January 10, 2022
Volume 29, Number 1
Happy 2022! The start of the new year brings yet another legislative session. House and Senate members will convene tomorrow in their respective chambers to officially open the 60-day session. Governor Ron DeSantis will give his State of the State address during a joint session at 11:00 a.m.
As lawmakers begin work on the 2022-23 budget, they will have more money than anticipated. Revenue projections for the coming fiscal year are up by almost $400 million above earlier forecasts. Even with inflation, state economists are cautiously optimistic about the future.
Among the wide range of issues to be addressed by legislators this year are Florida State University’s legislative priorities which includes:
| FSU – Top 10 | $25,000,000 |
| Operational Support | $20,000,000 |
| Critical Electrical Infrastructure at the Mag Lab | $15,820,017 |
| FAMU/FSU – Integrated Advancement for Joint College of Engineering | $6,620,000 |
| Dittmer Building Remodeling | $5,400,000 |
| Veterans Legacy Complex | $2,500,000 |
FSU’s advocacy efforts include our 39 member Seminole Caucus, which will convene later this month to discuss the university’s priorities and strategize on how to achieve our session goals.
You can keep up with legislative proceedings through live, streamed and taped coverage of the session on The Florida Channel. As always, please feel free to contact me with questions about pending legislation, as well as request for copies of bills and their analysis. I can be reach at (850) 644-4453 or hcingram@fsu.edu.
Clay Ingram
Employee Guidelines for Legislative Session
The 2022 Session of the Florida Legislature begins January 11th. Please note the following Florida State University policies:
- President Rick McCullough, Chief Legislative Affairs Officer Clay Ingram, Director of External Relations at the College of Medicine Laura Brock, and Legislative Affairs Manager Lina Rojas are the lobbyists for Florida State University.
- No one on campus other than President McCullough, Mr. Ingram, Dr. Brock and Ms. Rojas are authorized to lobby for Florida State University or the State University System.
However, the Legislature periodically requests faculty and/or staff to attend committee meetings or to formally respond to questions about certain issues. FSU employees asked to appear before committee must notify Clay Ingram, 850-644-1728 and submit a legislative contact form prior to making an appearance.
The form can be found on the Governmental Relations website at https://govrel.fsu.edu/legislative-contact-form. If you have trouble accessing this form please contact Governmental Relations at 644-4453 for a hard copy.
Nothing here is intended to discourage FSU employees from exercising their individual rights as citizens or as members of groups or organizations not affiliated with the University. Such rights include the freedom to express their views on legislation, provided that the views are not presented as those of FSU, the SUS, or a subunit of these.
FSU Day at the Capitol
The annual salute to Florida State’s significant contributions to our state will take place on Wednesday, February 9th, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
FSU Day at the Capitol has become one of the most popular traditions during the legislative session and provides a wonderful opportunity to showcase our University’s programs and accomplishments to our friends in the legislature.
Through this event, Florida State is able to emphasize the University's long and proud heritage and bring attention to the extraordinary achievements of our students, faculty and staff.
Preceding the day’s festivities, a "Seminole Evening" reception will be held on February 8, starting at 5:30 p.m. on the 22nd floor of the Capitol. This special event is sponsored by the FSU Student Government Association and all University supporters are welcome to attend.
As always, FSU Day at the Capitol will include informative displays, which will be positioned throughout the plaza level, second and third floor rotundas. Also featured will be University “celebrities” – administrators, legislative alumni and more – along with performances by the FSU pep band, cheerleaders and Flying High Circus.
A special celebration of all things FSU will take place in the Capitol courtyard beginning at 11:30 a.m. with refreshments available for all to enjoy.
If your department has not yet signed up to display your achievements, please contact Toni Moore in the FSU Governmental Relations office at tmoore@fsu.edu or 644-3847.
Mark your calendars now for this Garnet and Gold event on February 9!
Governor's Budget Recommendation
Each year, prior to the start of the legislative session, the governor releases his budget recommendations to outline his priorities. The recommendations serve as guidance to legislators as they craft the budget.
