The 2012 Education Agenda So Far
MyFlorida.com
Education bills await lawmakers' January return to Tallahassee.
Education-related bill are stacking up in Tallahassee, four months before lawmakers return for the 2012 session.
Yesterday we wrote about Sen. Joe Negron’s bill that would allow voters to once again choose the state education commissioner. Here are other topics that will be on the calendar come January.
School Funding
At the top of the House heap is HB 1, sponsored by Rep. Michael Weinstein, R-Jacksonville, which requires state analysts to determine how much Florida should spend on education and report back to the legislature.
A similar bill in the Senate, SB 142 sponsored by Sen. Anitere Flores, R-Miami, would earmark $100,000 to hire an outside company to study and report back on state education funding.
College Tuition
SB 164, sponsored by Sen. Mike Fasano, R-New Port Richey, would allow military veterans to attend Florida colleges and pay in-state tuition. HB 45 would give vets priority when registering for college courses.
HB 81 and SB 106 are identical bills which could grant in-state tuition to anyone who attended a Florida high school for three years and graduated. Undocumented immigrants would have to sign an affidavit saying they have applied for citizenship or will do so as soon as they are eligible.
Other bills
HB 61 and SB 120 would allow the state to resume funding public broadcasting.
S. 98 would allow school districts to allow prayers or benedictions as secondary school events.
SB 150 requires the Department of Education to submit an annual report about student progress in juvenile justice education programs.
HB 71 would ask state analysts to study career or technical education and the creation of a diploma for those programs.
What’s missing from the list? What should be the top priority?
