Florida Senate - 2025 CS for SB 1458 By the Committee on Education Postsecondary; and Senator DiCeglie 589-03066-25 20251458c1 1 A bill to be entitled 2 An act relating to apprenticeship and 3 preapprenticeship program funding; amending s. 4 446.032, F.S.; revising requirements for the uniform 5 minimum standards and policies governing 6 apprenticeship and preapprenticeship programs and 7 agreements to include requirements for partnerships 8 between local educational agencies and apprenticeship 9 and preapprenticeship programs; revising the required 10 date for a specified report on apprenticeship and 11 preapprenticeship programs; revising the requirements 12 for such report; requiring the Department of Education 13 to develop a standard model contract template for 14 local educational agencies and apprenticeship and 15 preapprenticeship programs; providing requirements for 16 such template; providing requirements for local 17 educational agencies and apprenticeship and 18 preapprenticeship programs that enter into partnership 19 agreements; requiring the department to develop an 20 apprenticeship and preapprenticeship funding 21 transparency tool by a specified date; providing 22 requirements for such tool; amending s. 1011.80, F.S.; 23 providing requirements for District Workforce 24 Education Funding Steering Committee meetings; 25 providing requirements for certain workpapers; 26 authorizing such meetings to be held using 27 communications media technology; defining the term 28 communications media technology; requiring a 29 specified funding model to be provided to the 30 Legislature annually within a specified timeframe; 31 providing an effective date. 32 33 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 34 35 Section 1.Subsections (1) and (2) of section 446.032, 36 Florida Statutes, are amended, and subsections (5) and (6) are 37 added to that section, to read: 38 446.032General duties of the department for apprenticeship 39 training.The department shall: 40 (1)(a)Establish uniform minimum standards and policies 41 governing apprenticeship and preapprenticeship programs and 42 agreements which must require training providers to submit data 43 necessary to determine program performance consistent with state 44 and federal law. The standards and policies: 45 1.Shall govern the terms and conditions of the 46 apprentices employment and training, including the quality 47 training of the apprentice for, but not limited to, such matters 48 as ratios of apprentices to journeyworkers, safety, related 49 instruction, and on-the-job training; but these standards and 50 policies may not include rules, standards, or guidelines that 51 require the use of apprentices and job trainees on state, 52 county, or municipal contracts. 53 2.Must allow an apprenticeship or preapprenticeship 54 program to partner with a local educational agency and determine 55 an equitable split of apprenticeship funding. The local 56 educational agency must ensure that all parties understand the 57 total amount of apprenticeship funding and allocations. The 58 terms of a partnership between an apprenticeship or 59 preapprenticeship program and a local educational agency must be 60 documented in an agreement or a contract. A local educational 61 agency may not impose additional fees or withhold additional 62 funds beyond the agreed upon amount in such agreement or 63 contract unless explicitly outlined to ensure financial clarity 64 and prevent unexpected costs for apprenticeship and 65 preapprenticeship program sponsors. 66 (b)The department shall Adopt rules necessary to 67 administer the standards and policies. 68 (2)By November 30 September 1 of each year, publish an 69 annual report on apprenticeship and preapprenticeship programs. 70 The report must be published on the departments website and, at 71 a minimum, include all of the following: 72 (a)A list of registered apprenticeship and 73 preapprenticeship programs, sorted by local educational agency, 74 as defined in s. 1004.02(18), and apprenticeship sponsor, under 75 s. 446.071. 76 (b)A detailed summary of each local educational agencys 77 and apprenticeship or preapprenticeship programs 78 responsibilities, costs, and expenditure of funds for 79 apprenticeship and preapprenticeship programs, including, but 80 not limited to, all the following: 81 1.The total amount of funds received and expended for 82 apprenticeship and preapprenticeship programs. 83 2.The total amount of funds received and allocated by 84 training provider, program, and occupation. 85 3.The total amount of funds expended for administrative 86 costs by training provider, program, and occupation, and the 87 total number of personnel hours required to administer each 88 apprenticeship and preapprenticeship program. 89 4.The total amount of funds expended for instructional 90 costs by training provider, program, and occupation. 91 (c)The number of apprentices and preapprentices per trade 92 and occupation. 93 (d)The percentage of apprentices and preapprentices who 94 complete their respective programs in the appropriate timeframe. 95 (e)Information and resources related to applications for 96 new apprenticeship programs and technical assistance and 97 requirements for potential applicants. 