Florida Senate - 2026 COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
Bill No. SB 7038
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LEGISLATIVE ACTION
Senate . House
Comm: RCS .
02/20/2026 .
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The Appropriations Committee on Pre-K - 12 Education (Calatayud)
recommended the following:
1 Senate Amendment (with title amendment)
2
3 Delete lines 138 - 416
4 and insert:
5 (4) The State Board of Education may adopt rules to
6 implement this section.
7 Section 3. Subsection (1) of section 413.208, Florida
8 Statutes, is amended to read:
9 413.208 Service providers; quality assurance; fitness for
10 responsibilities; background screening.—
11 (1) Service providers must apply to register with the
12 division. To qualify for approval, a registration, the division
13 must ensure that the service provider must maintain maintains an
14 internal system of quality assurance, have has proven functional
15 systems, meet the minimum qualifications, and be is subject to a
16 due-diligence inquiry as to its fitness to undertake service
17 responsibilities.
18 (a) The division shall establish minimum qualifications for
19 service providers. The division shall establish an annual
20 application period for service providers to submit applications.
21 The division may approve or deny any service provider
22 application. Beginning January 1, 2027, only service providers
23 that meet the minimum qualifications established by the division
24 and that have been approved to provide employment-related
25 services to individuals with disabilities may participate in the
26 vocational rehabilitation program.
27 (b) The division shall develop and make publicly available
28 an annual report of service provider effectiveness which
29 includes an evaluation system measuring the effectiveness of all
30 service providers that are approved by the division to provide
31 employment-related services to individuals with disabilities.
32 (c) In order to maintain approved status with the division,
33 service providers must meet minimum standards of effectiveness
34 in the provision of vocational rehabilitation services,
35 including placement of individuals in competitive and integrated
36 employment.
37 (d) Rates for vocational rehabilitation services must be
38 allocable, reasonable, and necessary, as determined by the
39 division.
40 Section 4. Paragraph (c) of subsection (3) of section
41 491.005, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
42 491.005 Licensure by examination.—
43 (3) MARRIAGE AND FAMILY THERAPY.—Upon verification of
44 documentation and payment of a fee not to exceed $200, as set by
45 board rule, the department shall issue a license as a marriage
46 and family therapist to an applicant whom the board certifies
47 has met all of the following criteria:
48 (c)1. Attained one of the following:
49 a. A minimum of a master’s degree in marriage and family
50 therapy from a program accredited by the Commission on
51 Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education.
52 b. A minimum of a master’s degree with a major emphasis in
53 marriage and family therapy or a closely related field from a
54 university program accredited by the Council on Accreditation of
55 Counseling and Related Educational Programs and graduate courses
56 approved by the board.
57 c. A minimum of a master’s degree with an emphasis in
58 marriage and family therapy or a closely related field, with a
59 degree conferred before September 1, 2032 2027, from an
60 institutionally accredited college or university and graduate
61 courses approved by the board.
62 2. If the course title that appears on the applicant’s
63 transcript does not clearly identify the content of the
64 coursework, the applicant provided additional documentation,
65 including, but not limited to, a syllabus or catalog description
66 published for the course. The required master’s degree must have
67 been received in an institution of higher education that, at the
68 time the applicant graduated, was fully accredited by an
69 institutional accrediting body recognized by the Council for
70 Higher Education Accreditation or its successor organization or
71 was a member in good standing with Universities Canada, or an
72 institution of higher education located outside the United
73 States and Canada which, at the time the applicant was enrolled
74 and at the time the applicant graduated, maintained a standard
75 of training substantially equivalent to the standards of
76 training of those institutions in the United States which are
77 accredited by an institutional accrediting body recognized by
78 the Council for Higher Education Accreditation or its successor
79 organization. Such foreign education and training must have been
80 received in an institution or program of higher education
81 officially recognized by the government of the country in which
82 it is located as an institution or program to train students to
83 practice as professional marriage and family therapists or
84 psychotherapists. The applicant has the burden of establishing
85 that the requirements of this provision have been met, and the
86 board shall require documentation, such as an evaluation by a
87 foreign equivalency determination service, as evidence that the
88 applicant’s graduate degree program and education were
89 equivalent to an accredited program in this country. An
90 applicant with a master’s degree from a program that did not
91 emphasize marriage and family therapy may complete the
92 coursework requirement in a training institution fully
93 accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and
94 Family Therapy Education recognized by the United States
95 Department of Education.
96
97 For the purposes of dual licensure, the department shall license
98 as a marriage and family therapist any person who meets the
99 requirements of s. 491.0057. Fees for dual licensure may not
100 exceed those stated in this subsection.
