Florida Senate - 2025                                      SB 90
       
       
        
       By Senator Fine
       
       
       
       
       
       19-00420-25                                             202590__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to postsecondary out-of-state fee
    3         waivers; amending s. 1009.26, F.S.; deleting
    4         provisions relating to the waiver of out-of-state fees
    5         for certain students; providing an effective date.
    6          
    7  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
    8  
    9         Section 1. Subsection (12) of section 1009.26, Florida
   10  Statutes, is amended to read:
   11         1009.26 Fee waivers.—
   12         (12)(a) A state university, a Florida College System
   13  institution, a career center operated by a school district under
   14  s. 1001.44, or a charter technical career center shall waive
   15  out-of-state fees for students, including, but not limited to,
   16  students who are undocumented for federal immigration purposes,
   17  who meet the following conditions:
   18         1. Attended a secondary school in this state for 3
   19  consecutive years immediately before graduating from a high
   20  school in this state;
   21         2. Apply for enrollment in an institution of higher
   22  education within 24 months after high school graduation; and
   23         3. Submit an official Florida high school transcript as
   24  evidence of attendance and graduation.
   25         (b) Tuition and fees charged to a student who qualifies for
   26  the out-of-state fee waiver under this subsection may not exceed
   27  the tuition and fees charged to a resident student. The waiver
   28  is applicable for 110 percent of the required credit hours of
   29  the degree or certificate program for which the student is
   30  enrolled. Each state university, Florida College System
   31  institution, career center operated by a school district under
   32  s. 1001.44, and charter technical career center shall report to
   33  the Board of Governors and the State Board of Education,
   34  respectively, the number and value of all fee waivers granted
   35  annually under this subsection. By October 1 of each year, the
   36  Board of Governors for the state universities and the State
   37  Board of Education for Florida College System institutions,
   38  career centers operated by a school district under s. 1001.44,
   39  and charter technical career centers shall annually report for
   40  the previous academic year the percentage of resident and
   41  nonresident students enrolled systemwide.
   42         (c) A state university student granted an out-of-state fee
   43  waiver under this subsection must be considered a nonresident
   44  student for purposes of calculating the systemwide total
   45  enrollment of nonresident students as limited by regulation of
   46  the Board of Governors. In addition, a student who is granted an
   47  out-of-state fee waiver under this subsection is not eligible
   48  for state financial aid under part III of this chapter and must
   49  not be reported as a resident for tuition purposes.
   50         (d) A state university, a Florida College System
   51  institution, a career center operated by a school district under
   52  s. 1001.44, or a charter technical career center shall, within
   53  the nonresident student enrollment systemwide, prioritize the
   54  enrollment of a veteran who is granted an out-of-state fee
   55  waiver pursuant to the Congressman C.W. “Bill” Young Tuition
   56  Waiver Act over a student who is granted an out-of-state fee
   57  waiver under this subsection.
   58         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2025.