Admin
Legislative Update, Feb. 7-11, 2022
Posted on 02/14/2022
Overview
This week, the Florida Legislature passed the midpoint of its 60-day Legislative Session. More than 100 bills were considered in committees, and bills related to education continue to feature prominently (see Bill Activity below). The House Appropriations Committee and the Senate Appropriations Committee also advanced their respective versions of the budget for the next fiscal year.
 
A Senate bill (SB 1834) that would limit discussions of sexual orientation or gender identity in “primary grades” advanced through the Senate Education Committee on Tuesday. Opponents worry the proposal could be detrimental for some children’s well-being, especially LGBTQ youth and kids living in abusive households. The Senate bill has two more committees to clear, and a similar House bill (HB 1557) has one more committee stop. 
 
Also Tuesday, a bill (HB 7) aimed at limiting how various race-related concepts are discussed in classrooms and workplace training sessions cleared its final committee in the House. The bill now heads to the House floor. A similar Senate bill (SB 148) still has one more committee stop. 
 
The House Appropriations Committee on Wednesday approved a proposal that would cut a total of $200 million from twelve school districts that required students to wear masks when they returned to school last fall, including Orange County Public Schools. The money would come out of the salaries of about 1,600 non-teaching school employees in those districts who make over $100,000 annually and would be spread among the 55 school districts that did not impose mask mandates. Under the proposal, OCPS would lose $16,555,960.
 
On Thursday, the House passed a bill (HB 1467) to require school districts to post online all the materials available to students in elementary school libraries in an effort to better inform parents and give the public an option to review the books. School districts also would have to adopt procedures that would allow for the “regular removal or discontinuance of books” in school libraries based on factors such as the books’ relevance to curriculum and alignment to state academic standards. The bill would also set 8-year term limits for school board members, beginning with the November 8, 2022 election. A similar Senate bill (SB 1300) does not include term limits, but it does limit school board member pay to what state legislators are paid (currently $29,697).
 
The Week Ahead
House Calendar - House released the agenda calendar for February 11, 2022. It contains agendas for meetings through February 14, 2022.
 
Senate Calendar - Senate released the agenda calendar for February 11, 2022. It contains agendas for meetings through February 15, 2022.

Committee Activity
The following legislative committees held meetings this week on education-related matters:
 
House: Early Learning and Elementary Education Subcommittee
Consideration of Bills on Agenda:
HB 0255:  Private Personnel Providing Applied Behavior Analysis Services (Plasencia)
HB 1319:  School Readiness Program (Nixon)

Presentation on the implementation of the New Worlds Reading Initiative (2021 HB 3)

View a video recording of the Subcommittee meeting.
 
House: Education and Employment Committee
Consideration of Bills on Agenda:
HB 0007:  Individual Freedom (Avila)
HB 0173:  Care of Students with Epilepsy or Seizure Disorders (Duran)
HB 0443:  Interscholastic and Intrascholastic Activities (Beltran)
HB 0851:  School Concurrency (McClain)

View a video recording of the Committee meeting.
 
House: PreK-12 Appropriations Subcommittee
Consideration of Bills on Agenda:
HB 0277:  Early Childhood Music Education Incentive Pilot Program (Clemons)
HB 0865:  Charter Schools (Rizo)

View a video recording of the Subcommittee meeting.
 
House: Secondary Education and Career Development Subcommittee
Consideration of Bills on Agenda:
HB 1115:  High School Graduation Requirements in Personal Finance (Busatta Cabrera)
HB 1447:  Apprenticeship Tax Credits (Giallombardo)

View a video recording of the Subcommittee meeting.
 
Senate: Appropriations Committee
Consideration of Bills and PCB on Agenda:
SB 2524:  Education (Appropriations)
SB 0410:  Photographic Enforcement of School Zone Speed Limits (Rodriguez (A))
SB 1048:  Student Assessments (Diaz)

 
Senate: Education Committee
Consideration of Bills and PCB on Agenda:
SB 0400:  Guidance Services for Academic and Career Planning (Bracy)
SB 0676:  Drinking Water in Public Schools (Cruz)
SB 1054:  Financial Literacy Instruction in Public Schools (Hutson)
SB 1060:  FL Bright Futures Scholarship Program Student Service Requirements (Hutson)
SB 1160 :  Transportation Research (Perry)
SB 1516:  Required Instruction in the History of African Americans (Jones)
SB 1674:  Individual Education Plans (Ausley)
SB 1834:  Parental Rights in Education (Baxley)
SB 7044:  Postsecondary Education (Education)

 

Bill Activity
Below are education-related bills that received legislative action this week.
 
