The Florida Senate
BILL ANALYSIS AND FISCAL IMPACT STATEMENT
(This document is based on the provisions contained in the legislation as of the latest date listed below.)
Prepared By: The Professional Staff of the Committee on Military and Veterans Affairs, Space, and Domestic Security
BILL: CS/SB 732
INTRODUCER: Education Postsecondary Committee and Senator Wright and others
SUBJECT: Collegiate Purple Star Campuses
DATE: March 20, 2023
ANALYST STAFF DIRECTOR REFERENCE ACTION
1. Jahnke Bouck HE Fav/CS
2. Brown Proctor MS Pre-Meeting
3. RC
Please see Section IX. for Additional Information:
COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE - Substantial Changes
I. Summary:
CS/SB 732 establishes the Collegiate Purple Star Campuses program to support military-
connected families. The bill defines as a military student a student enrolled in a Florida College
System (FCS) institution, state university, or career center who is either a spouse or dependent
of, or an active duty member or veteran of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, Marine
Corps, or Coast Guard; a reserve component of a military branch; or the Florida National Guard.
To implement the program, the bill requires the State Board of Education (SBE) and the Board
of Governors (BOG) to adopt rules and regulations, respectively, to establish the Collegiate
Purple Star Campuses program and provide minimum requirements.
The bill also authorizes the SBE and the BOG to establish additional criteria to identify potential
institutions for the program.
The bill may have an indeterminate, though likely insignificant fiscal impact. Any expenses
incurred by program-participating institutions, the SBE, or the BOG to implement the program
may be absorbed within existing resources.
The bill takes effect July 1, 2023.
REVISED: BILL: CS/SB 732 Page 2
II. Present Situation:
Military Personnel and Families
A total of 1.3 million Department of Defense (DoD) active duty military members are assigned
to the 50 states and the District of Columbia
1
, more than half of which are in California, Virginia,
Texas, North Carolina, Georgia, and Florida.
2
A total of 800,064 reserve members are assigned
to the 50 states and the District of Columbia, one-third or 33.6 percent of which are in Texas,
California, Florida, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Georgia.
3
Close to two-thirds, 62.7 percent or 1,602,261, of active and reserve military family members are
children. Over one-third, 36.9 percent, of family members are spouses. Overall, 37.1 percent of
the military has children.
4
Military Families in Florida
Florida has 20 military installations.
5
Florida is also home to multiple National Guard and
Military Reserve Units.
6
The following chart provides the number of dependents by age of active
duty military personnel at Florida military bases:
7
Florida Dependents of Active Duty Personnel
Children
Active Duty
Personnel
Spouses Ages
0 to 5
Ages
6 to 11
Ages
12 to 18
Ages
19+
Other
Dependents
Total
Dependents
Total
64,318 29,492 19,554 16,620 11,665 1,907 299 79,537 143,855
Educational Benefits
Children in active-duty military families face unique educational challenges. A military child
changes schools on average three times more often than a nonmilitary child.
8
To address this,
Florida is a member of the Interstate Compact of Educational Opportunity for Military Children.
9
The compact assists member states in uniformly addressing educational transition issues faced by
1
Department of Defense, 2021 Demographics, Profile of the Military Community, pg. iii, available at
https://download.militaryonesource.mil/12038/MOS/Reports/2021-demographics-report.pdf (last visited Mar. 13, 2023).
Branches of the military are the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Space Force, and Air Force.
2
Id. at 35.
3
Reserve components are the Army National Guard, Army Reserve, Navy Reserve, Marine Corps Reserve, Air National
Guard and Air Force Reserve, and the Coast Guard Reserve. Id. at iv and 83.
4
Children include minor dependents age 20 or younger and dependents age 22 or younger if enrolled as full-time students.
Id. at 107 and 108.
5
Enterprise Florida, Military-Defense, Military and Defense Programs, available at
https://www.enterpriseflorida.com/floridadefense/military-in-florida/ (last visited Mar. 13, 2023).