101 Section 5. Subsection (1) of section 1001.92, Florida
102 Statutes, is amended to read:
103 1001.92 State University System Performance-Based
104 Incentive.—
105 (1) A State University System Performance-Based Incentive
106 shall be awarded to state universities using performance-based
107 metrics adopted by the Board of Governors of the State
108 University System. Beginning with the Board of Governors’
109 determination of each university’s performance improvement and
110 achievement ratings, and the related distribution of annual
111 fiscal year appropriation, the performance-based metrics must
112 include:
113 (a) The 4-year graduation rate for first-time-in-college
114 students;
115 (b) Beginning in fiscal year 2022-2023, the 3-year
116 graduation rate for associate in arts transfer students;
117 (c) Retention rates;
118 (d) Postgraduation education rates;
119 (e) Degree production;
120 (f) Affordability;
121 (g) Postgraduation employment and salaries, including wage
122 thresholds that reflect the added value of a baccalaureate
123 degree;
124 (h) Access rate, based on the percentage of first-year
125 undergraduate students enrolled during the fall term who
126 received a Pell Grant during the fall term; and
127 (i) Beginning in fiscal year 2021-2022, the 6-year
128 graduation rate for students who are awarded a Pell Grant in
129 their first year.
130
131 The Board of Governors may approve other metrics in a publicly
132 noticed meeting. The board shall adopt benchmarks to evaluate
133 each state university’s performance on the metrics to measure
134 the state university’s achievement of institutional excellence
135 or need for improvement and minimum requirements for eligibility
136 to receive performance funding. Benchmarks and metrics may not
137 be adjusted after university performance data has been received
138 by the Board of Governors.
139 Section 7. Section 1003.437, Florida Statutes, is amended
140 to read:
141 1003.437 Middle and high school grading system.—The grading
142 system and interpretation of letter grades used to measure
143 student success in grade 6 through grade 12 courses for students
144 in public schools shall be as follows:
145 (1) Grade “A” equals 90 percent through 100 percent, has a
146 grade point average value of 4, and is defined as “outstanding
147 progress.”
148 (2) Grade “B” equals 80 percent through 89 percent, has a
149 grade point average value of 3, and is defined as “above average
150 progress.”
151 (3) Grade “C” equals 70 percent through 79 percent, has a
152 grade point average value of 2, and is defined as “average
153 progress.”
154 (4) Grade “D” equals 60 percent through 69 percent, has a
155 grade point average value of 1, and is defined as “lowest
156 acceptable progress.”
157 (5) Grade “F” equals zero percent through 59 percent, has a
158 grade point average value of zero, and is defined as “failure.”
159 (6) Grade “I” equals zero percent, has a grade point
160 average value of zero, and is defined as “incomplete.”
161
162 The State Board of Education must establish a statewide uniform
163 weighted grading system for honors courses and articulated
164 acceleration mechanisms identified in s. 1007.27. For the
165 purposes of class ranking, District school boards shall use the
166 may exercise a weighted grading system to calculate weighted
167 high school grade point averages pursuant to s. 1007.271.
168 Section 8. Paragraph (b) of subsection (1) of section
169 1005.06, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
170 1005.06 Institutions not under the jurisdiction or purview
171 of the commission.—
172 (1) Except as otherwise provided in law, the following
173 institutions are not under the jurisdiction or purview of the
174 commission and are not required to obtain licensure:
175 (b) Any college or, school, or course licensed or approved
176 as an institution for establishment and operation by another
177 state agency. A college or school, or any of its programs or
178 courses, does not qualify for exemption from the commission’s
179 jurisdiction under this paragraph solely because another state
180 agency licenses or approves one or more of its programs or
181 courses for establishment and operation under part I of chapter
182 464, chapter 466, or chapter 475, or any other chapter of the
183 Florida Statutes requiring licensing or approval as defined in
184 this chapter.
185 Section 9. Paragraph (b) of subsection (9) of section
186 1007.25, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
187 1007.25 General education courses; common prerequisites;
188 other degree requirements.—
189 (9)
190 (b) An associate in arts specialized transfer degree must
191 include 36 semester hours of general education coursework and
192 require 60 semester hours or more of college credit. Specialized
193 transfer degrees are designed for Florida College System
194 institution students who need supplemental lower-level
195 coursework in preparation for transfer to another institution.
