Florida Senate - 2026 SENATOR AMENDMENT
Bill No. HB 5601-E
Ì926488\Î926488
LEGISLATIVE ACTION
Senate . House
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Floor: 1/AD/2R .
05/12/2026 11:12 AM .
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Senator Harrell moved the following:
1 Senate Amendment (with title amendment)
2
3 Delete everything after the enacting clause
4 and insert:
5 Section 1. Section 464.0195, Florida Statutes, is amended
6 to read:
7 464.0195 Florida Center for Nursing; goals.—
8 (1) There is established within the University of South
9 Florida the Florida Center for Nursing to address issues of
10 supply and demand for nursing, including issues of recruitment,
11 retention, and utilization of resources that support the state’s
12 nursing nurse workforce resources. The Legislature finds that
13 the center will repay the state’s investment by providing an
14 ongoing strategy for the allocation of the state’s resources
15 directed towards nursing.
16 (2) The primary goals for the center shall be to:
17 (a) Develop a strategic statewide plan for nursing manpower
18 in this state by:
19 1. Conducting a statistically valid biennial data-driven
20 gap analysis of the supply and demand of the health care
21 workforce. The center shall:
22 a. Establish and maintain a database on nursing supply and
23 demand in the state, to include current supply and demand.
24 b. Analyze the current and future supply and demand in the
25 state and the impact of this state’s participation in the Nurse
26 Licensure Compact under s. 464.0095.
27 2. Developing recommendations to increase nurse faculty and
28 clinical preceptors, support nurse faculty development, and
29 promote advanced nurse education.
30 3. Developing best practices in the academic preparation
31 and continuing education needs of qualified nurse educators,
32 nurse faculty, and clinical preceptors.
33 4. Collecting data on nurse faculty, employment,
34 distribution, and retention.
35 5. Piloting innovative projects to support the recruitment,
36 development, and retention of qualified nurse faculty and
37 clinical preceptors.
38 6. Encouraging and coordinating the development of
39 academic-practice partnerships, including partnerships with
40 hospitals which provide opportunities for nursing students to
41 obtain clinical experience, to support nurse faculty employment
42 and advancement.
43 7. Developing distance learning infrastructure for nursing
44 education and advancing faculty competencies in the pedagogy of
45 teaching and the evidence-based use of technology, simulation,
46 and distance learning techniques.
47 (b) Enhance and promote recognition, reward, and renewal
48 activities for nurses in the state by:
49 1. Promoting nursing excellence programs such as magnet
50 recognition by the American Nurses Credentialing Center;
51 2. Proposing and creating additional reward, recognition,
52 and renewal activities for nurses; and
53 3. Promoting media and positive image-building efforts for
54 nursing.
55 (c) Convene various groups representative of nurses, other
56 health care providers, business and industry, consumers,
57 lawmakers, and educators to:
58 1. Review and comment on data analysis prepared for the
59 center;
60 2. Recommend systemic changes, including strategies for
61 implementation of recommended changes; and
62 3. Evaluate and report the results of these efforts to the
63 Legislature and other entities.
64 (3) The Board of Nursing shall include on its initial and
65 renewal application forms a question asking each nurse to
66 voluntarily contribute to funding the Florida Center for Nursing
67 in addition to paying the fees imposed at the time of licensure
68 and licensure renewal. Revenues collected from nurses over and
69 above the required fees shall be transferred from the Medical
70 Quality Assurance Trust Fund to the Grants and Donations Trust
71 Fund within the Department of Health and shall be used solely to
72 support and maintain the goals and functions of the center.
73 Before giving a nurse the opportunity to contribute to funding
74 the center at the time of licensure renewal, the Board of
75 Nursing shall provide the nurse with a summary of the center’s
76 work, a link to the center’s Internet website, and the following
77 statement: “The Florida Center for Nursing’s operating revenues
78 are derived in part from your donation. In order for the Florida
79 Center for Nursing to continue its work on behalf of nurses,
80 please donate.”