HB 0443 Interscholastic and Intrascholastic Activities by Beltran
Interscholastic and Intrascholastic Activities: Provides for approval of athletic associations that meet certain requirements; provides requirements for such athletic associations, SBE, & certain schools; provides private schools & traditional public schools are considered high schools for specified purposes; authorizes students to participate or continue participating in interscholastic & intrascholastic activities; provides for opening remarks at certain sporting events & provides requirements for such remarks. Effective Date: July 1, 2022
Current Committee of Reference: No Current Committee
Actions
02/11/2022 HOUSE Placed on Calendar, on 2nd reading

HB 0851 School Concurrency by McClain
School Concurrency: Revises provisions specifying when school concurrency is satisfied; authorizes proportionate-share mitigation to be set aside & not spent if improvement has not been identified. Effective Date: July 1, 2022
Current Committee of Reference: House State Affairs Committee
Actions
02/11/2022 HOUSE Now in State Affairs Committee

HB 1467 K-12 Education by Garrison
K-12 Education: Establishing term limits for school board members; deleting a requirement that district school boards maintain a specified list on their websites; requiring certain meetings relating to instructional materials to be noticed and open to the public; revising requirements for the department relating to the development of training programs for the selection of materials used in schools and library media centers; revising district school board requirements for the selection and adoption of certain materials, etc. Effective Date: July 1, 2022
Current Committee of Reference: Senate Rules
Actions
02/11/2022 SENATE Received; Referred to Rules

SB 0706 School Concurrency by Perry
School Concurrency; Revising provisions specifying when school concurrency is deemed satisfied; specifying that proportionate-share mitigation must be set aside and not spent if an improvement has not been identified, etc. Effective Date: 7/1/2022
Current Committee of Reference: Senate Rules
Actions
02/11/2022 SENATE Committee Substitute Text (C3) Filed

SB 1404 Certified School Counselors by Jones
Certified School Counselors; Providing certification requirements for school counselors; requiring certified school counselors to provide a certain program for a specified purpose; authorizing such counselors to perform certain duties; authorizing such counselors to perform specified additional duties under certain circumstances, etc. Effective Date: 7/1/2022
Current Committee of Reference: Senate Rules
Actions
02/11/2022 SENATE Now in Rules

SB 0896 Educator Certification Pathways for Veterans by Burgess
Educator Certification Pathways for Veterans; Authorizing the Department of Education to issue a temporary certificate to specified military servicemembers who meet certain criteria; requiring a teacher mentorship for specified military servicemembers who hold a temporary certificate; specifying the duration and issuance of a temporary certificate for specified military servicemembers, etc. Effective Date: 7/1/2022
Current Committee of Reference: No Current Committee
Actions
02/11/2022 SENATE Placed on Calendar, on 2nd reading

SB 1240 Mental Health of Students by Harrell
Mental Health of Students; Revising data the Department of Children and Families is required to analyze when creating its annual report on the initiation of certain involuntary examinations; requiring charter schools to be in compliance with laws relating to reporting involuntary examinations; requiring the Department of Education, by a specified date, to share with the Department of Children and Families data received from school districts relating to involuntary examinations; revising requirements for plans relating to mental health assistance allocations, etc. Effective Date: 7/1/2022
Current Committee of Reference: No Current Committee
Actions
02/11/2022 SENATE Placed on Special Order Calendar, 02/17/22

SB 2524 Education by Appropriations
Education; Revising the maximum number of students for whom scholarships are established under the Family Empowerment Scholarship Program, beginning in specified school years; requiring the Department of Education to provide incentives to school readiness personnel and prekindergarten instructors who meet specified requirements, subject to the appropriation of funds for that purpose; revising requirements for materials assigned for use within dual enrollment courses; creating the Inclusive Transition and Employment Management Program; creating the Seal of Excellence in Advancing Literacy, etc.Effective Date: 7/1/2022
Current Committee of Reference: No Current Committee
Actions
02/10/2022 SENATE Placed on Calendar, on 2nd reading