196 The State Board of Education shall establish criteria for the
197 review and approval of new specialized transfer degrees. The
198 approval process must require:
199 1. A Florida College System institution to submit a notice
200 of its intent to propose a new associate in arts specialized
201 degree program to the Division of Florida Colleges. The notice
202 must include the recommended credit hours, the rationale for the
203 specialization, the demand for students entering the field, and
204 the coursework being proposed to be included beyond the 60
205 semester hours required for the general transfer degree, if
206 applicable. Notices of intent may be submitted by a Florida
207 College System institution at any time.
208 2. The Division of Florida Colleges to forward the notice
209 of intent within 10 business days after receipt to all Florida
210 College System institutions and to the Chancellor of the State
211 University System, who shall forward the notice to all state
212 universities. State universities and Florida College System
213 institutions shall have 30 60 days after receipt of the notice
214 to submit comments to the proposed associate in arts specialized
215 transfer degree.
216 3. After the submission of comments pursuant to
217 subparagraph 2., the requesting Florida College System
218 institution to submit a proposal that, at a minimum, includes:
219 a. Evidence that the coursework for the associate in arts
220 specialized transfer degree includes demonstration of competency
221 in a foreign language pursuant to s. 1007.262 and demonstration
222 of civic literacy competency as provided in subsection (5).
223 b. Demonstration that all required coursework will count
224 toward the associate in arts degree or the baccalaureate degree.
225 c. An analysis of demand and unmet need for students
226 entering the specialized field of study at the baccalaureate
227 level.
228 d. Justification for the program length if it exceeds 60
229 credit hours, including references to the common prerequisite
230 manual or other requirements for the baccalaureate degree. This
231 includes documentation of alignment between the exit
232 requirements of a Florida College System institution and the
233 admissions requirements of a baccalaureate program at a state
234 university to which students would typically transfer.
235 e. Articulation agreements for graduates of the associate
236 in arts specialized transfer degree.
237 f. Responses to the comments received under subparagraph 2.
238 Section 10. Subsections (1) and (16) of section 1007.271,
239 Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
240 1007.271 Dual enrollment programs.—
241 (1) The dual enrollment program is the enrollment of an
242 eligible secondary student in this state or home education
243 student in this state in a postsecondary course creditable
244 toward high school completion and a career certificate or an
245 associate or baccalaureate degree. Postsecondary institutions
246 that are eligible to participate in the dual enrollment program
247 are Florida public postsecondary institutions and eligible not
248 for-profit independent colleges and universities pursuant to s.
249 1011.62(1)(i). A student who is enrolled in postsecondary
250 instruction that is not creditable toward a high school diploma
251 may not be classified as a dual enrollment student.
252 (16) Students who meet the eligibility requirements of this
253 section and who choose to participate in dual enrollment
254 programs are exempt from the payment of registration, tuition,
255 and laboratory fees.
256 Section 11. Subsections (2) and (3) and paragraphs (a) and
257 (b) of subsection (4) of section 1008.30, Florida Statutes, are
258 amended to read:
259 1008.30 Assessing college-level communication and
260 computation skills for public postsecondary education.—
261 (2) By January 31, 2022, the State Board of Education shall
262 adopt rules to develop and implement alternative methods for
263 assessing the basic communication and computation skills of
264 students who intend to enter a degree program at a Florida
265 College System institution. Florida College System institutions
266 and school district career centers may use these alternative
267 methods adopted by the State Board of Education for assessing
268 the basic communication and computation skills of students who
269 intend to enter a degree program at a Florida College System
270 institution or school district career center in lieu of the
271 common placement tests under subsection (1) to assess student
272 readiness for college-level work in communication and
273 computation. Florida College System institutions may request
274 approval of institution-specific alternative methods in
275 accordance with State Board of Education rules.
276 (3) The rules adopted under subsection (2) must specify the
277 following:
278 (a) A student who entered 9th grade in a Florida public
279 school in the 2003-2004 school year, or any year thereafter, and
280 earned a Florida standard high school diploma and who
281 demonstrated readiness for college-level communication and
282 computation skills by any of the approved common placement tests
283 or alternative methods pursuant to this section or a student who
284 is serving as an active duty member of any branch of the United
285 States Armed Services is not required to be assessed for
286 readiness for college-level work in communication and
287 computation and is not required to enroll in developmental
288 education instruction in a Florida College System institution or
289 a school district career center. However, a student who is not
290 required to be assessed for readiness for college-level work in
291 communication and computation and is not required to enroll in
292 developmental education under this paragraph may opt to be
293 assessed and to enroll in developmental education instruction,
294 and the college or school district career center shall provide
295 such assessment and instruction upon the student’s request.
