Florida 2025 Regular Session

Florida House Bill H0135 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

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3	3	HB 135 2025
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10	10	F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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14	14	A bill to be entitled 1
15	15	An act relating to the Educational Dollars for Duty 2
16	16	program; providing a short title; creating s. 250.101, 3
17	17	F.S., and transferring and renumbering s. 250.10(7) 4
18	18	and (8), F.S.; requiring the program to set aside a 5
19	19	certain amount of funds to provide tuition assistance 6
20	20	to spouses and children of active members of the 7
21	21	Florida National Guard; requiring the Department of 8
22	22	Military Affairs to oversee implementation and 9
23	23	enforcement; requiring the department to establish 10
24	24	certain procedures; providing an effective date. 11
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26	26	WHEREAS, members of the Florida National Guard are 13
27	27	frequently deployed and respond to emergencies, often taking 14
28	28	them away from their families, and 15
29	29	WHEREAS, many National Guard families are left alone during 16
30	30	a member's overseas deployments and during natural disasters, 17
31	31	often having to take care of themselves while the member is away 18
32	32	helping Florida or our nation, and 19
33	33	WHEREAS, providing educational suppor t to the families of 20
34	34	National Guard members will offer significant relief and support 21
35	35	to these dedicated individuals, NOW, THEREFORE, 22
36	36	23
37	37	Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 24
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40	40	HB 135 2025
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47	47	F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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51	51	Section 1. This act may be cited as the "Educational 26
52	52	Dollars for Duty Program Expansion Act." 27
53	53	Section 2. Section 250.101, Florida Statutes, is created, 28
54	54	and subsections (7) and (8) of section 250.10, Florida Statutes, 29
55	55	are transferred and renumbered as subsections (1) and (2), 30
56	56	respectively, of section 250.101 , Florida Statutes, and 31
57	57	subsection (3) is added to that section, to read: 32
58	58	250.101 Educational Dollars for Duty program. — 33
59	59	(1)(7) The Adjutant General shall develop an education 34
60	60	assistance program for members in good standing of the Florida 35
61	61	National Guard who enroll in an authorized course of study at a 36
62	62	public or nonpublic postsecondary institution or technical 37
63	63	center in the state which has been accredited by an accrediting 38
64	64	body recognized by the United States Department of Education or 39
65	65	licensed by the Commission for Independent Education. Education 40
66	66	assistance also may be used for training to obtain industry 41
67	67	certifications approved by the Department of Education pursuant 42
68	68	to s. 1008.44 and continuing education to maintain license 43
69	69	certifications. The educati on assistance program shall be known 44
70	70	as the Educational Dollars for Duty program (EDD). 45
71	71	(a) The program shall establish application requirements, 46
72	72	including, but not limited to, requirements that the applicant: 47
73	73	1. Be 17 years of age or older. 48
74	74	2. Be presently domiciled in the state. 49
75	75	3. Be an active drilling member and in good standing in 50
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84	84	F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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88	88	the Florida National Guard at the beginning of and throughout 51
89	89	the entire academic term for which benefits are received. 52
90	90	4. Maintain continuous satisfactory participation in the 53
91	91	Florida National Guard for the school term for which benefits 54
92	92	are received. 55
93	93	5. Upon enrollment in the program, complete a memorandum 56
94	94	of agreement to: 57
95	95	a. Comply with the rules of the program. 58
96	96	b. Serve in the Florida National Guard for the period 59
97	97	specified in the member's enlistment or reenlistment contract. 60
98	98	c. Authorize the release of information pursuant to 61
99	99	subparagraph (d)6. by the postsecondary institution or technical 62
100	100	center to the education service office of the Department o f 63
101	101	Military Affairs, subject to applicable federal and state law. 64
102	102	(b) The program shall define those members of the Florida 65
103	103	National Guard who are ineligible to participate in the program 66
104	104	and those courses of study which are not authorized for the 67
105	105	program. 68
106	106	1. Ineligible members include, but are not limited to, a 69
107	107	member, commissioned officer, warrant officer, or enlisted 70
108	108	person who has obtained a master's degree using the program. 71
109	109	2. Inactive members of the Florida National Guard and 72
110	110	members of the Individual Ready Reserve are not eligible to 73
111	111	participate in the program. 74
112	112	3. Courses not authorized include noncredit courses, 75
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121	121	F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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125	125	courses that do not meet degree requirements, courses that do 76
126	126	not meet requirements for completion of career training, or 77
127	127	other courses as determined by program definitions. 78
128	128	4. The program may not pay repeat course fees. 79
129	129	(c) The program may include, but is not limited to: 80
130	130	1. Courses at a public or nonpublic postsecondary 81
131	131	institution or technical center in the state which is accre dited 82
132	132	by an accrediting body recognized by the United States 83
133	133	Department of Education or licensed by the Commission for 84
134	134	Independent Education. 85
135	135	2. Training to obtain industry certifications, limited to 86
136	136	certifications approved by the Department of Education under s. 87
137	137	1008.44. 88
138	138	3. Continuing education to maintain a license or 89
139	139	certification. Notwithstanding subparagraph (b)1., members who 90
