Florida 2023 2023 Regular Session

Florida House Bill H0999 Introduced / Bill

Filed 02/21/2023

                       
 
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A bill to be entitled 1 
An act relating to public postsecondary educational 2 
institutions; amending s. 1001.706, F.S.; requiring 3 
the Board of Governors to periodically review 4 
specified information relating to state universities 5 
and provide certain direction to such universities; 6 
revising the contents of the Board of Governor's 7 
strategic plan; authorizing state universities to 8 
initiate post-tenure reviews at any time for cause; 9 
amending s. 1001.7065, F.S.; revising the academic and 10 
research excellence standards for preeminent state 11 
research universities; creating s. 1001.725, F.S.; 12 
providing requirements for hiring state university 13 
faculty; authorizing state university boards of 14 
trustees to review the tenure status of faculty 15 
members; requiring such boards to confirm the 16 
selection and reappointment of specified personnel; 17 
providing requirements for certain employment 18 
contracts and responsibilities; requiring state 19 
university presidents to annually present specified 20 
information to such boards; amending s. 1004.06, F.S.; 21 
providing that certain entities may not expend funds 22 
for certain purposes relating to activities that 23 
violate a specified law; providing exceptions; 24 
amending s. 1004.6496, F.S.; conforming a provision to 25     
 
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changes made by the act; amending s. 1004.6499, F.S.; 26 
renaming the "Florida Institute of Politics" as the 27 
"Florida Institute for Governance and Civics"; 28 
revising the goals of the institute; amending s. 29 
1004.64991, F.S.; authorizing the Adam Smith Center 30 
for the Study of Economic Freedom within Florida 31 
International Univer sity to take specified actions; 32 
amending s. 1007.25, F.S.; revising the duties and 33 
responsibilities of specified faculty committees 34 
relating to general education core courses; deleting a 35 
provision authorizing certain course maximums to be 36 
exceeded; revising requirements for general education 37 
core courses; requiring public postsecondary 38 
educational institutions to offer and accept certain 39 
credits for certain general education core courses; 40 
creating s. 1007.55, F.S.; providing legislative 41 
findings; requiring the Articulation Coordinating 42 
Committee to submit certain courses to the State Board 43 
of Education and the Board of Governors; providing 44 
requirements for general education courses; providing 45 
requirements for public postsecondary educational 46 
institutions and their presidents and boards of 47 
trustees relating to general education courses; 48 
providing an effective date. 49 
 50     
 
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Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 51 
 52 
 Section 1.  Paragraphs (a) through (d) of subsection (5) 53 
and paragraph (b) of su bsection (6) of section 1001.706, Florida 54 
Statutes, are amended to read: 55 
 1001.706  Powers and duties of the Board of Governors. — 56 
 (5)  POWERS AND DUTIES RELATING TO ACCOUNTABILITY. — 57 
 (a)  The Legislature intends that the Board of Governors 58 
shall align the missions of each constituent university with the 59 
academic success of its students; the education for citizenship 60 
of the constitutional republic; the state's existing and 61 
emerging workforce needs; the national reputation of its faculty 62 
and its academic and research programs; the quantity of 63 
externally generated research, patents, and licenses; and the 64 
strategic and accountability plans required in paragraphs (b) 65 
and (c). The board shall periodically review the mission of each 66 
constituent university and prov ide updates or revisions to such 67 
mission as needed; examine existing academic programs at each 68 
constituent university for alignment with the university's 69 
mission; and provide direction to each constituent university on 70 
removing from its programs any major or minor in Critical Race 71 
Theory, Gender Studies, or Intersectionality, or any derivative 72 
major or minor of these belief systems , which is any major or 73 
minor that engenders beliefs in th e concepts defined in s. 74 
1000.05(4)(a). The mission alignment and stra tegic plan shall 75     
 