81 (4) The center may request from the board, and the board
82 must provide to the center upon its request, any information
83 held by the board regarding nurses licensed in this state or
84 holding a multistate license pursuant to s. 464.0095 or
85 information reported to the board by employers of such nurses,
86 other than personal identifying information.
87 (5) The center shall administer the Linking Industry to
88 Nursing Education (LINE) Fund pursuant to s. 1009.8962.
89 (a) The center shall proactively promote to eligible
90 institutions the availability of matching funds through the LINE
91 Fund before the opening of the annual application period.
92 (b) The center shall provide technical assistance to
93 eligible institutions before, during, and after the award
94 process to maximize the success of the program statewide.
95 (c) To administer the application, evaluation, and
96 distribution of LINE Fund grants under s. 1009.8962, the center
97 shall develop and make publicly available on its website the
98 guidelines for the LINE Fund administration, including:
99 1. Any application procedures and deadlines.
100 2. The criteria for program eligibility and funding
101 priorities.
102 3. A preapproval process to assist applicants with planning
103 for the annual application process.
104 4. A process to ensure the fair evaluation of all submitted
105 proposals and determination of award recipients.
106 5. The process that each type of eligible institution must
107 follow to certify the receipt of the pledged contributions from
108 any partner organizations before receiving any matching state
109 funds.
110 6. Reporting and accountability standards for grant
111 recipients that apply for or receive LINE funds, including
112 actions the center may consider when an institution materially
113 fails to comply with any program requirements or standards.
114 (6)(5) No later than each January 10, the center shall
115 submit a report to the Governor, the President of the Senate,
116 and the Speaker of the House of Representatives providing
117 details of its activities during the preceding calendar year in
118 pursuit of its goals and in the execution of its duties under
119 subsection (2), including a nursing education program report.
120 The center shall annually update the report no later than
121 February 10, to include data related to the NCLEX examination.
122 Section 2. Paragraphs (a) and (c) of subsection (18) of
123 section 1009.26, Florida Statutes, as amended by section 7 of
124 chapter 2025-199, Laws of Florida, are amended to read:
125 1009.26 Fee waivers.—
126 (18)(a) For every course in a Program of Strategic
127 Emphasis, or in a state-approved teacher preparation program
128 identified by the Board of Governors, as identified in
129 subparagraph 3., in which a student is enrolled and has out-of
130 pocket expenses for tuition and fees after all other federal,
131 state, and institutional gift aid is applied, a state university
132 shall waive 100 percent of the tuition and fees of the student’s
133 out-of-pocket expenses for an equivalent course in such program
134 for a student who:
135 1. Is a resident for tuition purposes under s. 1009.21.
136 2. Has earned at least 60 semester credit hours towards a
137 baccalaureate degree within 2 academic years after initial
138 enrollment at a Florida public postsecondary institution.
139 3. Enrolls in one of 10 Programs of Strategic Emphasis as
140 adopted by the Board of Governors or a state-approved teacher
141 preparation program. The Board of Governors shall adopt eight
142 Programs of Strategic Emphasis in science, technology,
143 engineering, or math; beginning with the 2022-2023 academic
144 year, two Programs of Strategic Emphasis in the critical
145 workforce gap analysis category; and beginning with the 2023
146 2024 academic year, two state-approved teacher preparation
147 programs for which a student may be eligible to receive the
148 tuition and fee waiver authorized by this subsection. The
149 programs identified by the board must reflect the priorities of
150 the state and be offered at a majority of state universities at
151 the time the Board of Governors approves the list.
152 (c) Upon enrollment in a Program of Strategic Emphasis or a
153 state-approved teacher preparation program, the tuition and fees
154 waived under this subsection must be reported for state funding
155 purposes under ss. 1009.534 and 1009.535 and must be disbursed
156 to the student. The amount disbursed to the student must be
157 equal to the award amount the student has received under s.
158 1009.534(3) or s. 1009.535(2).
