Bill Text: FL S0778 | 2010 | Regular Session | Comm Sub
Bill Title: State Universities [WPSC]
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Failed) 2010-04-30 - Died in Committee on Higher Education Appropriations [S0778 Detail]
Download: Florida-2010-S0778-Comm_Sub.html
Florida Senate - 2010 CS for SB 778 By the Committee on Higher Education; and Senator Constantine 589-02212-10 2010778c1 1 A bill to be entitled 2 An act relating to state universities; amending s. 3 1009.24, F.S.; authorizing university boards of 4 trustees to establish a renewable energy fee under 5 certain circumstances; providing that the fee not 6 exceed a specified amount; limiting the use of such 7 fee; establishing a renewable energy fee committee; 8 providing for membership; providing terms; providing 9 for a referendum on continuing or discontinuing the 10 fee; authorizing the university to reestablish the 11 fee; amending ss. 1009.01 and 1009.98, F.S.; 12 conforming cross-references; providing an effective 13 date. 14 15 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 16 17 Section 1. Present subsections (14) through (18) of section 18 1009.24, Florida Statutes, are redesignated as subsections (15) 19 through (19), respectively, and a new subsection (14) is added 20 to that section, to read: 21 1009.24 State university student fees.— 22 (14)(a) Each university board of trustees may establish a 23 renewable energy fee to be paid by all students if the fee is 24 approved by the student body of the university that seeks to 25 establish the fee. In order to establish the fee, a referendum 26 of the university’s student body must be requested by the 27 student legislative body and conducted by the student 28 government. The referendum must include the proposed amount of 29 the fee and an explanation of its purpose. A university’s board 30 of trustees may not establish the fee without the approval of a 31 majority of the students participating in the referendum. 32 (b) A renewable energy fee established under this 33 subsection may not exceed $1 per credit hour during its first 34 year of implementation. The initial amount of the fee must be in 35 accordance with the referendum described in paragraph (a) and 36 may be changed only if approved by a referendum of the student 37 body. The fee may not be included in any award under s. 1009.53 38 or s. 1009.531. 39 (c) The renewable energy fee shall be expended only for 40 establishing or improving the use of renewable energy 41 technologies or energy efficiencies that directly lower the 42 university’s greenhouse gas emissions, waste, or energy costs. A 43 renewable energy fee committee shall be established and shall 44 vote to determine how the revenue from the fee is spent. The 45 committee shall consist of no more than 12 members, to be 46 appointed as follows: 47 1. One-half of the members shall be appointed by the 48 university’s student body president and confirmed by the 49 university’s student legislative body. Appointees shall be 50 confirmed within 6 months after their appointment date. However, 51 an appointee who has not been confirmed or has been rejected by 52 the legislative body shall serve for no more than 45 days, at 53 which time a replacement must be appointed. 54 2. One-half of the members shall be appointed by the 55 university president or his or her designee. 56 57 Members shall be appointed to 1-year terms and shall hold office 58 until their successors are appointed and qualified. A majority 59 of the committee members constitutes a quorum. A chairperson, 60 who is elected by the committee, shall vote only in the case of 61 a tie. The revenue from the fee which remains at the end of a 62 fiscal year shall be carried over and made available for 63 renewable energy expenditures consistent with this paragraph 64 during the next fiscal year. 65 (d) After the renewable energy fee is implemented for 3 66 years, the university’s student government shall conduct a 67 referendum to assess the student body’s interest in continuing 68 the fee. If a majority of students participating in the 69 referendum votes to discontinue the fee, the fee may not be 70 collected, and any remaining revenue shall be dispensed by the 71 renewable energy fee committee within 2 fiscal years after the 72 referendum. The university may reestablish the fee as provided 73 in paragraph (a) no sooner than 1 year after the referendum 74 discontinuing the fee. 75 Section 2. Subsection (3) of section 1009.01, Florida 76 Statutes, is amended to read: 77 1009.01 Definitions.—The term: 78 (3) “Tuition differential” means the supplemental fee 79 charged to a student by a public university in this state 80 pursuant to s. 1009.24(17)s.1009.24(16). 81 Section 3. Paragraph (b) of subsection (2) of section 82 1009.98, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 83 1009.98 Stanley G. Tate Florida Prepaid College Program.— 84 (2) PREPAID COLLEGE PLANS.—At a minimum, the board shall 85 make advance payment contracts available for two independent 86 plans to be known as the community college plan and the 87 university plan. The board may also make advance payment 88 contracts available for a dormitory residence plan. The board 89 may restrict the number of participants in the community college 90 plan, university plan, and dormitory residence plan, 91 respectively. However, any person denied participation solely on 92 the basis of such restriction shall be granted priority for 93 participation during the succeeding year. 94 (b)1. Through the university plan, the advance payment 95 contract may provide prepaid registration fees for a specified 96 number of undergraduate semester credit hours not to exceed the 97 average number of hours required for the conference of a 98 baccalaureate degree. Qualified beneficiaries shall bear the 99 cost of any laboratory fees associated with enrollment in 100 specific courses. Each qualified beneficiary shall be classified 101 as a resident for tuition purposes pursuant to s. 1009.21, 102 regardless of his or her actual legal residence. 103 2. Effective July 1, 1998, the board may provide advance 104 payment contracts for additional fees delineated in s. 105 1009.24(9)-(12), for a specified number of undergraduate 106 semester credit hours not to exceed the average number of hours 107 required for the conference of a baccalaureate degree, in 108 conjunction with advance payment contracts for registration 109 fees. Such contracts shall provide prepaid coverage for the sum 110 of such fees, to a maximum of 45 percent of the cost of 111 registration fees. University plan contracts purchased prior to 112 July 1, 1998, shall be limited to the payment of registration 113 fees as defined in s. 1009.97. 114 3. Effective July 1, 2007, the board may provide advance 115 payment contracts for the tuition differential authorized in s. 116 1009.24(17)s.1009.24(16)for a specified number of 117 undergraduate semester credit hours, which may not exceed the 118 average number of hours required for the conference of a 119 baccalaureate degree, in conjunction with advance payment 120 contracts for registration fees. 121 4. Effective July 1, 2009, the board may offer an advance 122 payment contract for the university plan covering prepaid 123 registration fees, the fees authorized in s. 1009.24(9)-(12), 124 and the tuition differential authorized in s. 1009.24(17)s.1251009.24(16). Such a contract may be offered in specific 126 increments for use toward a baccalaureate degree. The total 127 number of hours purchased for a qualified beneficiary may not 128 exceed the average number of hours required for the conference 129 of a baccalaureate degree. 130 Section 4. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law.
