STORAGE NAME: h0195e.JDC
DATE: 3/13/2025
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FLORIDA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
BILL ANALYSIS
This bill analysis was prepared by nonpartisan committee staff and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.
BILL #: CS/HB 195
TITLE: Education in Correctional Facilities for Licensed
Professions
SPONSOR(S): Chambliss and Plakon
COMPANION BILL: SB 472 (Truenow)
LINKED BILLS: None
RELATED BILLS: None
Committee References
Criminal Justice
17 Y, 0 N
Industries & Professional
Activities
15 Y, 0 N, As CS
Judiciary
21 Y, 0 N
SUMMARY
Effect of the Bill:
CS/HB 195 requires the Department of Corrections (DOC) to coordinate with the relevant professional boards
within the Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR), or DBPR when there is no board, to ensure
that inmates who successfully complete classes that are required for licensure in such professions will receive
credit towards licensure.
Fiscal or Economic Impact:
The bill may have an indeterminate fiscal impact to DOC and DBPR in developing the plan required by the bill.
However, the cost of implementing the bill will likely be absorbed within existing resources. To the extent that the
bill allows more inmates to meet educational requirements for professional licensure while incarcerated, the bill
may provide inmates with the opportunity to be licensed by DBPR regulated professional boards more quickly
upon their release.
JUMP TO SUMMARY ANALYSIS RELEVANT INFORMATION BILL HISTORY
ANALYSIS
EFFECT OF THE BILL:
The bill requires the Correctional Education Program (CEP) within the Department of Corrections (DOC) to design
and implement a plan, in conjunction with the relevant professional boards within the Department of Business and
Professional Regulation (DBPR), or DBPR when there is no board, to ensure that inmates who successfully
complete classes that meet the curriculum requirements for professional licensure receive credit towards
applicable DBPR licensure requirements. (Section 1)
The effective date of the bill is July 1, 2025. (Section 2)
FISCAL OR ECONOMIC IMPACT:
STATE GOVERNMENT:
The bill may have an indeterminate fiscal impact on state government by requiring DOC to coordinate with the
relevant professional boards or DBPR to ensure that inmates receive credit towards professional licensure for
successfully completing vocational courses. However, the cost of implementing the bill will likely be absorbed
within existing resources.
PRIVATE SECTOR:
By improving coordination of vocational education programs and professional licensure requirements, the bill may
have an indeterminate economic impact on the private sector by allowing more inmates to meet educational JUMP TO SUMMARY ANALYSIS RELEVANT INFORMATION BILL HISTORY
2
requirements for licensure while incarcerated. As such, the bill may provide inmates with the opportunity to be
licensed by DBPR regulated professional boards more quickly upon their release.
RELEVANT INFORMATION
SUBJECT OVERVIEW:
Correctional Education Program
The Correctional Education Program (CEP) within the Department of Corrections (DOC) provides educational
programming to inmates in state correctional facilities.
1 The duties of the CEP, in part, include:
Developing guidelines for collecting education-related information during the inmate reception process
and disseminating such information to DOC classification staff.
Monitoring and assessing all inmate education program services.
Approving educational programs of the appropriate levels and types in correctional institutions and
developing admission procedures for such programs.
Developing a written procedure for selecting programs to add to or delete from the vocational curriculum
and periodically reevaluating such programs.
2
The CEP provides 92 career and technical education courses in 37 vocational trades that are aligned to Florida’s in-
demand occupations.
3 Career and technical education courses vary by facility and may include education relating
to barbering, cosmetology, electrical contracting, landscaping, plumbing, and HVAC contracting.
4
Department of Business and Professional Regulation
The Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) regulates and licenses specified businesses and
professionals in Florida.
5 DBPR provides administrative support to professional boards that are responsible for the
licensure of applicants, promulgation of rules governing the applicable profession, and the discipline of a licensee.
6
Examples of relevant professional boards under DBPR include the Barbers’ Board, the Construction Industry
Licensing Board, the Board of Cosmetology, and the Electrical Contractors’ Licensing Board.
7
CS/HB 133 (2024)
CS/HB 133, which was passed by the Legislature during the 2024 legislative session and subsequently vetoed,
would have made the following changes to the licensing requirements for barbers and cosmetologists. The bill:
Prohibited applicable DBPR boards from denying a barber or cosmetology license for a conviction or other
adjudication that was more than three years before the date of the application for licensure unless the
applicant was convicted of a crime at any time during the three-year period preceding the application.
Required applicable DBPR boards to approve educational credits offered to inmates for purposes of
satisfying licensure requirements as a barber or cosmetologist.
In his veto message, the Governor objected to the provision in CS/HB 133 that prohibited DBPR from considering
an applicant’s criminal history that was more than three years before the date of the application for licensure. The
veto message did not comment on the provision of the bill related to approval of educational credits earned by
inmates in a correctional institution.
1 S. 944.801, F.S.
2 S. 944.801(3), F.S.
3 Florida Department of Corrections, Bureau of Education, https://www.fdc.myflorida.com/programs/bureau-of-education (last visited Mar.
13, 2025).
4 Florida Department of Corrections, Annual Report, https://fdc-media.ccplatform.net/content/download/3089/file/Annual_Report_22-
23_V10.pdf (last visited Mar. 13, 2025).
5 S. 20.165, F.S.
6 S. 455.203, F.S. Department of Business and Professional Regulation, Division of Professions, https://www2.myfloridalicense.com/division-
of-professions/#1500572400331-dbbb2508-c03f (last visited Mar. 13, 2025).
7 S. 20.165(4)(a), F.S. JUMP TO SUMMARY ANALYSIS RELEVANT INFORMATION BILL HISTORY
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RECENT LEGISLATION:
YEAR BILL # HOUSE SPONSOR(S) SENATE SPONSOR OTHER INFORMATION
2024 CS/HB 133 Chambliss and Plakon Stewart The Governor vetoed the bill
on June 26, 2024.
OTHER RESOURCES:
Florida Department of Corrections – Career and Technical Education Programs
BILL HISTORY
COMMITTEE REFERENCE ACTION DATE
STAFF
DIRECTOR/
POLICY CHIEF
ANALYSIS
PREPARED BY
Criminal Justice Subcommittee 17 Y, 0 N 2/12/2025 Hall Padgett
Industries & Professional Activities
Subcommittee
15 Y, 0 N, As CS 3/6/2025 Anstead Thompson
THE CHANGES ADOPTED BY THE
COMMITTEE:
Clarified that the Department of Corrections should coordinate with DBPR
when there is not a specific licensing board to coordinate with.
Judiciary Committee 21 Y, 0 N 3/13/2025 Kramer Padgett
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THIS BILL ANALYSIS HAS BEEN UPDATED TO INCORPORATE ALL OF THE CHANGES DESCRIBED ABOVE.
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