SB 2502 Implementing the 2022-2023 General Appropriations Act by Appropriations
Implementing the 2022-2023 General Appropriations Act; Incorporating by reference certain calculations of the Florida Education Finance Program; authorizing the Agency for Health Care Administration, in consultation with the Department of Health, to submit a budget amendment to realign funding for a component of the Children’s Medical Services program to reflect actual enrollment changes; extending for 1 year the exemption of certain rules pertaining to the medical use of marijuana from certain rulemaking requirements; specifying the manner by which state funds for postsecondary workforce programs may be used for inmate education, etc. Effective Date: Except as otherwise expressly provided in this act and except for this section, which shall take effect upon this act becoming a law, this act shall take effect July 1, 2022, or, if this act fails to become a law until after that date, it shall take effect upon becoming a law and shall operate retroactively to July 1, 2022
Current Committee of Reference: No Current Committee
Actions
02/10/2022 SENATE Placed on Special Order Calendar, 02/17/22

SB 0892 Charter School Charters by Burgess
Charter School Charters; Requiring a request for a consolidation of multiple charters to be approved or denied within a specified timeframe; requiring a charter school sponsor to provide to the charter school specified information relating to a denial of a request for a consolidation within a certain timeframe; providing for the automatic renewal of a charter under certain circumstances, etc. Effective Date: 7/1/2022
Current Committee of Reference: Senate Rules
Actions
02/10/2022 SENATE On Committee agenda - Rules, 02/15/22, 10:00 am, 412 K

SB 1054 Financial Literacy Instruction in Public Schools by Hutson
Financial Literacy Instruction in Public Schools; Citing this act as the “Dorothy L. Hukill Financial Literacy Act”; revising the requirements regarding financial literacy for the Next Generation Sunshine State Standards; revising the required credits for a standard high school diploma to include one-half credit of instruction in personal financial literacy and money management and seven and one-half, rather than eight, credits in electives, etc. Effective Date: 7/1/2022
Current Committee of Reference: Senate Rules
Actions
02/10/2022 SENATE On Committee agenda - Rules, 02/15/22, 10:00 am, 412 K

SB 1126 Exemption from Taxation for Educational Properties by Harrell
Exemption from Taxation for Educational Properties; Exempting from taxation property used by an educational institution that holds a leasehold interest in certain leases exceeding a specified number of years, etc. Effective Date: 7/1/2022
Current Committee of Reference: Senate Appropriations
Actions
02/10/2022 SENATE Now in Appropriations

HB 5001 General Appropriations Act by Appropriations Committee
General Appropriations Act: Provides moneys for annual period beginning July 1, 2022, & ending June 30, 2023, & supplemental appropriations for period ending June 30, 2022, to pay salaries & other expenses, capital outlay—buildings & other improvements, & for other specified purposes of various agencies of state government. Effective Date: July 1, 2022
Current Committee of Reference: No Current Committee
Actions
02/10/2022 HOUSE Placed on Special Order Calendar, 02/15/22

HB 5101 Education by Fine
Education: Revises provisions relating to charter schools & virtual charter schools, certain scholarship programs, virtual instruction programs & FEFP. Effective Date: July 1, 2022
Current Committee of Reference: No Current Committee
Actions
02/10/2022 HOUSE Placed on Special Order Calendar, 02/15/22

SB 1500 Special Days of Observance by Bracy
Special Days of Observance; Designating “Emancipation Day” to officially commemorate the freeing of enslaved African Americans in Florida; authorizing the Governor to issue an annual proclamation honoring the significance of Emancipation Day; specifying that Juneteenth Day officially commemorates the freeing of all remaining enslaved African Americans in the United States; requiring high school students enrolled in a United States History course to receive specified instruction on the significance of Emancipation Day and Juneteenth Day, etc. Effective Date: 7/1/2022
Current Committee of Reference: Senate Education
Actions
02/10/2022 SENATE Now in Education

SB 1048 Student Assessments by Diaz
Student Assessments; Revising the grade levels for which the coordinated screening and monitoring program measures student progress in the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program; revising requirements for the statewide, standardized comprehensive assessments program, beginning with a specified school year; requiring that progress monitoring include both a web-based and mobile device-compatible option; requiring 2022-2023 school and school district grades to serve as an informal baseline for schools and school districts; providing that school improvement ratings will not be calculated for a certain school year, etc. Effective Date: 7/1/2022
Current Committee of Reference: Senate Appropriations
Actions
02/09/2022 SENATE Favorable with CS by Appropriations; 18 Yeas, 0 Nays

