Florida Senate - 2025 SB 336 By Senator Arrington 25-00680-25 2025336__ 1 A bill to be entitled 2 An act relating to the Educational Dollars for Duty 3 program; providing a short title; transferring, 4 renumbering, and amending s. 250.10(7) and (8), F.S.; 5 requiring the program to set aside a certain amount of 6 funds to provide tuition assistance to spouses and 7 children of active members of the Florida National 8 Guard; authorizing the Legislature to increase the 9 amount of such funds; requiring the Department of 10 Military Affairs to oversee implementation and 11 enforcement; requiring the department to establish 12 certain procedures; providing an effective date. 13 14 WHEREAS, members of the Florida National Guard are 15 frequently deployed and respond to emergencies, often taking 16 them away from their families, and 17 WHEREAS, many National Guard families are left alone during 18 a members overseas deployments and during natural disasters, 19 often having to take care of themselves while the member is away 20 helping Florida or our nation, and 21 WHEREAS, providing educational support to the families of 22 National Guard members will offer significant relief and support 23 to these dedicated individuals, NOW, THEREFORE, 24 25 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 26 27 Section 1.This act may be cited as the Educational 28 Dollars for Duty Program Expansion Act. 29 Section 2.Present subsections (7) and (8) of section 30 250.10, Florida Statutes, are transferred and renumbered as 31 section 250.101, Florida Statutes, and that section is amended, 32 to read: 33 250.101Educational Dollars for Duty program. 34 (1)(7)The Adjutant General shall develop an education 35 assistance program for members in good standing of the Florida 36 National Guard who enroll in an authorized course of study at a 37 public or nonpublic postsecondary institution or technical 38 center in the state which has been accredited by an accrediting 39 body recognized by the United States Department of Education or 40 licensed by the Commission for Independent Education. Education 41 assistance also may be used for training to obtain industry 42 certifications approved by the Department of Education pursuant 43 to s. 1008.44 and continuing education to maintain license 44 certifications. The education assistance program shall be known 45 as the Educational Dollars for Duty program (EDD). 46 (a)The program shall establish application requirements, 47 including, but not limited to, requirements that the applicant: 48 1.Be 17 years of age or older. 49 2.Be presently domiciled in the state. 50 3.Be an active drilling member and in good standing in the 51 Florida National Guard at the beginning of and throughout the 52 entire academic term for which benefits are received. 53 4.Maintain continuous satisfactory participation in the 54 Florida National Guard for the school term for which benefits 55 are received. 56 5.Upon enrollment in the program, complete a memorandum of 57 agreement to: 58 a.Comply with the rules of the program. 59 b.Serve in the Florida National Guard for the period 60 specified in the members enlistment or reenlistment contract. 61 c.Authorize the release of information pursuant to 62 subparagraph (d)6. by the postsecondary institution or technical 63 center to the education service office of the Department of 64 Military Affairs, subject to applicable federal and state law. 65 (b)The program shall define those members of the Florida 66 National Guard who are ineligible to participate in the program 67 and those courses of study which are not authorized for the 68 program. 69 1.Ineligible members include, but are not limited to, a 70 member, commissioned officer, warrant officer, or enlisted 71 person who has obtained a masters degree using the program. 72 2.Inactive members of the Florida National Guard and 73 members of the Individual Ready Reserve are not eligible to 74 participate in the program. 75 3.Courses not authorized include noncredit courses, 76 courses that do not meet degree requirements, courses that do 77 not meet requirements for completion of career training, or 78 other courses as determined by program definitions. 79 4.The program may not pay repeat course fees. 80 (c)The program may include, but is not limited to: 81 1.Courses at a public or nonpublic postsecondary 82 institution or technical center in the state which is accredited 83 by an accrediting body recognized by the United States 84 Department of Education or licensed by the Commission for 85 Independent Education. 86 2.Training to obtain industry certifications, limited to 87 certifications approved by the Department of Education under s. 88 1008.44. 89 3.Continuing education to maintain a license or 90 certification. Notwithstanding subparagraph (b)1., members who 91 have obtained a masters degree using the program are eligible 92 for funding under this subparagraph. 