For Immediate Release:

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Contact:

Lyndsey Cruley, (850) 487-8148

Legislation to Ensure Higher Education is Coordinated & Effective Passes Florida House

Tallahassee, Fla. – CS/HB 7151 relating to postsecondary education, today passed the Florida House of Representatives.  This legislation adopts measures to ensure that Florida’s postsecondary education system is coordinated and effective.

“Florida has long been seen as a leader in education and our state has benefitted from a robust system of higher education that provides a variety of postsecondary education options for students, including state universities, Florida Colleges, career education centers and private colleges and universities,” said Representative Bill Proctor (R-St. Augustine), chair of the House Education Committee. 

“Institutions of higher education play a critical role in having a well-educated workforce which is essential to our state’s economic development.  And this legislation ensures that there is an ongoing, coordinated state effort to ensure that Floridians have access to postsecondary programs that prepare them for a successful career,” added Representative Proctor.   

“Coordination in higher education is key to ensuring that taxpayer dollars are being utilized in the most efficient and effective manner possible and that students are progressing toward their educational goals without encountering unnecessary barriers,” concluded Representative Kelli Stargel (R-Lakeland), sponsor of the CS/HB 7151.

CS/HB 7151 contains various provisions including, requiring the Higher Education Coordinating Council (HECC) to make detailed recommendations to the Legislature, the State Board of Education, and the Board of Governors (BOG) relating to postsecondary education; requiring DOE to utilize student performance data in subsequent coursework in determining appropriate AP, IB, ACIE, and CLEP examination scores for the receipt of college credit; removing obsolete references to the College Level Academic Skills Test; establishing the Articulation Coordinating Committee, and; removing exemption from the state university summer enrollment requirement for students who have earned 9 or more credits through acceleration mechanisms. 

The legislation also aligns certain provisions of current law with the settlement agreement between the Board of Governors and the Legislature by authorizing the BOG to adopt a regulation instead of a rule to govern the naming of state university building; university-acquired patents, copyrights or trademarks; delinquent accounts; purchasing; and university lease agreement for facilities.

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