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consider peer institutions at the constituent universities. The 76 
mission alignment and strategic plan shall acknowledge that 77 
universities that have a national and international impact have 78 
the greatest capacity to promote the state's econom ic 79 
development through: new discoveries, patents, licenses, and 80 
technologies that generate state businesses of global 81 
importance; research achievements through external grants and 82 
contracts that are comparable to nationally recognized and 83 
ranked universities; the creation of a resource rich academic 84 
environment that attracts high -technology business and venture 85 
capital to the state; and this generation's finest minds 86 
focusing on solving the state's economic, social, environmental, 87 
and legal problems in the areas of life sciences, water, 88 
sustainability, energy, and health care. A nationally recognized 89 
and ranked university that has a global perspective and impact 90 
shall be afforded the opportunity to enable and protect the 91 
university's competitiveness on the g lobal stage in fair 92 
competition with other institutions of other states in the 93 
highest Carnegie Classification. 94 
 (b)  The Board of Governors shall develop a strategic plan 95 
specifying goals and objectives for the State University System 96 
and each constituent university, including each university's 97 
contribution to overall system goals and objectives. The 98 
strategic plan must: 99 
 1.  Include performance metrics and standards common for 100     
 
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all institutions and metrics and standards unique to 101 
institutions depending on institutional core missions, 102 
including, but not limited to, student admission requirements, 103 
the education for citizenship of the constitutional republic, 104 
retention, graduation, percentage of graduates who have attained 105 
employment, percentage of graduates e nrolled in continued 106 
education, licensure passage, industry certification attainment 107 
as specified in s. 445.004(4)(h), average wages of employed 108 
graduates, average cost per graduate, excess hours, student loan 109 
burden and default rates, faculty awards, tota l annual research 110 
expenditures, patents, licenses and royalties, intellectual 111 
property, startup companies, annual giving, endowments, and 112 
well-known, highly respected national rankings for institutional 113 
and program achievements. 114 
 2.  Consider reports and r ecommendations of the Florida 115 
Talent Development Council under s. 1004.015 and the 116 
Articulation Coordinating Committee under s. 1007.01. 117 
 3.  Include student enrollment and performance data 118 
delineated by method of instruction, including, but not limited 119 
to, traditional, online, and distance learning instruction. 120 
 4.  Include criteria for designating baccalaureate degree 121 
and master's degree programs at specified universities as high -122 
demand programs of emphasis. The programs of emphasis list 123 
adopted by the Board of Governors before July 1, 2021, shall be 124 
used for the 2021-2022 academic year. Beginning in the 2022 -2023 125     
 
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academic year, the Board of Governors shall adopt the criteria 126 
to determine value for and prioritization of degree credentials 127 
and degree programs established by the Credentials Review 128 
Committee under s. 445.004 for designating high -demand programs 129 
of emphasis. The Board of Governors must review designated 130 
programs of emphasis, at a minimum, every 3 years to ensure 131 
alignment with the prioritizatio n of degree credentials and 132 
degree programs identified by the Credentials Review Committee. 133 
 5.  Include criteria for designating the prioritization of 134 
nondegree credentials as specified in s. 445.004(4)(h). 135 
 (c)  The Board of Governors shall develop an ac countability 136 
plan for the State University System and each constituent 137 
university. The accountability plan must address institutional 138 
and system achievement of goals and objectives specified in the 139 
strategic plan adopted pursuant to paragraph (b) and must be 140 
submitted as part of its legislative budget request. Each 141 
university shall submit, as a component of the university's 142 
annual accountability plan :, 143 
 1. Information on the effectiveness of its plan for 144 
improving 4-year graduation rates . and 145 
 2. Information on the level of financial assistance 146 
provided to students pursuant to paragraph (h). 147 
 3.  Documentation of its efforts to promote the education 148 
for citizenship of the constitutional republic and the 149 
cultivation of the intellectual autonomy of i ts undergraduate 150     
 
