Florida Senate - 2025 SB 1710
By Senator DiCeglie
18-01485B-25 20251710__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to prohibitions and limitations on
3 diversity, equity, and inclusion and requirements for
4 medical institutions of higher education; amending s.
5 20.105, F.S.; providing requirements for state
6 agencies applying for certain federal health care
7 related grants; creating s. 20.615, F.S.; defining
8 terms; prohibiting state agencies from expending
9 certain funds for a diversity, equity, and inclusion
10 office or officer; authorizing a person to notify the
11 Attorney General regarding certain violations of law
12 by a state agency; authorizing the Attorney General to
13 file suit for a writ of mandamus in certain
14 circumstances; providing construction; creating s.
15 287.139, F.S.; requiring potential recipients of state
16 contracts or grants to provide a specified
17 certification to the Chief Financial Officer; creating
18 s. 1004.099, F.S.; requiring medical institutions of
19 higher education to provide letter grade-based
20 assessments for certain required courses; providing an
21 exception; amending s. 1007.263, F.S.; requiring
22 specified standardized tests for admission to medical
23 institutions of higher education; defining the term
24 “medical institution of higher education”; providing
25 an effective date.
26
27 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
28
29 Section 1. Subsection (3) is added to section 20.105,
30 Florida Statutes, to read:
31 20.105 Federal Grants Trust Fund.—
32 (3) A state agency as defined in s. 216.011(1) which is
33 applying for a federal health care-related grant relating to
34 diversity, equity, and inclusion, as defined in s. 20.615(1),
35 shall do the following:
36 (a) Publish on its website all materials, requirements, and
37 instructions related to the federal grant application which are
38 in the state agency’s possession.
39 (b) Submit a copy of the federal grant proposal to all
40 members of the Health Policy Committee in the Senate and the
41 Health and Human Services Committee in the House of
42 Representatives.
43 Section 2. Section 20.615, Florida Statutes, is created to
44 read:
45 20.615 Diversity, equity, and inclusion in state agencies.—
46 (1) As used in this section, the term:
47 (a)1. “Diversity, equity, and inclusion” or “DEI” means:
48 a. Any effort to manipulate or otherwise influence the
49 composition of employees with reference to race, sex, color, or
50 ethnicity, other than ensuring colorblind and race-neutral
51 hiring in accordance with state and federal antidiscrimination
52 laws;
53 b. Any effort to promote differential treatment of or
54 provide special benefits to a person based on his or her race,
55 color, or ethnicity;
56 c. Any effort to promote or adopt policies or procedures
57 designed or implemented with reference to race, color, or
58 ethnicity, other than policies or procedures approved in writing
59 by the Attorney General for the sole purpose of ensuring
60 compliance with any applicable court order or state or federal
61 law;
62 d. Any effort to promote or adopt training, programming, or
63 activities designed or implemented with reference to race,
64 color, ethnicity, gender identity, or sexual orientation, other
65 than training, programming, or activities developed by an
66 attorney licensed in this state and approved in writing by the
67 Attorney General for the sole purpose of ensuring compliance
68 with any applicable court order or state or federal law; or
69 e. Any effort to promote, as the official position of a
70 state agency, a particular opinion referencing unconscious or
71 implicit bias, cultural appropriation, allyship, transgender
72 ideology, microaggressions, group marginalization, antiracism,
73 systemic oppression, social justice, intersectionality,
74 neopronouns, heteronormativity, disparate impact, gender theory,
75 racial or sexual privilege, or any related formulation of these
76 concepts.
77 2. The term does not include equal opportunity or equal
78 employment opportunity materials designed to inform a person
79 about the prohibition on discrimination based on protected
80 status under state or federal law.
81 (b) “Diversity, equity, and inclusion office” or “DEI
82 office” means any division, office, center, or other unit of a
83 state agency, or component thereof, that coordinates, creates,
84 develops, designs, implements, organizes, plans, or promotes
85 policies, programming, training, practices, activities, and
86 procedures relating to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
87 (c) “Diversity, equity, and inclusion officer” or “DEI
88 officer” means a person who is a full-time or part-time employee
89 of a state agency, or component thereof, or an independent
90 contractor of a state agency, or component thereof, whose duties
91 for the state agency include coordinating, creating, developing,
92 designing, implementing, organizing, planning, or promoting
93 policies, programming, training, practices, activities, or other
94 procedures relating to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
95 (d) “State agency” has the same meaning as in s.
96 216.011(1).
97 (2) A state agency may not expend appropriated funds or
98 otherwise expend any funds derived from bequests, charges,
99 deposits, donations, grants, gifts, income, receipts, or any
100 other source to establish, sustain, support, or staff a DEI
101 office or to contract, employ, engage, or hire a person to serve
102 as a DEI officer.
103 (3) A person may notify the Attorney General of a violation
104 or potential violation of this section by a state agency. The
105 Attorney General may file suit for a writ of mandamus compelling
106 the state agency to comply with this section.
107 (4) This section does not prohibit bona fide qualifications
108 based on sex which are reasonably necessary to the normal
109 operation of government functions.
110 Section 3. Section 287.139, Florida Statutes, is created to
111 read:
112 287.139 Prohibition against using diversity, equity, and
113 inclusion material.—All potential recipients for a state
114 contract or grant must certify to the Chief Financial Officer
115 before being awarded such contract or grant that the recipient
116 does not and will not require its employees, contractors,
117 volunteers, vendors, or agents to ascribe to, study, or be
118 instructed with diversity, equity, and inclusion material using
119 state funds. For purposes of this section, the term “diversity,
120 equity, and inclusion” has the same meaning as in s. 20.615(1).
121 Section 4. Section 1004.099, Florida Statutes, is created
122 to read:
123 1004.099 Grading in medical institutions of higher
124 education.—A medical institution of higher education as defined
125 in s. 1007.263(6), excluding those institutions that are open
126 enrollment, shall provide letter grade-based assessments for
127 each course required to graduate and may not use pass/fail
128 assessments for any required course.
129 Section 5. Subsection (6) is added to section 1007.263,
130 Florida Statutes, to read:
131 1007.263 Florida College System institutions; admissions of
132 students.—Each Florida College System institution board of
133 trustees is authorized to adopt rules governing admissions of
134 students subject to this section and rules of the State Board of
135 Education. These rules shall include the following:
136 (6) A medical institution of higher education shall require
137 a standardized admissions test focused on knowledge of and
138 critical thinking skills for science and medical training as a
139 requirement for admission. The term “medical institution of
140 higher education” means a Florida College System institution or
141 state university, as those terms are defined in s. 1000.21, that
142 offer bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degrees, or a trade
143 school that receives state funds and offers health care-related
144 degrees, certification programs, or training.
145
146 Each board of trustees shall establish policies that notify
147 students about developmental education options for improving
148 their communication or computation skills that are essential to
149 performing college-level work, including tutoring, extended time
150 in gateway courses, free online courses, adult basic education,
151 adult secondary education, or private provider instruction.
152 Section 6. This act shall take effect July 1, 2025.