98 (f)Documentation of activities conducted by the department 99 to promote apprenticeship and preapprenticeship programs through 100 public engagement, community-based partnerships, and other 101 initiatives and the outcomes of such activities and their impact 102 on establishing or expanding apprenticeship and 103 preapprenticeship programs. 104 (g)Retention and completion rates of participants 105 disaggregated by training provider, program, and occupation. 106 (h)Wage progression of participants as demonstrated by 107 starting, exit, and postapprenticeship wages at 1 and 5 years 108 after participants exit the program. 109 (5)(a)Develop a standard model contract template to be 110 used by local educational agencies and apprenticeship and 111 preapprenticeship programs. At a minimum, the contract template 112 shall include sections to address the following: 113 1.The parties to the contract. 114 2.The duration of the contract. 115 3.The funds paid or received pursuant to the contract. 116 4.The responsibilities assigned to each party to the 117 contract, including which party is responsible for providing 118 equipment, related technical instruction, and on-the-job 119 training; hiring instructors and evaluating such instructors 120 credentials and qualifications; and providing administrative 121 support, including any reporting requirements. 122 5.A requirement that each party follow all applicable 123 federal and state laws and insurance requirements. 124 6.The execution of such contract. 125 (b)A local educational agency and an apprenticeship or 126 preapprenticeship program provider that partner to provide 127 apprenticeship or preapprenticeship education and training 128 programs must define their respective roles in the partnership 129 agreement and establish how the funding will be divided. The 130 partnership agreement must divide the funding based on the 131 responsibilities that the local educational agency and 132 apprenticeship or preapprenticeship program provider will hold 133 in the partnership agreement. 134 1.If the local educational agency does not provide 135 classroom space, related technical instruction, or on-the-job 136 training services, its role is deemed to be administrative only 137 and its funding share may not exceed 10 percent. 138 2.If the local educational agency and apprenticeship or 139 preapprenticeship program provider share the responsibilities of 140 providing administrative support, classroom space, related 141 technical instruction, and on-the-job training, the manner in 142 which the agency and provider divide the funding must be 143 directly tied to each of their responsibilities under the 144 partnership agreement. 145 (6)By July 1, 2026, develop an apprenticeship and 146 preapprenticeship funding transparency tool showing historical 147 funding amounts provided to school district and Florida College 148 System institution apprenticeship and preapprenticeship programs 149 from workforce development funds and other funds appropriated by 150 the Legislature. The transparency tool shall be published on the 151 Department of Educations website and shall include historical 152 funding amounts searchable by the source of funds, school 153 district, or Florida College System institution for the 154 preceding 3 fiscal years. 155 Section 2.Paragraph (a) of subsection (7) of section 156 1011.80, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 157 1011.80Funds for operation of workforce education 158 programs. 159 (7)(a)A school district or a Florida College System 160 institution that provides workforce education programs shall 161 receive funds in accordance with distributions for base and 162 performance funding established by the Legislature in the 163 General Appropriations Act. To ensure equitable funding for all 164 school district workforce education programs and to recognize 165 enrollment growth, the Department of Education shall use the 166 funding model developed by the District Workforce Education 167 Funding Steering Committee to determine each districts 168 workforce education funding needs. Any District Workforce 169 Education Funding Steering Committee meeting held for the 170 purpose of taking action or recommending the workload for the 171 funding model used by the Department of Education shall be 172 publicly noticed 7 days in advance, be open to the public, and 173 provide a reasonable opportunity for public comment. All 174 workpapers shall be published and distributed at the time of 175 notice. Such meetings may be held using communications media 176 technology. For purposes of this paragraph, the term 177 communications media technology means telephone conference, 178 video conference, or other communications technology by which 179 all persons attending a public meeting or workshop may audibly 180 communicate. To assist the Legislature in allocating workforce 181 education funds in the General Appropriations Act, the funding 182 model shall annually be provided to the legislative 183 appropriations committees no less than 2 months before the start 184 of the regular session of the Legislature later than March 1. 185 Section 3.This act shall take effect July 1, 2025.