SB 0410 Photographic Enforcement of School Zone Speed Limits by Rodriguez (A)
Photographic Enforcement of School Zone Speed Limits; Authorizing counties and municipalities to enforce school speed zones through the use of speed detection systems; authorizing counties and municipalities to install, or contract with a vendor to install, speed detection systems; requiring counties and municipalities that install speed detection systems to provide certain notification to the public; authorizing counties and municipalities to authorize traffic infraction enforcement officers to issue certain traffic citations, etc. Effective Date: Upon becoming a law
Current Committee of Reference: Senate Appropriations
Actions
02/09/2022 SENATE Favorable with CS by Appropriations; 14 Yeas, 5 Nays

HB 0173 Care of Students with Epilepsy or Seizure Disorders by Duran
Care of Students with Epilepsy or Seizure Disorders: Requires school to provide epilepsy or seizure disorder care to student; provides for creation & implementation of individualized seizure action plan for students with epilepsy or seizure disorders to receive health care at school; provides requirements for DOE, schools, school nurses & certain other school employees, & such plans. Effective Date: July 1, 2022
Current Committee of Reference: No Current Committee
Actions
02/09/2022 HOUSE Placed on Calendar, on 2nd reading

HB 0007 Individual Freedom by Avila
Individual Freedom: Provides that subjecting individuals to specified concepts under certain circumstances constitutes discrimination based on race, color, sex, or national origin; revises provisions relating to required instruction; prohibits instructional materials reviewers from recommending instructional materials that contain any matter that contradicts certain principles; requires DOE to review school district professional development systems for compliance with certain provisions of law. Effective Date: July 1, 2022
Current Committee of Reference: House Education & Employment Committee
Actions
02/09/2022 HOUSE Favorable with CS by Education & Employment Committee on 02/08/22; 14 Yeas, 7 Nays

HB 0255 Private Instructional Personnel Providing Applied Behavior Analysis Services by Plasencia
Private Instructional Personnel Providing Applied Behavior Analysis Services: Revises definition of "private instructional personnel" to include certain registered behavior technicians; requires such technicians to meet specified requirements. Effective Date: July 1, 2022
Current Committee of Reference: House Health & Human Services Committee
Actions
02/09/2022 HOUSE Now in Health & Human Services Committee

HB 0865 Charter Schools by Rizo
Charter Schools: Creates Charter School Review Commission within DOE; provides requirements for commission; authorizes commission to approve charter school applications; provides for oversight of such charter schools; revises provisions relating to reporting requirements & charter renewal & nonrenewal & charter school facilities; requires OPPAGA to conduct specified study & provide report. Effective Date: July 1, 2022
Current Committee of Reference: House Education & Employment Committee
Actions
02/08/2022 HOUSE Now in Education & Employment Committee

HB 0991 Workforce Education Postsecondary Student Fees by Shoaf
Workforce Education Postsecondary Student Fees: Authorizes district school boards & FCS institutions to implement plan for differential out-of-state fee for specified purposes; requires district school boards & FCS institutions to prioritize enrollment of certain students in specified programs of study; & provides reporting requirements. Effective Date: July 1, 2022
Current Committee of Reference: House Education & Employment Committee
Actions
02/08/2022 HOUSE Now in Education & Employment Committee

HB 0045 Educational Opportunities for Disabled Veterans by Morales
Educational Opportunities for Disabled Veterans: Provides that disabled veterans receiving certain federal educational assistance benefits are eligible to receive waiver for tuition & fees at certain institutions; provides calculation for waiver amount; requires amount awarded by state to be contingent on application of specified federal benefits; requires institutions to submit annual report to Board of Governors & State Board of Education; requires boards to adopt regulations & rules. Effective Date: July 1, 2022
Current Committee of Reference: House State Affairs Committee
Actions
02/08/2022 HOUSE Now in State Affairs Committee

SB 1674 Individual Education Plans by Ausley
Individual Education Plans; Requiring individual education plans for certain students to contain information and instruction on the legal rights and responsibilities regarding educational decisions which transfer to students at the age of 18; requiring such information to include ways in which a student may provide informed consent to allow his or her parent to continue to participate in his or her educational decisions, etc. Effective Date: 7/1/2022
Current Committee of Reference: Senate Judiciary
Actions
02/08/2022 SENATE Now in Judiciary

SB 0676 Drinking Water in Public Schools by Cruz
Drinking Water in Public Schools; Subject to legislative appropriation, requiring district boards to coordinate with district school boards to identify certain schools and to provide funding to those schools by a specified date; requiring school districts, as applicable, to install filters that meet certain specifications on drinking water sources; requiring school districts, as applicable, to post signage on certain water sources and requiring school districts to publish specified information on school district websites, etc. APPROPRIATION: $3,000,000 Effective Date: 7/1/2022
Current Committee of Reference: Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Education
Actions
02/08/2022 SENATE Now in Appropriations Subcommittee on Education

