Florida Senate - 2025 SB 1726
By Senator Calatayud
38-01047A-25 20251726__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to higher education; amending s.
3 112.3144, F.S.; requiring certain members of the Board
4 of Governors to comply with specified financial
5 disclosure requirements beginning on a date certain;
6 amending s. 1001.01, F.S.; revising term limits for
7 members and the chair of the State Board of Education;
8 amending s. 1001.61, F.S.; providing term limits for
9 members and the chairs of the Florida College System
10 institution boards of trustees; amending s. 1001.64,
11 F.S.; providing that certain actions related to the
12 president of a Florida College System institution are
13 not subject to approval by the State Board of
14 Education; requiring presidential search committees
15 for the appointment such president; providing
16 requirements for the committees; requiring that such
17 president be recommended by the committee; amending s.
18 1001.70, F.S.; requiring appointed members of the
19 Board of Governors to be residents of this state;
20 providing term limits for appointed members; amending
21 s. 1001.706, F.S.; providing that the president of a
22 state university is appointed by the university board
23 of trustees; requiring presidential search committees
24 for the appointment such president; providing
25 requirements for the committees; requiring that such
26 president be recommended by the committee; deleting a
27 requirement that the Board of Governors confirm the
28 selection and reappointment of such president;
29 amending s. 1001.71, F.S.; providing term limits for
30 appointed members of university boards of trustees;
31 deleting obsolete language and a certain consideration
32 for appointed members; amending s. 1004.085, F.S.;
33 providing definitions; requiring specified
34 supplemental textbooks and instructional materials for
35 courses at Florida College System institutions and
36 state universities to be included in a specified list;
37 revising requirements for such lists; requiring
38 certain course syllabi to be posted with textbook and
39 instructional materials and include specified
40 information; repealing s. 1004.098, F.S., relating to
41 applicants for president of a state university or
42 Florida College System institution; providing an
43 effective date.
44
45 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
46
47 Section 1. Paragraph (f) is added to subsection (1) of
48 section 112.3144, Florida Statutes, to read:
49 112.3144 Full and public disclosure of financial
50 interests.—
51 (1)
52 (f) Beginning January 1, 2026, each citizen member of the
53 Board of Governors of the State University System must comply
54 with the financial disclosure requirements of s. 8, Art. II of
55 the State Constitution and this section.
56 Section 2. Subsections (1) and (2) of section 1001.01,
57 Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
58 1001.01 State Board of Education; generally.—
59 (1) The State Board of Education is established as a body
60 corporate. The state board shall be a citizen board consisting
61 of seven members who are residents of the state appointed by the
62 Governor to staggered 4-year terms, subject to confirmation by
63 the Senate. Members of the state board shall serve without
64 compensation but shall be entitled to reimbursement of travel
65 and per diem expenses in accordance with s. 112.061. Members may
66 only serve two be reappointed by the Governor for additional
67 terms not to exceed 8 years of consecutive service.
68 (2) The State Board of Education shall select a chair and a
69 vice chair from its appointed members. The chair shall serve a
70 single 2-year term and may be reselected for one additional
71 consecutive term.
72 Section 3. Subsections (2) and (4) of section 1001.61,
73 Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
74 1001.61 Florida College System institution boards of
75 trustees; membership.—
76 (2) Trustees shall be appointed by the Governor to
77 staggered 4-year terms, subject to confirmation by the Senate in
78 regular session. Members may be reappointed by the Governor for
79 one additional term, not to exceed 8 consecutive years of
80 service.
81 (4) At its first regular meeting after July 1 of each year,
82 each Florida College System institution board of trustees shall
83 organize by electing a chair, whose duty as such is to preside
84 at all meetings of the board, to call special meetings thereof,
85 and to attest to actions of the board, and a vice chair, whose
86 duty as such is to act as chair during the absence or disability
87 of the elected chair. It is the further duty of the chair of
88 each board of trustees to notify the Governor, in writing,
89 whenever a board member fails to attend three consecutive
90 regular board meetings in any one fiscal year, which absences
91 may be grounds for removal. The chair shall serve a single 2
92 year term.
93 Section 4. Subsection (19) of section 1001.64, Florida
94 Statutes, is amended to read:
95 1001.64 Florida College System institution boards of
96 trustees; powers and duties.—
97 (19) Each board of trustees shall appoint, suspend, or
98 remove the president of the Florida College System institution.