296 (b) A student who earned a Florida standard high school
297 diploma and has not demonstrated readiness for college-level
298 courses pursuant to subsection (1) or subsection (2) must be
299 offered the opportunity to be is assessed for readiness for
300 college-level communication and computation and, if the
301 student’s whose assessment results indicate a need for
302 developmental education, he or she must be advised of all the
303 developmental education options offered at the institution. and,
304 After advisement, the student may enroll in the developmental
305 education option of his or her choice.
306 (c) A student who demonstrates readiness by achieving or
307 exceeding the test scores established under subsection (1) by
308 the state board and enrolls in a Florida College System
309 institution or a school district career center within 2 years
310 after achieving such scores may shall not be required to retest
311 or complete developmental education when admitted to any Florida
312 College System institution or school district career center.
313 (4)(a) Each Florida College System institution and school
314 district career center shall implement the developmental
315 education strategies defined in s. 1008.02 and rules established
316 by the State Board of Education.
317 (b) Each Florida College System institution and school
318 district career center shall use placement test results or
319 alternative methods as established by the State Board of
320 Education to determine the extent to which each student
321 demonstrates sufficient communication and computation skills to
322 indicate readiness for his or her chosen meta-major. Florida
323 College System institutions and school district career centers
324 shall counsel students into college credit courses as quickly as
325 possible, with developmental education limited to that content
326 needed for success in the meta-major.
327 Section 12. Subsection (1) of section 1008.44, Florida
328 Statutes, is amended to read:
329 1008.44 CAPE Industry Certification Funding List.—
330 (1) The State Board of Education shall adopt, at least
331 annually, based upon recommendations by the Commissioner of
332 Education, the CAPE Industry Certification Funding List that
333 assigns categories of certificates and certifications as
334 provided for in s. 1003.4203 to certifications identified in the
335 Master Credentials List under s. 445.004(4) which meet a
336 statewide, regional, or local demand. Supplemental funding for
337 regional and local demand certifications may only be earned in
338 those areas with regional or local demand as identified by the
339 Credentials Review Committee.
340 Section 13. Subsection (2) of section 1008.47, Florida
341 Statutes, is amended to read:
342 1008.47 Postsecondary education institution accreditation.—
343 (2) ACCREDITATION.—
344 (a) By September 1, 2022, The Board of Governors or the
345 State Board of Education, as applicable, shall identify and
346 determine the accrediting agencies or associations best suited
347 to serve as an accreditor for public postsecondary institutions.
348 Such accrediting agencies or associations must be recognized by
349 the database created and maintained by the United States
350 Department of Education. Within 3 years In the year following
351 reaffirmation or fifth-year review by its accrediting agencies
352 or associations, each public postsecondary institution must seek
353 and obtain accreditation from an accrediting agency or
354 association identified by the Board of Governors or State Board
355 of Education, respectively, before its next reaffirmation or
356 fifth-year review date. The requirements in this section are
357 limited to a one-time change in accreditation. The requirements
358 of this subsection are not applicable to those professional,
359 graduate, departmental, or certificate programs at public
360 postsecondary institutions that have specific accreditation
361 requirements or best practices, including, but not limited to,
362 law, pharmacy, engineering, or other similarly situated
363 educational programs.
364 (b) Once a public postsecondary institution is required to
365 seek and obtain accreditation from an agency or association
366 identified pursuant to paragraph (a), the institution shall seek
367 accreditation from an a regional accrediting agency or
368 association and provide quarterly reports of its progress to the
369 Board of Governors or State Board of Education, as applicable.
370 If each regional accreditation agency or association identified
371 pursuant to paragraph (a) has refused to grant candidacy status
372 to an institution, the institution must seek and obtain
373 accreditation from any accrediting agency or association that is
374 different from its current accrediting agency or association and
375 is recognized by the database created and maintained by the
376 United States Department of Education. If a public postsecondary
377 institution is not granted candidacy status before its next
378 reaffirmation or fifth-year review date, the institution may
379 remain with its current accrediting agency or association.
380 (c) This subsection expires December 31, 2032.
381 Section 14. Present subsections (4) through (13) of section
382 1009.21, Florida Statutes, are redesignated as subsections (5)
383 through (14), respectively, a new subsection (4) is added to
384 that section, and present subsection (7) of that section is
385 amended, to read:
386 1009.21 Determination of resident status for tuition
387 purposes.—Students shall be classified as residents or
388 nonresidents for the purpose of assessing tuition in
389 postsecondary educational programs offered by charter technical
390 career centers or career centers operated by school districts,
391 in Florida College System institutions, and in state
392 universities.
