CRC - 2017 CS for P 44
By the Committee on Education; and Commissioner Washington
345-00250-17 201744c1
1 A proposal to amend
2 Section 7 of Article IX of the State Constitution to
3 provide that the Legislature may not raise tuition
4 except through legislation approved by two-thirds of
5 the membership of each house of the legislature and
6 presented to the Governor for approval; to require
7 that any legislation that raises tuition be contained
8 in a separate bill that contains no other subject; and
9 to establish minimum vote thresholds for state
10 university boards of trustees and the Board of
11 Governors to impose or authorize a new fee or increase
12 an existing fee, as authorized by law.
13
14 Be It Proposed by the Constitution Revision Commission of
15 Florida:
16
17 Section 7 of Article IX of the State Constitution is
18 amended to read:
19 ARTICLE IX
20 EDUCATION
21 SECTION 7. State University System.—
22 (a) PURPOSES. In order to achieve excellence through
23 teaching students, advancing research and providing public
24 service for the benefit of Florida’s citizens, their communities
25 and economies, the people hereby establish a system of
26 governance for the state university system of Florida.
27 (b) STATE UNIVERSITY SYSTEM. There shall be a single state
28 university system comprised of all public universities. A board
29 of trustees shall administer each public university and a board
30 of governors shall govern the state university system.
31 (c) LOCAL BOARDS OF TRUSTEES. Each local constituent
32 university shall be administered by a board of trustees
33 consisting of thirteen members dedicated to the purposes of the
34 state university system. The board of governors shall establish
35 the powers and duties of the boards of trustees. Each board of
36 trustees shall consist of six citizen members appointed by the
37 governor and five citizen members appointed by the board of
38 governors. The appointed members shall be confirmed by the
39 senate and serve staggered terms of five years as provided by
40 law. The chair of the faculty senate, or the equivalent, and the
41 president of the student body of the university shall also be
42 members.
43 (d) STATEWIDE BOARD OF GOVERNORS. The board of governors
44 shall be a body corporate consisting of seventeen members. The
45 board shall operate, regulate, control, and be fully responsible
46 for the management of the whole university system. These
47 responsibilities shall include, but not be limited to, defining
48 the distinctive mission of each constituent university and its
49 articulation with free public schools and community colleges,
50 ensuring the well-planned coordination and operation of the
51 system, and avoiding wasteful duplication of facilities or
52 programs. The board’s management shall be subject to the powers
53 of the legislature to appropriate for the expenditure of funds,
54 and the board shall account for such expenditures as provided by
55 law. The governor shall appoint to the board fourteen citizens
56 dedicated to the purposes of the state university system. The
57 appointed members shall be confirmed by the senate and serve
58 staggered terms of seven years as provided by law. The
59 commissioner of education, the chair of the advisory council of
60 faculty senates, or the equivalent, and the president of the
61 Florida student association, or the equivalent, shall also be
62 members of the board.
63 (e) TUITION. Tuition shall be established exclusively by
64 law. The legislature may not raise tuition except through
65 legislation approved by two-thirds of the membership of each
66 house of the legislature and presented to the Governor for
67 approval. Any increase to tuition authorized under this section
68 must be contained in a separate bill that contains no other
69 subject.
70 (f) FEES. Any proposal or action of a constituent
71 university to raise, impose, or authorize any fee, as authorized
72 by law, must be approved by at least nine affirmative votes of
73 the members of the board of trustees of the constituent
74 university and at least twelve affirmative votes of the members
75 of the board of governors in order to take effect.