99 Such appointments, reappointments, suspensions, and extensions
100 of a president, including associated contracts, are not subject
101 to approval or confirmation by the State Board of Education. In
102 appointing an interim or a permanent president, the chair of the
103 institution board of trustees shall appoint a presidential
104 search committee. The presidential search committee shall
105 consist of at least two members of the board of trustees and may
106 include persons from the institution’s faculty, the student
107 body, the institution’s foundation board, the institution’s
108 financing corporation board, if applicable, alumni, donors, and
109 members from the community the institution serves. However, none
110 of the persons appointed to serve on the presidential search
111 committee may hold positions that report directly to the
112 president. The Commissioner of Education or a member of the
113 State Board of Education may not serve on a presidential search
114 committee. The interim or permanent president appointed by the
115 institution board of trustees must be recommended by the
116 presidential search committee The board of trustees may appoint
117 a search committee. The board of trustees shall conduct annual
118 evaluations of the president in accordance with rules of the
119 State Board of Education and submit such evaluations to the
120 State Board of Education for review. The evaluation must address
121 the achievement of the performance goals established by the
122 accountability process implemented pursuant to s. 1008.45.
123 Section 5. Subsection (1) of section 1001.70, Florida
124 Statutes, is amended to read:
125 1001.70 Board of Governors of the State University System.—
126 (1) Pursuant to s. 7(d), Art. IX of the State Constitution,
127 the Board of Governors is established as a body corporate
128 comprised of 17 members as follows: 14 citizen members appointed
129 by the Governor subject to confirmation by the Senate; the
130 Commissioner of Education; the chair of the advisory council of
131 faculty senates or the equivalent; and the president of the
132 Florida student association or the equivalent. The appointed
133 members may only shall serve a single staggered 7-year term.
134 Each member appointed by the Governor must be a resident of this
135 state terms. In order to achieve staggered terms, beginning July
136 1, 2003, of the initial appointments, 4 members shall serve 2
137 year terms, 5 members shall serve 3-year terms, and 5 members
138 shall serve 7-year terms.
139 Section 6. Paragraph (a) of subsection (6) of section
140 1001.706, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
141 1001.706 Powers and duties of the Board of Governors.—
142 (6) POWERS AND DUTIES RELATING TO PERSONNEL.—
143 (a) The Board of Governors, or the board’s designee, shall
144 establish the personnel program for all employees of a state
145 university, except the president. The board of trustees of a
146 state university shall select and reappoint the university
147 president. In appointing an interim or permanent president, the
148 chair of the university board of trustees shall appoint a
149 presidential search committee. The presidential search committee
150 shall consist of 15 members consisting of at least three members
151 of the board of trustees and may include persons from the
152 university’s faculty, the student body, the university’s
153 foundation board, the university’s financing corporation board,
154 if applicable, alumni, donors, and members from the community in
155 which the university serves. However, none of the persons
156 appointed to serve on the presidential search committee may hold
157 positions that report directly to the president. The Chancellor
158 of the State University System or a member of the Board of
159 Governors may not serve on the presidential search committee.
160 The interim or permanent president selected by the board of
161 trustees must have been recommended by the presidential search
162 committee. Selections, reappointments, and extensions of a
163 president, including associated contracts, are not subject to
164 approval or confirmation by the Board of Governors. The Board of
165 Governors shall confirm the presidential selection and
166 reappointment by a university board of trustees as a means of
167 acknowledging that system cooperation is expected.
168 Section 7. Subsection (1) of section 1001.71, Florida
169 Statutes, is amended to read:
170 1001.71 University boards of trustees; membership.—
171 (1) Pursuant to s. 7(c), Art. IX of the State Constitution,
172 each local constituent university shall be administered by a
173 university board of trustees comprised of 13 members as follows:
174 6 citizen members appointed by the Governor subject to
175 confirmation by the Senate; 5 citizen members appointed by the
176 Board of Governors subject to confirmation by the Senate; the
177 chair of the faculty senate or the equivalent; and the president
178 of the student body of the university. The appointed members
179 shall serve staggered 5-year terms. Appointed members may be
180 reappointed for one additional term, not to exceed 10 years of
181 consecutive service. In order to achieve staggered terms,
182 beginning July 1, 2003, of the initial appointments by the
183 Governor, 2 members shall serve 2-year terms, 3 members shall
184 serve 3-year terms, and 1 member shall serve a 5-year term and
185 of the initial appointments by the Board of Governors, 2 members
186 shall serve 2-year terms, 2 members shall serve 3-year terms,
187 and 1 member shall serve a 5-year term. There shall be no state
188 residency requirement for university board members, but the
189 Governor and the Board of Governors shall consider diversity and
190 regional representation when appointing members. Beginning July
191 2, 2020, For purposes of this subsection, regional
192 representation shall include the chair of a campus board
193 established pursuant to s. 1004.341.
