
38 events must occur during the fall semester and at least two
39 events must occur during the spring semester.
40 2. Such debates, group forums, and individual lectures must
41 include speakers who represent widely held views on opposing
42 sides of the most widely discussed public policy issues of the
43 day and who hold a wide diversity of perspectives from within
44 and outside of the state university community.
45 3. If the office is unable to readily find an advocate from
46 within the state university community who is well-versed in a
47 perspective, the office must invite a speaker who is able to
48 represent such perspective. The office shall, when necessary,
49 provide such speakers who are not from within the state
50 university community with per diem and reimburse them for travel
51 expenses.
52 (b)°Maintain a permanent, publicly accessible, searchable,
53 and up-to-date calendar in print, on the office’s website, and
54 on the state university’s website listing all of the events
55 sponsored by the office and all other debates, group forums, and
56 individual lectures open to the entire campus community at the
57 state university which address public policy issues. The
58 calendar must itemize the title of the event or lecture, the
59 name and institutional affiliation of all speakers, and the
60 office, institute, department, program, or organization that
61 sponsored the event, excluding those events sponsored by off
62 campus groups in rented state university facilities. Such
63 calendars must be kept in the library system of each state
64 university.
65 (c) Beginning September 1, 2024, and annually each
66 September 1 thereafter, provide to the Board of Governors
67 Committee on Public Policy Events a report detailing the
68 following: the number of debates, group forums, and individual
69 lectures; in chronological order, the calendars itemizing the
70 title of each event or lecture, name and institutional
71 affiliation of the speaker or speakers, and the office,
72 institute, department, program, or organization that sponsored
73 the event; the number of enrolled students attending each event;
74 and expenditure information relating to any per diem or
75 reimbursement for travel expenses. The report must reflect prior
76 academic year statistics.
77 (d) Make publicly available, in an online format, a
78 complete video record of every debate, group forum, and
79 individual lecture organized by the office. The video recording
80 for an event organized by the office must be posted on the
81 office’s website within 10 business days after the event. Such
82 video must remain publicly accessible on the office’s website
83 for at least 5 years after the date of the event. Such videos
84 must also be permanently preserved within, and made available to
85 the public through, the library of the state university that
86 hosted the event.
87 (4) Upon approval of the board of trustees of the state
88 university and the Board of Governors, a state university may
89 assign the duties of the office to an existing administrative
90 office within the state university in lieu of establishing a
91 separate office.
92 (5) Each office shall report directly to either the state
93 university’s office that is responsible for compiling and
94 reporting the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System’s
95 graduation rate survey or the Office of General Counsel.
96 (6) Each debate, group forum, and individual lecture
97 organized by the office must be open to all students, faculty,
98 and staff of the state university and must, unless restricting
99 attendance to such event is necessary to achieve a compelling
100 governmental interest, be open to the general public.
101
102 ================= T I T L E A M E N D M E N T ================
103 And the title is amended as follows:
104 Delete lines 10 - 21
105 and insert:
106 establish a Committee on Public Policy Events;
107 requiring each state university to establish an Office
108 of Public Policy Events; providing the duties of the
109 offices, including requirements for specific events,
110 recording of such events, maintaining calendars, and
111 requirements for reporting; authorizing a state
112 university to assign duties of the office to an
113 existing administrative office upon the approval of
114 specified entities; requiring offices to report to
115 specified state university offices; amending s.
116 1004.097, F.S.; prohibiting public