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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
A bill to be entitled 1
An act relating to the Florida State University 2
College of Law Election Law Center; creating s. 3
1004.6494, F.S.; establishing the Florida State 4
University Election Law Center within the Florida 5
State University College of Law; defining the term 6
"election law"; providing the goals of the center; 7
authorizing the center to take specified actions and 8
conduct specified business; authorizing and 9
encouraging specified entities to cooperate with and 10
share certain information with the center; providing 11
that certain requirements apply to such sharing of 12
information; providing for funding of the center; 13
providing requirements for the leadership of the 14
center; providing duties of such leadership; providing 15
requirements for specified activities of the center; 16
providing an effective date. 17
18
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 19
20
Section 1. Section 1004.6494, Florida Statutes, is created 21
to read: 22
1004.6494 The Florida State University Election Law 23
Center.— 24
(1) There is established the Florida State University 25
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Election Law Center within the Florida State University College 26
of Law. 27
(2) For purposes of this section, the term "election law" 28
means any issues relating to voting rights; election 29
administration; election emergencies; election integrity; voter 30
registration and voter registration databases; cyber issues or 31
other technical issues relating to elections; federal, state, 32
and local legal prov isions governing the electoral process; 33
election contests for any federal, state, or local office; 34
matters relating to the electoral college or the casting, 35
counting, or validity of electoral votes; federal and state 36
campaign finance law; election audits; apportionment and 37
redistricting; doctrines relating to justiciability, civil 38
procedure, and remedies which may arise in election -related 39
cases; and the historical, empirical, and comparative aspects of 40
these topics, as well as philosophical and theoretical issues 41
relating to democracy, democratic theory, and republicanism more 42
broadly. 43
(3) The goals of the center are to: 44
(a) Conduct and promote rigorous, objective, nonpartisan, 45
evidence-based research concerning important constitutional, 46
statutory, and regulatory issues relating to election law. 47
(b) Plan and host events to allow students, scholars, 48
legislators, judges, election administrators, attorneys, and 49
members of the public to learn about the electoral process and 50
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election law. 51
(c) Develop and sponsor publicly accessible materials and 52
resources concerning elections and election law. 53
(d) Assist students in learning about, gaining practical 54
experience with, and pursuing career opportunities relating to 55
election law. 56
(e) Enhance the Florida Sta te University College of Law's 57
reputation as a nationally respected source for cutting -edge 58
legal scholarship and technical legal expertise. 59
(f) Serve as a credible, objective, nonpartisan resource 60
to address election law inquiries from federal, state, and local 61
election officials and the Florida Legislature and its staff. 62
(g) Bolster understanding of the electoral process and 63
promote public confidence in the state's electoral system. 64
(h) Develop objective, evidence -based analysis, best 65
practices, and potential reforms for statutes, regulations, and 66
policies governing elections to: 67
1. Enable electoral systems to deal more effectively with 68
natural disasters and other emergencies which can impede or 69
undermine an election. 70
2. Bolster public confidence in the electoral process. 71
3. Ensure that United States citizens who meet the state's 72
voter qualification requirements have a reasonable, adequate, 73
and safe opportunity to exercise their right to vote. 74
4. Minimize the possibility of mistake, fraud, violations, 75
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accidents, or other irregularities impacting elections. 76
(4) In order to carry out the goals set forth in this 77
section, the center is authorized to: 78
(a) Hire necessary faculty and staff pursuant to s. 79
1001.741 and develop and teach co urses relating to election law. 80
(b) Hold events, including workshops, symposia, 81
roundtables, interviews, public discussions, lectures, and 82
conferences. 83
(c) Conduct, facilitate, and sponsor research relating to 84
election law in order to publish or otherw ise make publicly 85
available articles, reports, analyses, databases, or websites 86
relating to election law issues. 87
(d) Provide training and continuing education for the 88
federal and state judiciaries and judicial organizations, 89
attorneys, Department of Stat e personnel, supervisors of 90
elections and their employees, and other election 91
administrators. 92
(e) Provide formal or informal assistance to the 93
Legislature, as well as government entities or officials at the 94
federal, state, or county levels, concerning el ections or 95
election law, including, but not limited to, research, reports, 96
public comments, testimony, or briefs. 97
(f) Provide scholarships and research assistantships to 98
outstanding students interested in election law and sponsor 99
fellowships to pay for q ualified students to work with the 100
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center or at any local, state, or federal government office or 101
nonpartisan entity that deals with election law. 102
(g) Partner with other centers, programs, institutes, and 103
associations, as appropriate, to promote the cent er's goals. 104
(5) The Department of State, supervisors of elections, 105
State Library, and Florida State Archives may and are encouraged 106
to cooperate and share with the center electronic copies of 107
information or data in their possession, custody, or control 108
upon request of the center's director to further the goals 109
established in subsection (3), provided that the center and its 110
employees are subject to, and store such information or data 111
consistent with, comparable confidentiality and security 112
requirements as apply to the Department of State, supervisors of 113
elections, and their employees. 114
(6) Funding for the center is as provided in the General 115
Appropriations Act. The center may also accept charitable 116
donations, grants, and other university funds. 117
(7) The center shall be led by a faculty director who 118
shall be a tenured member of the faculty at the Florida State 119
University College of Law. The faculty director shall be 120
appointed by the dean of the College of Law. The center's day -121
to-day operations shall be con ducted by an executive director. 122
The faculty director, in consultation with the executive 123
director, shall: 124
(a) Establish programs that promote the center's goals. 125
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(b) Develop the budget and disburse the funds 126
appropriated, donated, or provided to the c enter. 127
(c) Hire employees for the center. 128
(d) Oversee the center's research, education, and training 129
programs, events, and work product. 130
(8) The center's research, work, activities, filings, 131
speakers, events, and operations are subject to academic fr eedom 132
protections. The center and its faculty and staff may not be 133
compelled to conduct, consult on, or otherwise assist in any 134
research or initiatives by any outside federal, state, or local 135
official or agency or private person or entity. The center shall 136
seek to promote intellectual freedom and viewpoint diversity, as 137
defined in s. 1001.706(13)(a). 138
Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2025. 139