Florida Senate - 2026 COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
Bill No. SB 430
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LEGISLATIVE ACTION
Senate . House
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The Committee on Education Pre-K - 12 (Yarborough) recommended
the following:
1 Senate Amendment (with title amendment)
2
3 Delete everything after the enacting clause
4 and insert:
5 Section 1. Paragraph (b) of subsection (1) of section
6 1001.741, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
7 1001.741 State university personnel; recruitment of
8 faculty; performance assessment and reporting; employment
9 practices; requiring certain oaths or statements prohibited;
10 grievances.—
11 (1) Except as delegated pursuant to paragraph (a), each
12 state university president has the final authority for hiring
13 the provost, the deans, and all full-time faculty for the
14 university, and has an ongoing duty to assess the performance,
15 productivity, and employment practices of the university’s
16 provost and deans. The president of the university is encouraged
17 to engage in faculty recruiting as appropriate, and shall
18 provide a regular report and recommendations on employment
19 practices to the board at least twice annually.
20 (b) A state university may not require any statement,
21 pledge, or oath other than the oath pursuant to s. 1012.802 and
22 the oath to uphold general and federal law, the United States
23 Constitution, and the State Constitution as a part of any
24 admissions, hiring, employment, promotion, tenure, disciplinary,
25 or evaluation process.
26 Section 2. Section 1012.591, Florida Statutes, is created
27 to read:
28 1012.591 Oath of school personnel.—
29 (1) Before entering upon the duties of a member of the
30 instructional or administrative personnel as defined in s.
31 1012.01(2) and (3), respectively, or of a prekindergarten
32 instructor at a public school, including charter schools, a
33 person must subscribe to the following oath:
34
35 I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support,
36 protect, and defend the Constitution and Government of
37 the United States and the Constitution and Government
38 of the State of Florida; that I am duly qualified for
39 employment as a member of the school personnel in this
40 state; that I will well and faithfully perform the
41 duties of a member of the school personnel in a
42 professional, independent, objective, and nonpartisan
43 manner; that I will uphold the highest standards of
44 academic integrity and professional ethics; that I
45 will foster a respectful learning environment for all
46 students which promotes critical thinking, civic
47 responsibility, and lifelong learning; and that I will
48 serve as a positive role model in both conduct and
49 character, so help me God.
50
51 (2)(a) An employee hired on or after July 1, 2026, as a
52 member of the instructional or administrative personnel, as
53 defined in s. 1012.01(2) and (3), respectively, or as a
54 prekindergarten instructor employed by a public school,
55 including a charter school, must subscribe to the oath before
56 entering upon the duties of the position.
57 (b) All members of the instructional or administrative
58 personnel, as defined in s. 1012.01(2) and (3), respectively,
59 and all prekindergarten instructors employed by a public school,
60 including a charter school, who are employed on or before June
61 30, 2026, must subscribe to the oath no later than July 1, 2027.
62 Section 3. Section 1012.802, Florida Statutes, is created
63 to read:
64 1012.802 Oath of administrative and instructional
65 employees.—
66 (1) Before entering upon the duties of a person employed in
67 an administrative or instructional capacity of a Florida College
68 System institution or state university, a person employed in
69 such capacity must subscribe to the following oath:
70
71 I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support,
72 protect, and defend the Constitution and Government of
73 the United States and the Constitution and Government
74 of the State of Florida; that I am duly qualified as a
75 person employed in an administrative or instructional
76 capacity in this state; that I will well and
77 faithfully perform the duties of a person employed in
78 an administrative or instructional capacity in a
79 professional, independent, objective, and nonpartisan
80 manner; that I will uphold the highest standards of
81 academic integrity and professional ethics; that I
82 will foster a respectful learning environment for all
83 students which promotes critical thinking, civic
84 responsibility, and lifelong learning; and that I will
85 serve as a positive role model in both conduct and
86 character, so help me God.
87
88 (2)(a) An employee hired on or after July 1, 2026, as a
89 member of the instructional or administrative personnel must
90 subscribe to the oath before entering upon the duties of the
91 position.
92 (b) A person employed on or before June 30, 2026, must
93 subscribe to the oath under this section at the person’s next
94 tenure review, post-tenure review, or other periodic performance
95 evaluation, including any 5-year post-tenure review, occurring
96 on or after July 1, 2026.
97 Section 4. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026.
98
99 ================= T I T L E A M E N D M E N T ================
100 And the title is amended as follows:
101 Delete everything before the enacting clause
102 and insert:
103 A bill to be entitled
104 An act relating to oaths of school personnel; amending
105 s. 1001.741, F.S.; providing an exception to a
106 prohibition on a state university requiring a
107 statement, pledge, or oath; creating s. 1012.591,
108 F.S.; requiring specified persons employed as members
109 of school personnel to subscribe to a specified oath
110 before entering upon the duties of a member of the
111 school personnel; creating s. 1012.802, F.S.;
112 requiring persons employed in an administrative or
113 instructional capacity at a Florida College System
114 institution or state university to subscribe to a
115 specified oath before entering upon the duties of a
116 person employed in an administrative or instructional
117 capacity; providing an effective date.