6
Florida Department of Education, Student Support Services Project, Interstate Military Compact Awareness (2016),
available at https://sss.usf.edu/resources/format/pdf/2016_Charter_School_Presentation.pdf (last visited Mar. 13, 2023).
7
DoD, supra note 1 at 195.
8
S. Beth Ruff and Michael A. Keim, The Professional Counselor, Revolving Doors: The Impact of Multiple School
Transitions on Military Children, available at https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1063210.pdf (last visited Mar. 13, 2023).
9
Section 1000.36, F.S. BILL: CS/SB 732 Page 3
transferring active-duty military parents of K-12 children. The compact governs member states
in several areas, including school placement, enrollment, records transfer, participation in
academic programs and extracurricular activities, and graduation.
In addition to the benefits provided for K-12 students in the compact, educational benefits
available to a dependent child at an institution of higher learning include:
Classification as a resident for tuition purposes for in-state tuition and fees charged at a
postsecondary educational institution;
10
Priority course registration at a postsecondary educational institution;
11
Waiver of transcript fees from a postsecondary educational institution, career center, or
charter technical career center;
12
and
Full payment of tuition and fees at a public postsecondary educational institution for a child
of a deceased or severely disabled veteran or servicemember, prisoner of war, servicemember
who is missing in action, or servicemember who died or became disabled in specified
operations and conflicts.
13
In 2021, the Legislature established the Purple Star Campus Program for a qualifying traditional
public school, charter school, or institution accepting educational choice scholarships.
14
The
purpose of the program is to recognize qualifying institutions that support the unique needs of
military families, help military-connected students navigate critical challenges, and provide
resources for military-connected students when transitioning to a new school environment.
15
The
program is designed to support dependent students of current or former servicemembers of the
Army, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, Marine Corp, or Coast Guard; a reserve component; or the
Florida National Guard.
16
Benefits include special access to school resources; transition
assistance; and support and outreach for military families.
Thirty-six states currently participate in similar programs, and four states have introduced
legislation to create one.
17
Florida has 122 Purple Star Schools of Distinction located in 10
counties.
18
To participate as a Purple Star Campus, an institution must at minimum:
Designate a staff member as a military liaison;
10
Section 1009.21(10), F.S.
11
Section 1004.075, F.S.
12
Section 1009.26(17)(a), F.S.
13
Sections 295.01, 295.011, 295.015, 295.016, 295.017, 295.018, 295.0185, 295.019, and 295.0195, F.S.
14
Section 1003.051, F.S.; ch. 2021-65, s. 1, Laws of Fla.
15
Florida Department of Education, Purple Star School of Distinction Designation, available at
https://www.fldoe.org/schools/family-community/activities-programs/parental-involvement/purple-star.stml (last visited Mar.
14, 2023).
16
Section 1003.051(1)(b), F.S.
17
Military One Source, Key Issue Status Tracker, Purple Star Schools Program, available at
https://statepolicy.militaryonesource.mil/status-tracker/purple-star-schools-program (last visited Mar. 13, 2023).
18
Florida Department of Education, Purple Star School of Distinction Designation, available at
https://www.fldoe.org/schools/family-community/activities-programs/parental-involvement/purple-star.stml (last visited Mar.
13, 2023). BILL: CS/SB 732 Page 4
Maintain a dedicated page on its website featuring information and resources for military
families;
Maintain a student-led transition program to provide assistance to transitioning military
students;
Provide professional development training for staff members; and
Reserve at least 5 percent of controlled open enrollment seats for military students.
19
Collegiate Purple Star Designation
In 2017, Ohio established the first Purple Star Campus Program for PreK-12 schools, designating
with a Purple Star those schools that qualified as military friendly. In 2022, Ohio again was the
first state to expand the program to the college level by establishing the Collegiate Purple Star
designation.
20
The Ohio program includes in its student population servicemembers, veterans, spouses, and
dependents.