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students. 151 
 (d)  Beginning in the 2014 -2015 academic year and annually 152 
thereafter, The Board of Governors shall annually require a 153 
state university before prior to registration to provide each 154 
enrolled student electronic access to the econo mic security 155 
report of employment and earning outcomes prepared by the 156 
Department of Economic Opportunity pursuant to s. 445.07. In 157 
addition, the Board of Governors shall require a state 158 
university to provide each student electronic access to the 159 
following information each year before prior to registration 160 
using the data described in s. 1008.39: 161 
 1.  The top 25 percent of degrees reported by the 162 
university in terms of highest full -time job placement and 163 
highest average annualized earnings in the year after earning 164 
the degree. 165 
 2.  The bottom 10 percent of degrees reported by the 166 
university in terms of lowest full -time job placement and lowest 167 
average annualized earnings in the year after earning the 168 
degree. 169 
 (6)  POWERS AND DUTIES RELATING TO PERSONNEL. — 170 
 (b)  The Board of Governors may adopt a regulation 171 
requiring each tenured state university faculty member to 172 
undergo a comprehensive post -tenure review every 5 years. Each 173 
constituent university may initiate a post -tenure review of a 174 
faculty member at any ti me with cause. The board may include 175     
 
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other considerations in the regulation, but the regulation must 176 
address: 177 
 1.  Accomplishments and productivity; 178 
 2.  Assigned duties in research, teaching, and service; 179 
 3.  Performance metrics, evaluations, and ratings ; and 180 
 4.  Recognition and compensation considerations, as well as 181 
improvement plans and consequences for underperformance. 182 
 Section 2.  Subsections (3) and (4) of section 1001.7065, 183 
Florida Statutes, are amended, and paragraph (m) is added to 184 
subsection (2) of that section, to read: 185 
 1001.7065  Preeminent state research universities program. — 186 
 (2)  ACADEMIC AND RESEARCH EXCELLENCE STANDARDS. —The 187 
following academic and research excellence standards are 188 
established for the preeminent state research univers ities 189 
program and shall be reported annually in the Board of Governors 190 
Accountability Plan: 191 
 (m)  Total annual research expenditures of $50 million or 192 
more benefiting STEM -related occupations, businesses, or 193 
industry partners located in the state and curre ntly employing 194 
or seeking to employ Florida residents. 195 
 (3)  PREEMINENT STATE RESEARCH UNIVERSITY DESIGNATION. — 196 
 (a)  The Board of Governors shall designate each state 197 
university that annually meets at least 12 11 of the 13 12 198 
academic and research excelle nce standards identified in 199 
subsection (2) as a "preeminent state research university." 200     
 
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 (b)  The Board of Governors shall designate each state 201 
university that annually meets at least 7 6 of the 13 12 202 
academic and research excellence standards identified i n 203 
subsection (2) as an "emerging preeminent state research 204 
university." 205 
 (4)  PREEMINENT STATE RESEARCH UNIVERSITY INSTITUTE FOR 206 
ONLINE LEARNING.—A state research university that , as of July 1, 207 
2013, meets all 13 12 of the academic and research excellence 208 
standards identified in subsection (2), as verified by the Board 209 
of Governors, shall establish an institute for online learning. 210 
The institute shall establish a robust offering of high -quality, 211 
fully online baccalaureate degree programs at an affordable co st 212 
in accordance with this subsection. 213 
 (a)  Beginning in January 2014, The university shall offer 214 
high-quality, fully online baccalaureate degree programs that: 215 
 1.  Accept full-time, first-time-in-college students. 216 
 2.  Have the same rigorous admissions criteria as 217 
equivalent on-campus degree programs. 218 
 3.  Offer curriculum of equivalent rigor to on -campus 219 
degree programs. 220 
 4.  Offer rolling enrollment or multiple opportunities for 221 
enrollment throughout the year. 222 
 5.  Do not require any on -campus courses. However, for 223 
courses or programs that require clinical training or 224 
laboratories that cannot be delivered online, the university 225     
 
