Florida Senate - 2026                                     SB 372
       
       
        
       By Senator Trumbull
       
       
       
       
       
       2-00790-26                                             2026372__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to public postsecondary tuition and
    3         fee waivers for sheriff’s office employees; amending
    4         s. 1009.265, F.S.; requiring state universities and
    5         Florida College System institutions to waive tuition
    6         and fees for sheriff’s office employees; providing
    7         requirements for the waiver of tuition and fees for
    8         sheriff’s office employees; providing requirements for
    9         a person to be considered a sheriff’s office employee;
   10         providing an effective date.
   11          
   12  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   13  
   14         Section 1. Subsections (1), (2), and (5) of section
   15  1009.265, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
   16         1009.265 State employee and sheriff’s office employee fee
   17  waivers.—
   18         (1) As a benefit to the employer and employees of the state
   19  and each sheriff’s office in the state, subject to approval by
   20  an employee’s agency head or sheriff, or the equivalent, each
   21  state university and Florida College System institution shall
   22  waive tuition and fees for state employees and sheriff’s office
   23  employees to enroll for up to 6 credit hours of courses per term
   24  on a space-available basis.
   25         (2) The Chief Financial Officer, in cooperation with the
   26  Florida College System institutions and state universities,
   27  shall identify and implement ways to ease the administrative
   28  burden to Florida College System institutions and state
   29  universities, including, but not limited to, providing easier
   30  access to verify state or sheriff’s office employment.
   31         (5) For purposes of this section:,
   32         (a) Employees of the state include employees of the
   33  executive, legislative, and judicial branches of state
   34  government, except for persons employed by a state university.
   35         (b) Employees of a sheriff’s office include any full-time
   36  sworn law enforcement officer, correctional officer, or civilian
   37  employee of the sheriff’s office.
   38         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026.