393 (4) An individual may not lose his or her resident status
394 for tuition purposes solely by reason of his or her
395 incarceration in a state or federal correctional facility in
396 this state.
397 (8)(7) A person may shall not lose his or her resident
398 status for tuition purposes solely by reason of his or her
399 serving, or, if such person is a dependent child, by reason of
400 his or her parent’s or parents’ serving outside this state as
401 active duty or civilian personnel:,
402 (a) In the Armed Forces outside this state.
403 (b) On assignment for the United States Department of State
404 or Department of Defense.
405 (c) Teaching at a Department of Defense Dependent School.
406 Section 15. Paragraph (a) of subsection (20) of section
407 1009.26, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
408 1009.26 Fee waivers.—
409 (20)(a) Beginning with the 2026-2027 2022-2023 academic
410 year, a state university shall waive the out-of-state fee for a
411 full-time undergraduate student who:
412 1. Has a grandparent who is a legal resident as defined in
413 s. 1009.21(1). For purposes of this subsection, the term
414 “grandparent” means a person who has a legal relationship to a
415 student’s parent as the natural or adoptive parent or legal
416 guardian of the student’s parent.
417 2. Earns a high school diploma comparable to a Florida
418 standard high school diploma, or its equivalent, or completes a
419 home education program.
420 3.a. Achieves an SAT combined score no lower than the 89th
421 national percentile on the SAT;
422 b. Achieves an ACT score concordant to the required SAT
423 score in sub-subparagraph a., using the latest published
424 national concordance table developed jointly by the College
425 Board and ACT, Inc.; or
426 c. If a state university accepts the Classic Learning Test
427 (CLT) for admission purposes, achieves a CLT score concordant to
428 the required SAT score specified in sub-subparagraph a., using
429 the latest published scoring comparison developed by Classic
430 Learning Initiatives.
431 4. Beginning with students who initially enroll in the 2022
432 fall academic term and thereafter, enrolls as a full-time
433 undergraduate student at a state university in the fall academic
434 term immediately following high school graduation.
435
436 ================= T I T L E A M E N D M E N T ================
437 And the title is amended as follows:
438 Delete lines 11 - 54
439 and insert:
440 for the disclosure; authorizing the State Board of
441 Education to adopt rules; amending s. 413.208, F.S.;
442 requiring certain service providers to apply to,
443 rather than register with, the Division of Vocational
444 Rehabilitation; requiring the division to establish
445 minimum qualifications for service providers;
446 requiring the division to establish an annual
447 application period; authorizing the division to
448 approve or deny any service provider application;
449 providing that, as of a specified date, only certain
450 service providers may participate in the vocational
451 rehabilitation program; requiring the division to
452 develop and make publicly available a certain annual
453 report; requiring service providers to meet certain
454 standards to maintain approved status; requiring that
455 the rates for vocational rehabilitation services meet
456 certain criteria; amending s. 491.005, F.S.; revising
457 the date for a requirement to obtain a license as a
458 marriage and family therapist; amending s. 1001.92,
459 F.S.; revising access rate performance-based metric;
460 amending s. 1003.437, F.S.; requiring the State Board
461 of Education to establish a statewide uniform weighted
462 grading system for specified courses and articulated
463 acceleration mechanisms; requiring district school
464 boards to use the system for a specified purpose;
465 amending s. 1005.06, F.S.; revising the list of
466 institutions that are not under the jurisdiction of
467 the Commission for Independent Education; amending s.
468 1007.25, F.S.; revising the timeframe for Florida
469 College System institutions and state universities to
470 submit comments in response to a specified notice of
471 intent; amending s. 1007.271, F.S.; revising the list
472 of postsecondary institutions that are eligible to
473 participate in a dual enrollment program; amending s.
474 1008.30, F.S.; deleting a requirement for the State
475 Board of Education to adopt rules; authorizing school
476 district career centers to use alternative methods
477 adopted by the board in lieu of common placement tests
478 to assess students in basic communication and
479 computation skills; authorizing Florida College System
480 institutions to request approval of institution
481 specific alternative methods; making conforming
482 changes; amending s. 1008.44, F.S.; deleting a
483 provision limiting how supplemental funding may be
484 earned for the CAPE Industry Certification Funding
485 List; amending s. 1008.47, F.S.; revising the
486 timeframe for a public postsecondary institution to
487 seek and obtain accreditation; amending s. 1009.21,
488 F.S.; providing that a person may not lose his or her
489 resident status for tuition purposes due to
490 incarceration; providing that a person may not lose
491 his or her resident status for tuition purposes due to
492 his or her parent serving outside this state in
493 certain capacities; amending s.