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shall offer convenient locational options to the student, which 226 
may include, but are not limited to, the option to complete suc h 227 
requirements at a summer -in-residence on the university campus. 228 
The university may provide a network of sites at convenient 229 
locations and contract with commercial testing centers or 230 
identify other secure testing services for the purpose of 231 
proctoring assessments or testing. 232 
 6.  Apply the university's existing policy for accepting 233 
credits for both freshman applicants and transfer applicants. 234 
 (b)  The university may offer a fully online Master's in 235 
Business Administration degree program and other master's degree 236 
programs. 237 
 (c)  The university may develop and offer degree programs 238 
and courses that are competency based as appropriate for the 239 
quality and success of the program. 240 
 (d)  The university shall periodically expand its offering 241 
of online baccalaureat e degree programs to meet student and 242 
market demands. 243 
 (e)  The university shall establish a tuition structure for 244 
its online institute in accordance with this paragraph, 245 
notwithstanding any other provision of law. 246 
 1.  For students classified as residents for tuition 247 
purposes, tuition for an online baccalaureate degree program 248 
shall be set at no more than 75 percent of the tuition rate as 249 
specified in the General Appropriations Act pursuant to s. 250     
 
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1009.24(4) and 75 pe rcent of the tuition differential pursuant 251 
to s. 1009.24(16). No distance learning fee, fee for campus 252 
facilities, or fee for on -campus services may be assessed, 253 
except that online students shall pay the university's 254 
technology fee, financial aid fee, and Capital Improvement Trust 255 
Fund fee. The revenues generated from the Capital Improvement 256 
Trust Fund fee shall be dedicated to the university's institute 257 
for online learning. 258 
 2.  For students classified as nonresidents for tuition 259 
purposes, tuition may be s et at market rates in accordance with 260 
the business plan. 261 
 3.  Tuition for an online degree program shall include all 262 
costs associated with instruction, materials, and enrollment, 263 
excluding costs associated with the provision of textbooks and 264 
instructional materials pursuant to s. 1004.085 and physical 265 
laboratory supplies. 266 
 4.  Subject to the limitations in subparagraph 1., tuition 267 
may be differentiated by degree program as appropriate to the 268 
instructional and other costs of the program in accordance with 269 
the business plan. Pricing must incorporate innovative 270 
approaches that incentivize persistence and completion, 271 
including, but not limited to, a fee for assessment, a bundled 272 
or all-inclusive rate, and sliding scale features. 273 
 5.  The university must accept a dvance payment contracts 274 
and student financial aid. 275     
 
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 6.  Fifty percent of the net revenues generated from the 276 
online institute of the university shall be used to enhance and 277 
enrich the online institute offerings, and 50 percent of the net 278 
revenues generated from the online institute shall be used to 279 
enhance and enrich the university's campus state -of-the-art 280 
research programs and facilities. 281 
 7.  The institute may charge additional local user fees 282 
pursuant to s. 1009.24(14) upon the approval of the Board of 283 
Governors. 284 
 8.  The institute shall submit a proposal to the president 285 
of the university authorizing additional user fees for the 286 
provision of voluntary student participation in activities and 287 
additional student services. 288 
 Section 3.  Section 1001.725, Florida Statutes, is created 289 
to read: 290 
 1001.725  State university boards of trustees; personnel. — 291 
 (1)  Each state university board of trustees is responsible 292 
for hiring faculty for the university. The president of the 293 
university may provide hiring recomme ndations to the board. The 294 
president and the board are not required to consider 295 
recommendations or opinions of faculty of the university or 296 
other individuals or groups. 297 
 (a)  The board of trustees may delegate its hiring 298 
authority to the president; howeve r, the president may not 299 
delegate such hiring authority and the board must approve or 300     
 
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deny any selection by the president. 301 
 (b)  A state university is prohibited from using diversity, 302 
equity, and inclusion statements, Critical Race Theory rhetoric, 303 
or other forms of political identity filters as part of the 304 
hiring process, including as part of applications for 305 
employment, promotion and tenure, conditions of employment, or 306 
reviewing qualifications for employment. This paragraph applies 307 
to the hiring process for any position at the university, 308 
including the position of president of the university. 309 
 (2)  Each state university board of trustees may, at the 310 
request of its chair, review any faculty member's tenure status. 311 
 (3)  Each state university board of trust ees must confirm 312 
its president's selection and reappointment of each member of 313 
the university's executive management team, and his or her 314 
respective contract and annual salary, in accordance with the 315 
university's personnel program established by the Board of 316 
Governors. Contracts and responsibilities of the president and 317 
executive management team members, including, but not limited 318 
to, the provost, must explicitly delineate that the 319 
responsibilities of such positions, other than the president, 320 
are limited to administrative oversight and operational 321 
supervision of curricular, instructional, and research affairs, 322 
as applicable to the position. 323 
 (4)  Each state university president shall annually present 324 
to the state university board of trustees for review the r esults 325     
 