93 4.Licensing and industry certification examination fees. 94 Notwithstanding subparagraph (b)1., members who have obtained a 95 masters degree using the program are eligible for funding under 96 this subparagraph. 97 5.Notwithstanding subparagraph (b)3., developmental 98 educational courses. 99 (d)The Adjutant General shall adopt rules for the overall 100 policy, guidance, administration, implementation, and proper use 101 of the program. Such rules must include, but need not be limited 102 to: 103 1.Guidelines for certification by the Adjutant General of 104 a guard members eligibility. 105 2.Procedures for notification to a postsecondary 106 institution or technical center of a guard members termination 107 of eligibility. 108 3.Guidelines for approving courses of study that are 109 authorized for the program, including online courses, industry 110 certification training, and continuing education to maintain 111 license certifications. 112 4.Guidelines for approving the use of program funds for 113 licensing and industry certification examination fees. 114 5.Procedures for restitution when a guard member fails to 115 comply with the penalties described in this section. 116 6.Procedures that require a public or nonpublic 117 postsecondary institution or technical center that receives 118 funding from the program to provide information regarding course 119 enrollment, course withdrawal, course cancellation, course 120 completion, course failure, and grade verification of enrolled 121 members to the education service office of the Department of 122 Military Affairs. 123 7.Guidelines for the payment of tuition and fees, not to 124 exceed the highest in-state tuition rate charged by a public 125 postsecondary institution in the state. 126 (2)(8)Subject to appropriations, the Department of 127 Military Affairs may pay the full cost of tuition and fees for 128 required courses for current members of the Florida National 129 Guard. Members are eligible to use the program upon enlistment 130 in the Florida National Guard. If a member is enrolled in a 131 nonpublic postsecondary education institution or a nonpublic 132 vocational-technical program, the Department of Military Affairs 133 shall pay an amount that may not exceed the rate of the highest 134 in-state tuition and fees at a public postsecondary education 135 institution or public vocational-technical program. 136 (a)The Adjutant General shall give preference and priority 137 to eligible members who have deployed on federal military orders 138 while a member of the Florida National Guard. 139 (b)The Department of Military Affairs may reimburse a 140 member for student textbook and instructional material costs in 141 accordance with limits set each fiscal year based on funding 142 availability and regardless of the source of tuition funding, 143 but only after tuition and fees for all eligible members are 144 paid for that fiscal year. 145 (c)Penalties for noncompliance with program requirements 146 include, but are not limited to, the following: 147 1.If a member of the Florida National Guard receives 148 payment of tuition and fees for an academic term and fails to 149 maintain satisfactory participation in the Florida National 150 Guard during that academic term, the member shall reimburse the 151 Department of Military Affairs all tuition charges and student 152 fees for the academic term for which the member received 153 payment. 154 2.If a member of the Florida National Guard leaves the 155 Florida National Guard during the period specified in the 156 members enlistment or reenlistment contract, the member shall 157 reimburse the Department of Military Affairs all tuition charges 158 and student fees for which the member received payments, 159 regardless of whether the obligation to reimburse the department 160 was incurred before, on, or after July 1, 2009, unless the 161 Adjutant General finds that there are justifiable extenuating 162 circumstances. 163 3.If the service of a member of the Florida National Guard 164 is terminated or the member is placed on scholastic probation 165 while receiving payments, the member shall reimburse the 166 Department of Military Affairs all tuition charges and student 167 fees for the academic term for which the member received 168 payment. 169 4.If a member defaults on any reimbursement made under 170 this paragraph, the department may charge the member the maximum 171 interest rate authorized by law. 172 (3)(a)The Educational Dollars for Duty program shall set 173 aside $500,000 of existing funds every fiscal year to provide 174 financial assistance for up to 50 percent of tuition to spouses 175 and children of active members of the Florida National Guard. 176 The amount set aside may be increased by the Legislature as 177 deemed necessary. 178 (b)The Department of Military Affairs shall oversee the 179 implementation and enforcement of this subsection. The 180 department shall establish procedures for verifying eligibility 181 and distributing funds. 182 Section 3.This act shall take effect July 1, 2025.