21
Ohio’s criteria for designation as a Purple Star college or university include:
Having a dedicated military or veteran point of contact or office on campus;
Establishing priority registration for veterans and servicemembers;
Surveying student veterans and servicemembers, along with spouses and dependents, about
needs and challenges; and
Allowing for the establishment of student-led groups and organizations for veterans and
servicemembers.
22
III. Effect of Proposed Changes:
CS/SB 732 establishes the Collegiate Purple Star Campuses program to support military-
connected families and students. The bill defines as a military student a student enrolled in a FCS
institution, state university, or career center who is either a spouse or dependent of, or an active
duty member or veteran of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, Marine Corps, or Coast
Guard; a reserve component of a military branch; or the Florida National Guard.
To implement the program, the:
SBE must adopt rules, and the BOG must adopt regulations, to establish the Collegiate
Purple Star Campuses program, that require the institution to at a minimum:
o Designate a staff member as a military liaison;
o Maintain a webpage on the institution’s website which includes resources for military
students and families;
19
Section 1003.051(2)(a), F.S.
20
Ohio Department of Higher Education, ODHE Unveils New Collegiate Purple Star Designation (Mar. 8, 2022), available
at https://highered.ohio.gov/about/news-events/all-news/odhe-unveils-new-collegiate-purple-star-designation (last visited
Mar. 13, 2023).
21
Ohio Department of Higher Education, Directive 2022-004, RE: Proposal to Designate Aspiring Military Friendly
Institutions as a “Collegiate Purple Star” Institution in Ohio (Mar. 23, 2022), available at
https://highered.ohio.gov/static/files/Directive_2022-004_PurpleStar.pdf, (pg. 2) (last visited Mar. 13, 2023).
22
Id. BILL: CS/SB 732 Page 5
o Maintain a student-led transition program that assists military students in transitioning
into the institution;
o Offer professional development training opportunities for staff members on issues
relating to military students; and
o Provide priority course registration for military students.
SBE and the BOG may establish additional criteria to identify FCS institutions and career
centers, or state universities, respectively, that demonstrate a commitment to or provide
critical transition support for military-connected families such as:
o Hosting an annual military recognition event;
o Partnering with a school liaison officer from a military installation;
o Supporting projects that connect the FCS institution, state university, or career center
with the military community; and
o Providing outreach for military parents and their children.
The bill takes effect July 1, 2023.
IV. Constitutional Issues:
A. Municipality/County Mandates Restrictions:
None.
B. Public Records/Open Meetings Issues:
None.
C. Trust Funds Restrictions:
None.
D. State Tax or Fee Increases:
None.
E. Other Constitutional Issues:
None identified.
V. Fiscal Impact Statement:
A. Tax/Fee Issues:
None.
B. Private Sector Impact:
None. BILL: CS/SB 732 Page 6
C. Government Sector Impact:
The bill may have an indeterminate, though likely insignificant fiscal impact. Any
expenses incurred by program-participating institutions, the SBE, or the BOG to
implement the program may be absorbed within existing resources.
VI. Technical Deficiencies:
None.
VII. Related Issues:
None.
VIII. Statutes Affected:
This bill creates section 1004.071 of the Florida Statutes.
IX. Additional Information:
A. Committee Substitute – Statement of Substantial Changes:
(Summarizing differences between the Committee Substitute and the prior version of the bill.)
CS by Education Postsecondary on March 7, 2023:
The committee substitute retains the provisions in the bill, but updates the definition of
"military student' to an active duty member or veteran of the Army, Navy, Air Force,
Space Force, Marine Corps, or Coast Guard; a reserve component of any branch of the
United States military; or the Florida National Guard; and his or her spouse or dependent.
The committee substitute also makes a technical correction to the Collegiate Purple Star
Campus requirements for participating institutions.
B. Amendments:
None.
This Senate Bill Analysis does not reflect the intent or official position of the bill’s introducer or the Florida Senate.