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of performance evaluations and associated salaries for all 326 
evaluated personnel earning an annual salary of $100,000 or 327 
more, regardless of the funding source for such salaries. 328 
 Section 4.  Section 1004.06, Florida Statutes, is amended 329 
to read: 330 
 1004.06  Prohibited expenditures. — 331 
 (1) Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, a No 332 
Florida College System institution, state university, Florida 333 
College System institution direct -support organization, or state 334 
university direct-support organization may not, directly or 335 
through a contract, grant, or agreement that provides services, 336 
shall expend any funds, regardless of source, to : 337 
 (a) Purchase membership in, or goods and services from, 338 
any organization that discriminates on the basis of race, 339 
national origin, gender, or religion. 340 
 (b)  Promote, support, or maintain any programs or camp us 341 
activities that violate s. 1000.05(4)(a) or that espouse 342 
diversity, equity, and inclusion or Critical Race Theory 343 
rhetoric. 344 
 (2)  Programs required for compliance with federal 345 
regulations, or access programs for military veterans, Pell 346 
Grant recipients, first generation college students, 347 
nontraditional students, "2+2" transfer students from the 348 
Florida College System, students from low -income families, or 349 
students with unique abilities are not prohibited by this 350     
 
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section. 351 
 Section 5.  Paragraph (e) of s ubsection (2) of section 352 
1004.6496, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 353 
 1004.6496  Hamilton Center for Classical and Civic 354 
Education.— 355 
 (2)  The goals of the center are to: 356 
 (e)  Coordinate with the Florida Institute for Governance 357 
and Civics of Politics created pursuant to s. 1004.6499 and the 358 
Adam Smith Center for the Study of Economic Freedom created 359 
pursuant to s. 1004.64991 and assist in the curation and 360 
implementation of Portraits in Patriotism created pursuant to s. 361 
1003.44. 362 
 Section 6.  Section 1004.6499, Florida Statutes, is amended 363 
to read: 364 
 1004.6499  Florida Institute for Governance and Civics of 365 
Politics.— 366 
 (1)  The Florida Institute for Governance and Civics of 367 
Politics is established at the Florida State University within 368 
the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy . The purpose of 369 
the institute is to provide the southeastern region of the 370 
United States with a world class, bipartisan, nationally 371 
renowned institute of politics. 372 
 (2)  The goals of the institute are to: 373 
 (a)  Provide students with access to an interdisciplinary 374 
hub that will develop academically rigorous scholarship and 375     
 
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coursework on the origins of the American system of government, 376 
its foundational documents, its subsequent political traditions 377 
and evolutions, and its im pact on comparative political systems 378 
Motivate students throughout the Florida State University to 379 
become aware of the significance of government and civic 380 
engagement at all levels and politics in general . 381 
 (b)  Encourage civic literacy in the state throug h the 382 
development of educational tools and resources for K -12 and 383 
postsecondary students that foster an understanding of how 384 
individual rights, constitutionalism, separation of powers, and 385 
federalism function within the American system of government 386 
Provide students with an opportunity to be politically active 387 
and civically engaged . 388 
 (c)  Model civic discourse that recognizes the importance 389 
of viewpoint diversity, intellectual rigor, and an evidence -390 
based approach to history Nurture a greater awareness of a nd 391 
passion for public service and politics . 392 
 (d)  Plan and host forums to allow students and guests to 393 
hear from exceptional individuals who have excelled in a wide 394 
range of sectors of American life to highlight the possibilities 395 
created by individual achi evement and entrepreneurial vision and 396 
interact with experts from government, politics, policy, and 397 
journalism on a frequent basis . 398 
 (e)  Become a national and state resource on polling 399 
instruments and other assessments to measure civic literacy and 400     
 
