Florida Senate - 2025                                     SB 742
       
       
        
       By Senator Simon
       
       
       
       
       
       3-01773-25                                             2025742__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to workforce development; amending s.
    3         1011.801, F.S.; providing that the Workforce
    4         Development Capitalization Incentive Grant Program
    5         includes charter schools; amending s. 1011.803, F.S.;
    6         revising the number of workforce education programs
    7         that each school district and Florida College System
    8         institution must offer a money-back guarantee on;
    9         providing an effective date.
   10          
   11  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   12  
   13         Section 1. Section 1011.801, Florida Statutes, is amended
   14  to read:
   15         1011.801 Workforce Development Capitalization Incentive
   16  Grant Program.—The Legislature recognizes that the need for
   17  school districts and Florida College System institutions to be
   18  able to respond to emerging local or statewide economic
   19  development needs is critical to the workforce development
   20  system. The Workforce Development Capitalization Incentive Grant
   21  Program is created to provide grants to school districts,
   22  charter schools, and Florida College System institutions to fund
   23  some or all of the costs associated with the creation or
   24  expansion of career and technical education programs that lead
   25  to industry certifications included on the CAPE Industry
   26  Certification Funding List. The programs may serve secondary
   27  students or postsecondary students if the postsecondary career
   28  and technical education program also serves secondary students.
   29         (1) Funds awarded for a workforce development
   30  capitalization incentive grant may be used for instructional
   31  equipment, laboratory equipment, supplies, personnel, student
   32  services, or other expenses associated with the creation or
   33  expansion of a career and technical education program that
   34  serves secondary students. Expansion of a program may include
   35  either the expansion of enrollments in a program or expansion
   36  into new areas of specialization within a program. No grant
   37  funds may be used for recurring instructional costs or for
   38  institutions’ indirect costs.
   39         (2) The Department of Education shall administer the
   40  program. The State Board of Education may adopt rules for
   41  program administration. The State Board of Education shall
   42  consider the statewide geographic dispersion of grant funds in
   43  ranking the applications and shall give priority to applications
   44  from education agencies that are making maximum use of their
   45  workforce development funding by offering high-performing, high
   46  demand programs.
   47         Section 2. Paragraph (a) of subsection (2) of section
   48  1011.803, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
   49         1011.803 Money-back Guarantee Program.—
   50         (2) Each school district and Florida College System
   51  institution shall establish a money-back guarantee program to:
   52         (a) Offer a money-back guarantee on at least six three
   53  programs.
   54         Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2025.