159 Section 3. Subsections (2) through (10) of section
160 1009.8962, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
161 1009.8962 Linking Industry to Nursing Education (LINE)
162 Fund.—
163 (2) Recognizing that the state has a persistent and growing
164 nursing shortage and shortages in other related health science
165 professions, it is the intent of the Legislature to address this
166 critical workforce need by incentivizing collaboration between
167 nursing education and related health science programs and health
168 care partners through the establishment of the LINE Fund. This
169 fund is intended to meet local, regional, and state workforce
170 demand by recruiting faculty and clinical preceptors, increasing
171 the capacity of high-quality nursing education and related
172 health science programs, and increasing the number of nursing
173 education and related health science program graduates who are
174 prepared and licensed to enter the workforce.
175 (3) As used in this section, the term:
176 (a) “Center” means the Florida Center for Nursing within
177 the University of South Florida, established by s. 464.0195.
178 (b)(a) “Health care partner” means a health care provider
179 as defined in s. 768.38(2) that is licensed to operate in this
180 state. The center may also consider any of the following types
181 of organizations that are connected to nursing education or the
182 nursing workforce as a “health care partner” for the purpose of
183 evaluating an institution’s proposal and a pledged contribution
184 for matching LINE funds:
185 1. An organization that manufactures or sells durable
186 medical equipment or simulation equipment that demonstrably
187 enhances or supplements a nursing student’s education.
188 2. An organization that provides educational materials or
189 instruction related to preparation to pass a nationally
190 recognized nursing licensure examination.
191 3. A health care organization active in this state which
192 employs or uses licensed nurses to deliver direct patient care.
193 4. A nonprofit organization or fund with a 501(c)(3)
194 designation registered in this state for at least 2 years before
195 the date of the initial LINE grant application which is
196 organized primarily, or which makes other reportable charitable
197 contributions, to support the health care workforce of this
198 state through training or the continuing education of health
199 care professionals.
200 5. A direct-support organization of an eligible applicant
201 whose match contribution supports an eligible purpose of the
202 grant.
203 (c)(b) “Institution” means a school district career center
204 under s. 1001.44; a charter technical career center under s.
205 1002.34; a Florida College System institution; a state
206 university; an independent nonprofit college or university
207 located and chartered in this state and accredited by an agency
208 or association that is recognized by the database created and
209 maintained by the United States Department of Education to grant
210 baccalaureate degrees; or an independent school, college, or
211 university with an accredited program as defined in s. 464.003
212 which is located in this state and licensed by the Commission
213 for Independent Education pursuant to s. 1005.31, or an
214 institution authorized under s. 1009.521, which has a nursing
215 education program that meets or exceeds the following:
216 1. For a certified nursing assistant program, a completion
217 rate of no more than 10 percent below the current national
218 average of at least 70 percent for the prior year.
219 2. For a licensed practical nurse, associate of science in
220 nursing, and bachelor of science in nursing program, a first
221 time passage rate on the National Council of State Boards of
222 Nursing Licensing Examination of no more than 10 percent below
223 the current national average, of at least 75 percent for the
224 prior year based on a minimum of 10 testing participants.
225 (d) “Related health science” means a program that prepares
226 graduates to provide direct patient care or diagnostic services
227 that advance patient care in a health care setting, as defined
228 in s. 408.802, which are outlined in the State Board of
229 Education’s Career and Technical Education Health Science
230 curriculum framework, and which are identified by the Department
231 of Education pursuant to subsection (10).
232 (e)(c) “Student” means a person who is a resident for
233 tuition purposes pursuant to s. 1009.21 and enrolled in a
234 nursing education or a related health science education degree
235 or certificate program at an institution that is part of the
236 State Board of Education’s Career and Technical Education Health
237 Science curriculum framework.
238 (4) The LINE Fund shall be administered by the center Board
239 of Governors for state universities and the Department of
240 Education for all other institutions.
241 (5) Subject to available funds and the approval of an
242 application by the center, for every dollar contributed to an
243 institution by a health care partner, the fund shall provide a
244 dollar-to-dollar match to the participating institution to
245 implement the activities outlined in the institution’s approved
246 proposal. Subject to available funds, the fund may also provide
247 a dollar-to-dollar match to the participating institution for
248 every dollar contributed to an institution or its direct-support
249 organization by an individual or entity that does not meet the
250 definition of a health care partner, provided the contribution
251 supports an eligible purpose of the LINE Fund. Contributions
252 from health care partners shall receive priority awarding
253 matching.