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make recommendations for improving civic education information 401 
and survey methodology . 402 
 (f)  Provide fellowships and internship opportunities to 403 
students in government , nonprofit organizations, and community 404 
organizations. 405 
 (g)  Create through scholarship, origi nal research, 406 
publications, symposia, testimonials, and other means a body of 407 
resources that can be accessed by students, scholars, and 408 
government officials to understand the innovations in public 409 
policy in the state over a rolling 30 -year time period Provide 410 
training sessions for newly elected state and local public 411 
officials. 412 
 (h)  Organize and sponsor conferences, symposia, and 413 
workshops throughout this state to educate and inform citizens, 414 
elected officials, and appointed policymakers regarding 415 
effective policymaking techniques and processes. 416 
 (i)  Create and promote research and awareness regarding 417 
politics, citizen involvement, and public service. 418 
 (j)  Collaborate with related policy institutes and 419 
research activities at the Florida State University a nd other 420 
institutions of higher education to motivate, increase, and 421 
sustain citizen involvement in public affairs. 422 
 Section 7.  Subsection (3) is added to section 1004.64991, 423 
Florida Statutes, to read: 424 
 1004.64991  The Adam Smith Center for the Study of Economic 425     
 
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Freedom.— 426 
 (3)  In order to carry out the goals outlined in subsection 427 
(2), the center is authorized to: 428 
(a)  Hire the necessary faculty and staff. 429 
(b)  Enroll students. 430 
 (c)  Develop curriculum and offer new courses, including 431 
honors courses, certificates, and major and minor programs. 432 
(d)  Award degrees. 433 
(e)  Hold events, including fundraisers. 434 
 (f)  Fulfill other actions approved by the president of the 435 
university. 436 
 (g)  Generate resources based on student credit hour 437 
enrollment in the same m anner as a college within the 438 
university. 439 
 Section 8.  Subsection (3) of section 1007.25, Florida 440 
Statutes, is amended to read: 441 
 1007.25  General education courses; common prerequisites; 442 
other degree requirements. — 443 
 (3)  The chair of the State Board of E ducation and the 444 
chair of the Board of Governors, or their designees, shall 445 
jointly appoint faculty committees to review and recommend to 446 
the Articulation Coordinating Committee for approval by the 447 
Commissioner of Education and the Chancellor of the State 448 
University System identify statewide general education core 449 
course options for inclusion in the statewide course numbering 450     
 
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system established in s. 1007.24 . Faculty committees shall, by 451 
July 1, 2024, and by July 1 every 3 years thereafter, review and 452 
submit recommendations to the Articulation Coordinating 453 
Committee, the commissioner, and the Chancellor of the State 454 
University System for the removal, alignment, realignment, or 455 
addition of general education core courses that satisfy the 456 
requirements of this s ubsection. 457 
 (a) General education core course options shall consist of 458 
a maximum of five courses within each of the subject areas of 459 
communication, mathematics, social sciences, humanities, and 460 
natural sciences. The core courses may be revised , or the five-461 
course maximum within each subject area may be exceeded, if 462 
approved by the State Board of Education and the Board of 463 
Governors, as recommended by the subject area faculty committee 464 
and approved by the Articulation Coordinating Committee as 465 
necessary for a subject area. 466 
 (b) Each general education core course option must contain 467 
high-level academic and critical thinking skills and common 468 
competencies that students must demonstrate to successfully 469 
complete the course. 470 
 (c)  General education core cours es may not suppress or 471 
distort significant historical events or include a curriculum 472 
that teaches identity politics, such as Critical Race Theory, or 473 
defines American history as contrary to the creation of a new 474 
nation based on universal principles stated in the Declaration 475     
 
