Legislative Update
January 29, 2016
The Legislature convened last month with the Governor’s State of the State address.
And the primary message was to provide more corporate tax relief in the form of a
$1 BILLION tax cut and creation of a new $250 million Florida Enterprise Fund.
These proposals are all purported to be for the purpose of creating higher paying
jobs in Florida. Higher education was not mentioned once in the Governor’s address
as if higher education has no role in providing higher paying jobs for its citizens.
UFF certainly cannot support any such programs unless public education get its fair share, and that cannot happen when the Governor is willing to diminish Florida’s tax base even further. We must stand against these proposals and let the Legislature know that funding for K-12 and higher education will go further to meet our state’s long term goals.
This session report will update you on the more significant legislation impacting our colleges, universities and YOU, the UFF membership! Watch for UFF Action Alerts regarding pending legislation during the weeks ahead.
Appropriations
The House and Senate Appropriations subcommittees completed the first step of the 2016-17 budget process when they introduced their respective Chair’s recommended budgets on January 28. The highlights of the budgets as it pertains to higher education are as follows. Note: Tuition for Florida colleges is not included in the state appropriations below but estimates are at approximately $1.2 billion or an increase of $37 million.
| Senate 2015-16 | Senate 16-17 (Proposed) | Increase | Increase (Percent) |
House 16-17 (Proposed) | Increase | Increase (Percent) |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colleges | 1,182 | 1,227 | 45 | 3.8% | 1,206 | 24 | 2% |
| Universities | 4,547 | 4,681 | 134 | 3% | 4,730 | 183 | 4% |
| In millions of dollars | |||||||
Guns on Campus
HB 4001 by Rep. Greg Steube/SB 68 by Senator Greg Evers
UFF opposes this legislation to allow carrying of concealed weapons on college and
university campuses. UFF concurs with the vast majority of faculty, students and law
enforcement that prohibiting firearms on college and university campuses, except by trained
law enforcement and security officers, is an essential element of an overall campus safety
plan. See
UFF position paper.
HB 4001 has passed all House committees of reference and could go to the House Floor on Tuesday, February 2nd. I guess we better duck down with the groundhogs!
Contact your local state representative and ask him/her to vote NO on HB 4001. Find your representative here.
Senate Bill 68 is referenced to the Senate Judiciary Committee for its next stop but is not being heard this week. The Judiciary Committee was the dead end of this legislation last year. We are working on that possibility again as well as trying to secure a minimum of twenty votes to defeat the bill should it go to the Senate Floor.
Performance Funding
HB 7043 by Rep. Erik Fresen/CSSB 524 by Senator Don Gaetz
Performance funding to state universities in 2015-16 was a total of $400 million with $150
coming from new state funds and $250 million from the base budgets of the institutions.
For 2016-17, the House would give $500 million with half that number coming from new state
money and the rest from the universities’ base budgets. Under the Senate plan, universities
would receive $475 million; $225 million of that coming from the state. The level of performance
funding in the state universities is now almost 25% of all the Education and General (E&G)
funding which is the principal source of operating expenses.
Performance funding for the Florida College System under the House plan would be $60 million; $40 million from the state and $20 million from colleges’ base funding. The Senate would also give Florida Colleges $60 million in performance funding, but with half coming from the state and the rest from the colleges.
Fee Waiver For Graduate Assistants
HB 1311 by Rep. Michelle Rehwinkel Vasalinda/SB 1230 by Senator Maria Sachs
Graduate assistants provide meaningful teaching and research functions at most of our state
universities. UFF supports these bills which provide graduate assistants with fee waivers.
The bills are not identical. HB 1311 waives financial aid fees, technology fees, fees for
security, access or identification cards and fees relating to the use of facilities. SB 1230
would waive all fees. The fee waivers will assist thousands of graduate assistants with added
financial support to supplement their stipends for teaching and/or research.
HB 1311 is on the House Higher Education Subcommittee agenda for Monday, February 1st at 12:30 p.m.
Textbook Affordability
HB 7019 by Rep. Elizabeth Porter/SB 984 by Senator John Legg
UFF has worked on these bills as they have passed through their higher education committee
references. Both bills have the compromise 45-days before the first day of class provision
for posting textbooks or instructional materials on the college or university website.
Both bills passed their respective committee this week. Jennifer Proffitt spoke to a concern in the bill during the House committee meeting. Marshall Ogletree addressed our concern with the Senate committee.
See UFF position paper on textboook affordability.
University Employees' Health Insurance
PCB HHSC 16-01 by the House Health and Human Services Committee/SB 1434 by Senator
Jeff Brandes
These bills impact the State Group Health Insurance Program, which serve our faculties at the state
universities. The House had proposed this legislation last session, but now a Senate sponsor has
been found. The bill modifies parts of the current plan and establishes different level health
insurance plans in the future. UFF is working with a coalition of state employee unions to
address the bill so it is favorable to our members should it pass.es.
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