254 (6)(a) Funds may be used for student scholarships;,
255 recruitment of additional faculty and clinical preceptors;
256 increasing program enrollment, program completion, and licensure
257 exam passage rates;, equipment;, and simulation centers,
258 internships, and clinical preceptorships; and other related
259 activities determined by the center to advance high-quality
260 nursing education programs and to expand the qualified nursing
261 workforce and related health science professions throughout the
262 state.
263 (b) Funds may not be used for the construction of new
264 buildings but may be used to expand, retrofit, or upgrade
265 existing facilities if the proposal will result in increased
266 program enrollments or improved or modernized educational or
267 simulation space for nursing education or related health science
268 students.
269 (7)(a) To participate, an institution must submit a timely
270 and completed proposal to the center Board of Governors or
271 Department of Education, in a standardized format developed
272 under s. s. 464.0195(5) prescribed by the Board of Governors or
273 Department of Education, as applicable.
274 (b) The proposal must identify the specific a health care
275 partner located and licensed to operate in the state whose
276 monetary or nonmonetary contributions will be matched by the
277 fund on a dollar-to-dollar basis if the proposal is approved by
278 the center.
279 1. Examples of allowable nonmonetary LINE Fund
280 contributions from health care partners include, but are not
281 limited to, the value of the donated use of health care partner
282 employees as nursing program instructors or clinical preceptors;
283 the value of the donated use of a health care partner’s space or
284 equipment by a nursing education program; or the value of
285 donated goods and services, such as educational or simulation
286 equipment, licensure exam preparation materials and instruction,
287 or other similar quantifiable donated goods and services deemed
288 by the center to be good faith contributions that support the
289 goals of the LINE Fund.
290 2. To accept nonmonetary contributions as health care
291 partner matching funds, the applicant and the center must
292 quantify the value of the contribution in dollars and certify
293 that the proposed contribution directly supports the goals of
294 the LINE Fund outlined in subsection (1).
295 (c) Proposals for related health science programs other
296 than nursing may be considered, but may not be prioritized over
297 nursing programs. The proposal for such programs must be part of
298 the State Board of Education’s Career and Technical Education
299 Health Science curriculum framework and include evidence that a
300 material regional workforce demand exists for that related
301 health science program.
302 (8)(a) The center Board of Governors or Department of
303 Education, as applicable, must review and evaluate each
304 completed and timely submitted proposal according to the
305 following minimum criteria, where applicable:
306 1.(a) Whether funds committed by the health care partner
307 will contribute to an eligible purpose.
308 2.(b) How the institution plans to use the funds, including
309 how such funds will be utilized to increase student enrollment,
310 and program completion, or licensure exam test-takers or passage
311 rates.
312 3.(c) How the health care partner will onboard and retain
313 graduates or otherwise improve the likelihood that graduates
314 will successfully join the state or local workforce.
315 4.(d) How the funds will expand the institution’s nursing
316 education and related health science programs to meet local,
317 regional, or state workforce demands. If applicable, this shall
318 include
319 5. How the proposal will enhance opportunities to pursue
320 and complete advanced education nursing education programs.
321 6. and How the funds will increase the number of faculty
322 and clinical preceptors and planned efforts to utilize the
323 clinical placement process established in s. 14.36.
324 (b) The center may assign priority consideration for grant
325 applications that will improve services in underserved
326 geographic areas or for programs and partnerships that address
327 the greatest workforce needs or gaps identified under s.
328 464.0195.
329 (c) After reviewing and evaluating each timely submitted
330 proposal, the center must notify each applicant regarding which
331 of the following categories each of the institution’s proposals
332 has been classified into, and provide a brief explanation for
333 the center’s principal reason or reasons for reaching its
334 determination:
335 1. Approved;
336 2. Provisionally Approved;
337 3. Approved, Pending Available Funding; or
338 4. Denied for Funding.