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of Independence. 476 
 (d)  General education core courses must meet the following 477 
standards: 478 
 1.  Communication courses must afford students the ability 479 
to communicate effectively, including the ability to write 480 
clearly and engage in public speaking, through engagement with  481 
the Western literary tradition. 482 
 2.  Humanities courses must afford students the ability to 483 
think critically through the mastering of subjects concerned 484 
with human culture, especially literature, history, art, music, 485 
and philosophy.  486 
 3.  Social science courses must afford students an 487 
understanding of the basic social and behavioral science 488 
concepts and principles used in the analysis of behavior and 489 
social, political, and economic issues, including issues from 490 
the past and present.  491 
 4.  Natural science courses must afford students the 492 
ability to critically examine and evaluate the principles of the 493 
scientific method, model construction, and use the scientific 494 
method to explain natural experiences and phenomena. 495 
 5.  Mathematics courses must afford students a mastery of 496 
foundational mathematical and computation models and methods by 497 
applying such models and methods in problem solving . 498 
 (e) Beginning with students initially entering a Florida 499 
College System institution or s tate university in 2015 -2016 and 500     
 
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thereafter, each student must complete at least one identified 501 
core course in each subject area as part of the general 502 
education course requirements. Beginning in the 2022 -2023 503 
academic year and thereafter, students enterin g a technical 504 
degree education program as defined in s. 1004.02(13) must 505 
complete at least one identified core course in each subject 506 
area as part of the general education course requirements before 507 
a degree is awarded. 508 
 (f) All public postsecondary educa tional institutions 509 
shall offer at least one general education core course in each 510 
of the identified subject areas and accept these courses as 511 
meeting general education core course requirements upon the 512 
transfer of credit for such course regardless of whet her the 513 
receiving institution offers the identical general education 514 
core course. The remaining general education course requirements 515 
shall be identified by each institution as approved in 516 
accordance with s. 1007.55 and listed in the and reported to the 517 
department by their statewide course numbering system number. 518 
 (g) The general education core course options shall be 519 
adopted in rule by the State Board of Education and in 520 
regulation by the Board of Governors. 521 
 Section 9.  Section 1007.55, Florida Statutes, is created 522 
to read: 523 
 1007.55  General education course principles, standards, 524 
and content.— 525     
 
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 (1)  The Legislature finds it necessary that every 526 
undergraduate student of a public postsecondary educational 527 
institution in the state graduates as an i nformed citizen 528 
through participation in rigorous general education courses that 529 
promote the values necessary to preserve the constitutional 530 
republic through traditional, historically accurate, and high -531 
quality coursework. Courses with a curriculum based o n unproven, 532 
theoretical, or exploratory content are best suited to fulfill 533 
elective or specific program prerequisite credit requirements, 534 
rather than general education credit requirements. 535 
 (2)  In performing its duties under ss. 1007.24 and 536 
1007.25, by December 1, 2024, and each December 1 thereafter, 537 
the Articulation Coordinating Committee shall submit to the 538 
State of Board of Education and the Board of Governors courses 539 
that have been approved to be used by public postsecondary 540 
educational institutions a s meeting general education 541 
requirements. 542 
 (3)  General education courses must: 543 
 (a)  Be in the general education core subject areas and 544 
meet the course standards as provided in s. 1007.25. 545 
 (b)  Be offered by at least half of all public 546 
postsecondary educational institutions. 547 
 (c)  Be identified as lower level in the statewide course 548 
numbering system. 549 
 (d)  Whenever applicable, promote the philosophical 550     
 
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underpinnings of Western civilization and include studies of 551 
this nation's historical documents, includ ing the United States 552 
Constitution, the Bill of Rights and subsequent amendments 553 
thereto, and the Federalist Papers. 554 
 (4)  If a course is approved as a general education course, 555 
that course must be accepted as a general education course in 556 
the same subject area by all public postsecondary educational 557 
institutions regardless of whether it is offered by the 558 
institution. 559 
 (5)  Each public postsecondary educational institution's 560 
board of trustees and president are responsible for annually 561 
reviewing and approvin g, at a public meeting, general education 562 
course requirements, as authorized and approved in accordance 563 
with s. 1007.24, s. 1007.25, and this section, at their 564 
institution. A public postsecondary educational institution that 565 
fails to comply with the requir ements of this section is not 566 
eligible to receive performance -based funding. 567 
 (6)  Each public postsecondary educational institution must 568 
report courses meeting general education requirements to the 569 
department by their statewide course number. 570 
 Section 10.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2023. 571