194 Section 8. Subsections (1) and (5) and paragraphs (a) and
195 (d) of subsection (6) of section 1004.085, Florida Statutes, are
196 amended to read:
197 1004.085 Textbook and instructional materials affordability
198 and transparency.—
199 (1) As used in this section, the term:,
200 (a) The term “Instructional materials” means educational
201 materials for use within a course which may be available in
202 printed or digital format.
203 (b) “Syllabus” or “syllabi” means the course syllabus or
204 syllabi developed by the instructor assigned to the course.
205 (c) “Term” includes the fall, spring, and summer terms.
206 (5)(a) Each Florida College System institution and state
207 university shall post prominently in the course registration
208 system and on its website a hyperlink to lists of required, and
209 recommended, and supplemental textbooks and instructional
210 materials, including those that are open access or an open
211 educational resource or for which there is no cost, for at least
212 95 percent of all courses and course sections offered at the
213 institution during the upcoming term. The lists must include the
214 International Standard Book Number (ISBN) or a unique identifier
215 for each required, and recommended, and supplemental textbook
216 and instructional material and or other identifying information,
217 which must include, at a minimum, all of the following: the
218 title, all authors listed, publishers, edition number, copyright
219 date, published date, and other relevant information necessary
220 to identify the specific textbooks or instructional materials
221 required, and recommended, and supplemental for each course. The
222 State Board of Education and the Board of Governors shall
223 include in the policies, procedures, and guidelines adopted
224 under subsection (6) certain limited exceptions to this
225 notification requirement for classes added after the
226 notification deadline.
227 (b) The lists of required, and recommended, and
228 supplemental textbooks and instructional materials required in
229 paragraph (a) must be based on a list submitted by the
230 instructor and:
231 1. Be posted as early as is feasible but at least 45 days
232 before the first day of class for each term.
233 2. Remain posted for at least 5 academic years.
234 3. Be searchable by the general education status, the
235 course subject, the course section, the course number, the
236 course title, the name of the instructor of the course, the
237 title of each assigned textbook or instructional material, and
238 each author of an assigned textbook or instructional material.
239 4. Include the duration of any license allowing access to
240 the textbook or instructional material.
241 5. Provide cost comparisons between bulk pricing, if such
242 textbooks and materials are offered in bulk or as part of a
243 package, and purchasing such textbooks and materials separately.
244 6. Identify the lowest cost option for each textbook and
245 instructional material.
246 7.4. Be easily downloadable by current and prospective
247 students.
248 (c) To maximize informed student choice, courses If a
249 course subject to paragraphs (a) and (b) must include the
250 current is a general education core course option identified
251 pursuant to s. 1007.25, course syllabi posted in the same
252 location as the postings of required, recommended, and
253 supplemental textbooks and instructional materials. Each
254 syllabus must contain syllabi information containing sufficient
255 detail to inform students of all of the following must be
256 included:
257 1. The course curriculum, including the required,
258 recommended, and supplemental textbooks and instructional
259 materials regardless of cost or whether the materials are open
260 access or open educational resource.
261 2. Specific The goals, objectives, and student expectations
262 of the course.
263 3. How student performance will be evaluated, including the
264 grading scale and methodology measured.
265 (6) After receiving input from students, faculty,
266 bookstores, and publishers, the State Board of Education and the
267 Board of Governors each shall adopt textbook and instructional
268 materials affordability policies, procedures, and guidelines for
269 implementation by Florida College System institutions and state
270 universities, respectively, that further efforts to minimize the
271 cost of textbooks and instructional materials for students
272 attending such institutions while maintaining the quality of
273 education and academic freedom. The policies, procedures, and
274 guidelines shall address:
275 (a) The establishment of deadlines for an instructor or
276 department to notify the bookstore of required, and recommended,
277 and supplemental textbooks and instructional materials so that
278 the bookstore may verify availability, source lower cost options
279 when practicable, explore alternatives with faculty when
280 academically appropriate, and maximize the availability of used
281 textbooks and instructional materials.
282 (d) The availability of required, and recommended, and
283 supplemental textbooks and instructional materials to students
284 otherwise unable to afford the cost, including consideration of
285 the extent to which an open-access textbook or instructional
286 material may be used.
287 Section 9. Section 1004.098, Florida Statutes, is repealed.
288 Section 10. This act shall take effect July 1, 2025.