140	140	have obtained a master's degree using the program are eligible 91
141	141	for funding under this subparagraph. 92
142	142	4. Licensing and indu stry certification examination fees. 93
143	143	Notwithstanding subparagraph (b)1., members who have obtained a 94
144	144	master's degree using the program are eligible for funding under 95
145	145	this subparagraph. 96
146	146	5. Notwithstanding subparagraph (b)3., developmental 97
147	147	educational courses. 98
148	148	(d) The Adjutant General shall adopt rules for the overall 99
149	149	policy, guidance, administration, implementation, and proper use 100
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158	158	F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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162	162	of the program. Such rules must include, but need not be limited 101
163	163	to: 102
164	164	1. Guidelines for certification by the Adjutant Genera l of 103
165	165	a guard member's eligibility. 104
166	166	2. Procedures for notification to a postsecondary 105
167	167	institution or technical center of a guard member's termination 106
168	168	of eligibility. 107
169	169	3. Guidelines for approving courses of study that are 108
170	170	authorized for the program, inclu ding online courses, industry 109
171	171	certification training, and continuing education to maintain 110
172	172	license certifications. 111
173	173	4. Guidelines for approving the use of program funds for 112
174	174	licensing and industry certification examination fees. 113
175	175	5. Procedures for restitu tion when a guard member fails to 114
176	176	comply with the penalties described in this section. 115
177	177	6. Procedures that require a public or nonpublic 116
178	178	postsecondary institution or technical center that receives 117
179	179	funding from the program to provide information regarding course 118
180	180	enrollment, course withdrawal, course cancellation, course 119
181	181	completion, course failure, and grade verification of enrolled 120
182	182	members to the education service office of the Department of 121
183	183	Military Affairs. 122
184	184	7. Guidelines for the payment of tuition and f ees, not to 123
185	185	exceed the highest in -state tuition rate charged by a public 124
186	186	postsecondary institution in the state. 125
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195	195	F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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199	199	(2)(8) Subject to appropriations, the Department of 126
200	200	Military Affairs may pay the full cost of tuition and fees for 127
201	201	required courses for curre nt members of the Florida National 128
202	202	Guard. Members are eligible to use the program upon enlistment 129
203	203	in the Florida National Guard. If a member is enrolled in a 130
204	204	nonpublic postsecondary education institution or a nonpublic 131
205	205	vocational-technical program, the Dep artment of Military Affairs 132
206	206	shall pay an amount that may not exceed the rate of the highest 133
207	207	in-state tuition and fees at a public postsecondary education 134
208	208	institution or public vocational -technical program. 135
209	209	(a) The Adjutant General shall give preference a nd 136
210	210	priority to eligible members who have deployed on federal 137
211	211	military orders while a member of the Florida National Guard. 138
212	212	(b) The Department of Military Affairs may reimburse a 139
213	213	member for student textbook and instructional material costs in 140
214	214	accordance with limits set each fiscal year based on funding 141
215	215	availability and regardless of the source of tuition funding, 142
216	216	but only after tuition and fees for all eligible members are 143
217	217	paid for that fiscal year. 144
218	218	(c) Penalties for noncompliance with program requiremen ts 145
219	219	include, but are not limited to, the following: 146
220	220	1. If a member of the Florida National Guard receives 147
221	221	payment of tuition and fees for an academic term and fails to 148
222	222	maintain satisfactory participation in the Florida National 149
223	223	Guard during that academic term, the member shall reimburse the 150
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236	236	Department of Military Affairs all tuition charges and student 151
237	237	fees for the academic term for which the member received 152
238	238	payment. 153
239	239	2. If a member of the Florida National Guard leaves the 154
240	240	Florida National Guard during the period specified in the 155
241	241	member's enlistment or reenlistment contract, the member shall 156
242	242	reimburse the Department of Military Affairs all tuition charges 157
243	243	and student fees for which the member received payments, 158
244	244	regardless of whether the obligation to rei mburse the department 159
245	245	was incurred before, on, or after July 1, 2009, unless the 160
246	246	Adjutant General finds that there are justifiable extenuating 161
247	247	circumstances. 162
248	248	3. If the service of a member of the Florida National 163
249	249	Guard is terminated or the member is place d on scholastic 164
250	250	probation while receiving payments, the member shall reimburse 165
251	251	the Department of Military Affairs all tuition charges and 166
252	252	student fees for the academic term for which the member received 167
253	253	payment. 168
254	254	4. If a member defaults on any reimburseme nt made under 169
255	255	this paragraph, the department may charge the member the maximum 170
256	256	interest rate authorized by law. 171
257	257	(3)(a) The Educational Dollars for Duty program shall set 172
258	258	aside $500,000 of existing funds every fiscal year to provide 173
259	259	financial assistance f or up to 50 percent of tuition to spouses 174
260	260	and children of active members of the Florida National Guard. 175
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273	273	The amount set aside may be increased by the Legislature as 176
274	274	deemed necessary. 177
275	275	(b) The Department of Military Affairs shall oversee the 178
276	276	implementation and enforcement of this subsection. The 179
277	277	department shall establish procedures for verifying eligibility 180
278	278	and distributing funds. 181
279	279	Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2025. 182