Florida Senate - 2025 SB 20-A
By Senator Martin
33-00022-25A 202520A__
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, including students who are
6 undocumented for federal immigration purposes;
7 providing for severability; providing an effective
8 date.
9
10 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
11
12 Section 1. Subsection (12) of section 1009.26, Florida
13 Statutes, is amended to read:
14 1009.26 Fee waivers.—
15 (12)(a) A state university, a Florida College System
16 institution, a career center operated by a school district under
17 s. 1001.44, or a charter technical career center shall waive
18 out-of-state fees for students, including, but not limited to,
19 students who are undocumented for federal immigration purposes,
20 who meet the following conditions:
21 1. Attended a secondary school in this state for 3
22 consecutive years immediately before graduating from a high
23 school in this state;
24 2. Apply for enrollment in an institution of higher
25 education within 24 months after high school graduation; and
26 3. Submit an official Florida high school transcript as
27 evidence of attendance and graduation.
28 (b) Tuition and fees charged to a student who qualifies for
29 the out-of-state fee waiver under this subsection may not exceed
30 the tuition and fees charged to a resident student. The waiver
31 is applicable for 110 percent of the required credit hours of
32 the degree or certificate program for which the student is
33 enrolled. Each state university, Florida College System
34 institution, career center operated by a school district under
35 s. 1001.44, and charter technical career center shall report to
36 the Board of Governors and the State Board of Education,
37 respectively, the number and value of all fee waivers granted
38 annually under this subsection. By October 1 of each year, the
39 Board of Governors for the state universities and the State
40 Board of Education for Florida College System institutions,
41 career centers operated by a school district under s. 1001.44,
42 and charter technical career centers shall annually report for
43 the previous academic year the percentage of resident and
44 nonresident students enrolled systemwide.
45 (c) A state university student granted an out-of-state fee
46 waiver under this subsection must be considered a nonresident
47 student for purposes of calculating the systemwide total
48 enrollment of nonresident students as limited by regulation of
49 the Board of Governors. In addition, a student who is granted an
50 out-of-state fee waiver under this subsection is not eligible
51 for state financial aid under part III of this chapter and must
52 not be reported as a resident for tuition purposes.
53 (d) A state university, a Florida College System
54 institution, a career center operated by a school district under
55 s. 1001.44, or a charter technical career center shall, within
56 the nonresident student enrollment systemwide, prioritize the
57 enrollment of a veteran who is granted an out-of-state fee
58 waiver pursuant to the Congressman C.W. “Bill” Young Tuition
59 Waiver Act over a student who is granted an out-of-state fee
60 waiver under this subsection.
61 Section 2. If any provision of this act or its application
62 to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the invalidity
63 does not affect other provisions or applications of this act
64 which can be given effect without the invalid provision or
65 application, and to this end the provisions of this act are
66 severable.
67 Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2025.