Florida Senate - 2010                      CS for CS for SB 2102
       
       
       
       By the Committees on Higher Education Appropriations; and
       Education Pre-K - 12; and Senator Wise
       
       
       
       605-05192-10                                          20102102c2
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to postsecondary education; amending
    3         s. 501.0117, F.S.; providing that a convenience fee
    4         imposed upon a student or family paying tuition, fees,
    5         and other student account charges by credit card to an
    6         institution that is eligible to participate in the
    7         William L. Boyd, IV, Florida Resident Access Grant
    8         Program is not considered to be a surcharge under
    9         certain circumstances; amending s. 1004.26, F.S.;
   10         prohibiting a cause of action against a state
   11         university for the actions or decisions of a state
   12         university student government; amending s. 1009.26,
   13         F.S.; authorizing state universities and community
   14         colleges to waive tuition and fees for certain public
   15         school teachers for certain courses; requiring that
   16         the State Board of Education adopt a rule that
   17         prescribes the process for the approval of courses by
   18         the Department of Education; providing an effective
   19         date.
   20  
   21  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   22  
   23         Section 1. Subsection (1) of section 501.0117, Florida
   24  Statutes, is amended to read:
   25         501.0117 Credit cards; transactions in which seller or
   26  lessor prohibited from imposing surcharge; penalty.—
   27         (1) A seller or lessor in a sales or lease transaction may
   28  not impose a surcharge on the buyer or lessee for electing to
   29  use a credit card in lieu of payment by cash, check, or similar
   30  means, if the seller or lessor accepts payment by credit card. A
   31  surcharge is any additional amount imposed at the time of a sale
   32  or lease transaction by the seller or lessor that increases the
   33  charge to the buyer or lessee for the privilege of using a
   34  credit card to make payment. Charges imposed pursuant to
   35  approved state or federal tariffs are not considered to be a
   36  surcharge, and charges made under such tariffs are exempt from
   37  this section. A convenience fee imposed upon a student or family
   38  paying tuition, fees, and other student account charges by
   39  credit card to an institution that is eligible to participate in
   40  the William L. Boyd, IV, Florida Resident Access Grant Program
   41  under s. 1009.89 is not considered to be a surcharge and is
   42  exempt from this section only if the amount of the convenience
   43  fee does not exceed the total cost charged by the credit card
   44  company to the institution. The term “credit card” includes
   45  those cards for which unpaid balances are payable on demand.
   46  This section does not apply to the offering of a discount for
   47  the purpose of inducing payment by cash, check, or other means
   48  not involving the use of a credit card, if the discount is
   49  offered to all prospective customers.
   50         Section 2. Subsection (5) is added to section 1004.26,
   51  Florida Statutes, to read:
   52         1004.26 University student governments.—
   53         (5) There shall be no cause of action against a state
   54  university for the actions or decisions of the student
   55  government of the state university unless such actions or
   56  decisions are made final by the state university and constitute
   57  a violation of state or federal law.
   58         Section 3. Subsection (10) is added to section 1009.26,
   59  Florida Statutes, to read:
   60         1009.26 Fee waivers.—
   61         (10) A state university or community college may waive
   62  tuition and fees for a classroom teacher as defined in s.
   63  1012.01(2)(a) who is employed full-time by a school district and
   64  meets any academic requirements established by the community
   65  college or state university to enroll for up to 6 credit hours
   66  per term on a space-available basis in undergraduate courses
   67  approved by the State Board of Education. Such courses shall be
   68  limited to undergraduate courses related to special education,
   69  mathematics, or science. The waiver may not be used for courses
   70  scheduled during the school day. The State Board of Education
   71  shall adopt a rule that prescribes the process for the approval
   72  of courses by the Department of Education.
   73         Section 4. This act shall take effect July 1, 2010.