339 (d) As used in this subsection, the term:
340 1. “Approved” means that the center agrees that the
341 institution’s proposal meets the criteria and intent of this
342 section, and the proposal will receive matching LINE funding
343 upon certification of the receipt of the health care partner’s
344 contribution.
345 2. “Provisionally Approved” means that the center agrees
346 that the institution’s proposal makes a good faith effort to
347 meet the criteria and intent of this section, but the center
348 determined that additional information or amendments to the
349 proposal are necessary to bring the proposal into full
350 compliance with the requirements of this section.
351 a. The center may offer technical assistance to the
352 applying institution to ensure its resubmitted application meets
353 the full program requirements for funding.
354 b. A Provisionally Approved proposal, if timely
355 resubmitted, may immediately move to an Approved proposal if the
356 center determines that the resubmitted proposal meets the full
357 requirements of this section, that sufficient LINE funds are
358 available to match the proposal, and that the proposal addresses
359 a high priority need for the state, such as serving underserved
360 geographic areas or closing identified workforce gaps.
361 3. “Approved, Pending Available Funding” means that the
362 center agrees that the institution’s proposal, or resubmitted
363 proposal, meets the criteria and intent of this section, but the
364 proposal will not receive matching LINE funds unless additional
365 LINE funding becomes available later in the fiscal year. The
366 availability of LINE Fund dollars to match proposals classified
367 as Approved, Pending Available Funding may result from:
368 a. The failure of another approved awardee to timely
369 certify the actual receipt of a health care partner’s pledged
370 contributions.
371 b. Additional savings identified by the center from
372 previously appropriated LINE funds.
373 c. A balance in the LINE Fund due to a lack of approved
374 proposals from a type of nursing education program, health
375 science program, or institution for which a specified amount of
376 LINE funds was identified in the General Appropriations Act for
377 a particular fiscal year. The center may set a date on or after
378 February 1 of each year when the center determines that an
379 insufficient number of approved or provisionally approved
380 proposals exist from the institutions provided priority
381 consideration by the Legislature in that fiscal year. After the
382 noticed date, the center may redistribute any remaining LINE
383 funds to highly ranked Approved, Pending Available Funding
384 proposals from any type of program or institution that can
385 certify, before June 30, the receipt of its health care
386 partner’s contribution.
387 4. “Denied for Funding” means that the institution’s
388 proposal does not meet the full criteria or intent of this
389 section or that the institution has not timely certified the
390 receipt of an allowable health care partner’s contribution.
391 (9)(a) Each institution with an approved proposal must
392 certify to the center in a manner prescribed under s.
393 464.0195(5) the shall notify the Board of Governors or
394 Department of Education, as applicable, upon receipt of the
395 health care partner’s contribution partner provided funds
396 identified in the approved proposal. The center may Board of
397 Governors or Department of Education, as applicable, shall
398 release grant funds, on a dollar-for-dollar basis, up to the
399 amount of the contribution certified as funds received by the
400 institution, including certifications made on a rolling or
401 periodic basis.
402 (b) If deemed to meet the long-term goals of the LINE Fund,
403 the center may award funds for an approved proposal for up to 3
404 academic years immediately following the academic year within
405 which the initial approval is granted. If the center approves a
406 multiyear award to an institution, it must notify the recipient
407 that the award amount in subsequent years is subject to a LINE
408 Fund appropriation and the continued certification of the health
409 care partner’s contribution to match the multiyear award of
410 state funds.
411 (c)(b) Annually, by February 1, each institution awarded
412 grant funds in the previous fiscal year shall submit a report to
413 the center which Board of Governors or Department of Education,
414 as applicable, that demonstrates the expansion as outlined in
415 the proposal and the use of funds. At minimum, the report must
416 include, by program level, the number of additional nursing
417 education and related health science students enrolled; if
418 scholarships were awarded using grant funds, the number of
419 students who received scholarships and the average award amount;
420 and the outcomes of students as reported by the Office of
421 Reimagining Education and Career Help pursuant to s.
422 14.36(3)(l).
423 (10)(a) The Department of Education shall serve as the lead
424 entity for identifying and maintaining related health science
425 programs eligible for participation in the LINE Fund.