SB 0400 Guidance Services for Academic and Career Planning by Bracy
Guidance Services for Academic and Career Planning; Requiring district school boards to inform students and parents of certain acceleration, academic, and career planning options; requiring certain information to be included in such notification; requiring a personalized academic and career plan be developed in consultation with a certified school counselor for certain students, etc. Effective Date: 7/1/2022
Current Committee of Reference: Senate Commerce and Tourism
Actions
02/08/2022 SENATE Now in Commerce and Tourism

SB 1516 Required Instruction in the History of African Americans by Jones
Required Instruction in the History of African Americans; Providing that instructional staff of public schools are encouraged to include the history of local African-American cemeteries in the study of the history of African Americans when practicable, etc. Effective Date: 7/1/2022
Current Committee of Reference: Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Education
Actions
02/08/2022 SENATE Now in Appropriations Subcommittee on Education

SB 1834 Parental Rights in Education by Baxley
Parental Rights in Education; Requiring district school boards to adopt procedures that comport with certain provisions of law for notifying a student’s parent of specified information; requiring such procedures to reinforce the fundamental right of parents to make decisions regarding the upbringing and control of their children in a specified manner; prohibiting a school district from adopting procedures or student support forms that require school district personnel to withhold from a parent specified information or that encourage or have the effect of encouraging a student to withhold from a parent such information; prohibiting a school district from encouraging classroom discussion about sexual orientation or gender identity in primary grade levels or in a specified manner, etc. Effective Date: 7/1/2022
Current Committee of Reference: Senate Appropriations
Actions
02/08/2022 SENATE Now in Appropriations

HB 1115 High School Graduation Requirements in Personal Finance by Busatta Cabrera
High School Graduation Requirements in Personal Finance: Revises required credits for standard high school diploma to include one-half credit of instruction in personal financial literacy & money management & seven & one-half, rather than eight, credits in electives; authorizes students to earn one-half credit in personal financial literacy & money management as elective. Effective Date: July 1, 2022
Current Committee of Reference: House PreK-12 Appropriations Subcommittee
Actions
02/07/2022 HOUSE Now in PreK-12 Appropriations Subcommittee

HB 0573 Educator Certification Pathways for Veterans by Snyder
Educator Certification Pathways for Veterans: Authorizes DOE to issue temporary certificate to specified military servicemembers who meet certain criteria; requires teacher mentorship for specified military servicemembers who hold temporary certificate; specifies duration & issuance of temporary certificate for specified military servicemembers. Effective Date: July 1, 2022
Current Committee of Reference: House Education & Employment Committee
Actions
02/07/2022 HOUSE Now in Education & Employment Committee

HB 1421 School Safety by Hawkins
School Safety: Revises provisions relating to FortifyFL, Commissioner of Education oversight of enforcement of school safety and security requirements, Office of Safe Schools, certain emergency drills, family reunification plans, threat assessment teams, safe-school officers, DOE responsibilities, & Florida Safe Schools Assessment Tool. Effective Date: July 1, 2022
Current Committee of Reference: House Education & Employment Committee
Actions
02/07/2022 HOUSE Now in Education & Employment Committee

HB 1203 Education by Fetterhoff
Education: Revises provisions relating to offenses against students by authority figures, teacher preparation programs, & background screenings & employment of certain educational personnel.Effective Date: July 1, 2022
Current Committee of Reference: House Judiciary Committee
Actions
02/07/2022 HOUSE Now in Judiciary Committee

HB 1199 Funding for the School Readiness Program by Grall
Funding for the School Readiness Program: Revises provisions relating to funding calculations for school readiness program & duties of Early Learning Programs Estimating Conference. Effective Date: July 1, 2022
Current Committee of Reference: House Appropriations Committee
Actions
02/07/2022 HOUSE Now in Appropriations Committee

HB 1193 K-12 Assessments and Accountability by Plasencia
K-12 Assessments and Accountability: Renaming "Next Generation Sunshine State Standards" as "state academic standards"; revises provisions relating to statewide assessment program, DOE & school district requirements, & state accountability program; provides certain end-of-year comprehensive progress monitoring assessments are statewide, standardized ELA & Mathematics assessments for certain students; revises coordinated screening & progress monitoring program. Effective Date: July 1, 2022
Current Committee of Reference: House PreK-12 Appropriations Subcommittee
Actions
02/07/2022 HOUSE Now in PreK-12 Appropriations Subcommittee