426 (b) In carrying out this subsection, the department shall
427 apply the State Board of Education’s Career and Technical
428 Education Health Science framework as the basis for determining
429 program eligibility.
430 (c) No later than October 1, 2026, the department shall
431 compile and publish an initial list of LINE-eligible related
432 health science programs. In developing the list, the department
433 shall:
434 1. Compile the current Career and Technical Education
435 Health Science pathways and programs;
436 2. Identify aligned health science programs offered
437 through:
438 a. District technical colleges and career centers; and
439 b. Florida College System institutions offering Career and
440 Technical Education-aligned health science certificates and
441 degrees;
442 3. Establish and apply alignment criteria, including
443 credential type and applicable licensure or certification
444 outcomes; and
445 4. Publish and maintain an approved list of LINE-eligible
446 health science programs for use in administering the LINE Fund.
447 (d) The department shall review and update the list
448 annually to reflect updates to the Career and Technical
449 Education Health Science framework and changes to eligible
450 program offerings.
451 (e) The Office of Reimagining Education and Career Help
452 shall provide workforce and labor market demand data, including
453 information on statewide and regional health care workforce
454 shortages, projected job growth, and occupational demand, to the
455 department to support data-informed prioritization of LINE
456 funding. The office may not determine program eligibility The
457 Board of Governors shall adopt regulations and the State Board
458 of Education shall adopt rules to administer the fund, establish
459 dates for the submission and review of proposals, award funds,
460 and other regulations and rules necessary to implement this
461 section.
462 Section 4. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026.
463
464 ================= T I T L E A M E N D M E N T ================
465 And the title is amended as follows:
466 Delete everything before the enacting clause
467 and insert:
468 A bill to be entitled
469 An act relating to higher education; amending s.
470 464.0195, F.S.; establishing the Florida Center for
471 Nursing within the University of South Florida;
472 requiring the center to administer the Linking
473 Industry to Nursing Education (LINE) Fund; requiring
474 the center to promote certain funds and provide
475 technical assistance during a specified timeframe;
476 requiring the center to develop certain guidelines and
477 make them publicly available on its website; providing
478 requirements for the administration of LINE funds;
479 amending s. 1009.26, F.S.; providing that a specified
480 fee waiver applies to a student’s out-of-pocket
481 expenses for tuition and fees after other aid is
482 applied; deleting a requirement for a state university
483 to report and disburse certain waived fees; deleting a
484 requirement for disbursement; amending s. 1009.8962,
485 F.S.; providing that the LINE Fund was established for
486 shortages in health science professions in addition to
487 nursing; defining terms; requiring that the LINE Fund
488 be administered by the Florida Center for Nursing
489 within the University of South Florida, rather than
490 the Board of Governors and the Department of
491 Education; providing that funding is subject to
492 approval of an application by the center; authorizing
493 the fund to match certain contributions if funds are
494 available; revising how funds may be used; providing
495 exceptions to certain prohibitions on the use of
496 funds; revising requirements for a proposal for LINE
497 funds submitted by an institution; providing that
498 proposals for related health science programs may not
499 be prioritized over nursing programs; revising
500 requirements for the center to evaluate submitted
501 proposals; authorizing the center to prioritize
502 certain grant applications; requiring the center to
503 notify each applicant of its determination; defining
504 terms; requiring an institution with an approved
505 proposal to certify the health care partner’s
506 contribution in a specified manner; authorizing the
507 center to award funds for up to 3 academic years;
508 requiring institutions awarded grant funds to submit
509 an annual report by a certain date to the center
510 instead of the Board of Governors or the Department of
511 Education; providing that the Department of Education
512 is the lead entity for identifying and maintaining
513 which health science programs are eligible for LINE
514 funds; requiring the department to compile and publish
515 a list of eligible programs by a specified date;
516 requiring the department to review and update the list
517 annually; requiring the Office of Reimagining
518 Education and Career Help to provide specified data to
519 the department; deleting a requirement for the Board
520 of Governors to adopt regulations and the State Board
521 of Education to adopt rules; providing an effective
522 date.