| Governor 2022-23 | |
|---|---|
| General Revenue - FSU The 2021-22 GAA included $500,00 for the Student Veterans Center, $200,000 for Boys & Girls State, $10,000,000 for the Institute On Child Welfare, $1,000,000 for the Institute of Politics |
$218,168,615 |
| Student and Other Fees - FSU | $229,310,768 |
| Preeminent & Emerging Preeminent Universities - SUS | $152,000,000 |
| Performance Based Initiatives - SUS ...$265,000,000 is included as state investment in performance funding, and $295,000,000 is redistributed from the base funding of the institutions in the State University System as the institutional investment in performance funding. |
$560,000,000 |
| Nationally Ranked Operations Enhancement | $0 |
| World Class Faculty and Scholar Program – SUS | $90,561,143 |
| SUS Professional and Graduate Degree Excellence Program | $60,000,000 |
| Incentives for Program of Strategic Emphasis | $25,000,000 |
| FSU College of Medicine, General Revenue | $35,359,083 |
| Student and Other Fees | $14,898,434 |
| FAMU-FSU College of Engineering | $14,636,475 |
| Florida's Bright Futures Scholarship Program | $602,037,556 |
| FSU Lottery | $71,303,155 |
| FSU College of Medicine Lottery | $824,574 |
| SUS – Capital Improvement Fee Projects | $44,700,000 |
| SUS – Fixed Capital Outlay Maintenance, Repair, Renovation | $0 |
| Fixed Capital Outlay – Lab Schools | $8,128,636 |
| PECO – SUS facilities | $0 |
| Honorably Discharged Graduate Assistance Program | $1,000,000 |
| Florida Diagnostic & Learning Resources Centers – FSU | $450,000 |
| Autism Program – FSU College of Medicine | $1,224,008 |
| Communication\Autism Navigator – FSU | $0 |
| Public Broadcasting | |
| Florida Channel Closed Captioning | $390,862 |
| Florida Channel Year-Round Coverage | $2,714,588 |
| Florida Channel Statewide Governmental & Cultural Affairs Program | $497,522 |
| Public Television Stations ($320,400 for each public tv station) |
$3,844,811 |
| Public Radio Stations ($100,000 per station) |
$1,300,000 |
| Satellite Transponder – Florida Channel | $800,000 |
Benefits – Governor recommends Insurance rates continue at the current rate.
SB 1060 – Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program Student Service Requirements, by Senator Travis Hutson (R – Palm Coast)
SB 1060 – Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program Student Service Requirements, by Senator Travis Hutson (R – Palm Coast), provides that students may satisfy eligibility requirements for a Florida Academic Scholars, Florida Medallion Scholars, Florida Gold Seal Vocational Scholars, or a Florida Gold Seal CAPE Scholars award, respectively, by performing 300 hours of paid work in lieu of volunteer work. The bill authorizes, instead of requiring, students to identify a specified interest or develop a plan for their service requirements under the program, etc. The bill has been referred to the Education, Commerce and Tourism and Rules Committees. A similar bill in the House, HB 461 by Representative Lauren Melo (R – Naples), is waiting to be heard by the Post-secondary Education and Lifelong Learning Subcommittee.
HB 769 – State University Student Fee Waivers by Representative Joy Goff-Marcil (D – Maitland, FSU Alum)
HB 769 – State University Student Fee Waivers by Representative Joy Goff-Marcil (D – Maitland, FSU Alum), requires a state university to waive certain fees for a graduate student who has at least a .25 FTE appointment or greater as a graduate assistant, graduate research assistant, graduate teaching assistant, graduate research associate, or graduate teaching associate. The bill is waiting to be heard by the Post-Secondary Education and Lifelong Learning Subcommittee. The identical bill in the Senate, SB 666 by Senator Janet Cruz (D – Tampa), has been referred to the Education Committee, the Appropriations Subcommittee on Education and the Appropriations Committee.
HB 45 – Educational Opportunities for Disables Veterans by Representative Daisy Morales (D – Orlando)
HB 45 – Educational Opportunities for Disables Veterans by Representative Daisy Morales (D – Orlando), provides an education benefit to certain disabled veterans who qualify as residents to supplement what is provided from the GI bill for educational benefits to achieve a 100 percent award for tuition and fees. To qualify, the veteran must have been:
- Determined by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to have a service-connected 100- percent total and permanent disability rating for compensation;
- Determined to have a service-connected total and permanent disability rating of 100 percent and have received disability retirement pay from a branch of the U.S. Armed Services; or
- Issued a valid identification card by the Florida Department of Veterans’ Affairs (FDVA) that identifies the veteran as having a 100-percent, service-connected permanent and total disability rating for compensation, or who has a service-connected total and permanent disability rating of 100 percent and receives disability retirement pay from a branch of the U.S. Armed Forces.
The bill reported favorably by the Local Administration & Veterans Affairs Subcommittee and is waiting to be heard by the Post-Secondary Education & Lifelong Learning Subcommittee. The identical bill in the Senate, SB 554 by Senator Janet Cruz (D – Tampa), is scheduled to be heard by the Military and Veterans Affairs, Space, and Domestic Security Committee tomorrow.
SB 500 – Back-to-school Sales Tax Holiday by Senator Keith Perry (R – Gainesville)
SB 500 – Back-to-school Sales Tax Holiday by Senator Keith Perry (R – Gainesville), establishes a 10-day "back-to-school" sales tax holiday from Friday, July 29, 2022, to Sunday, August 7, 2022, for certain clothing, school supplies, personal computers, and personal computer-related accessories. The bill reported favorably by the Commerce and Tourism Committee and is waiting to be heard by the Finance and Tax Committee. The is no House companion at this time.
SB 520 – Public Records and Public Meetings, by Senator Jeff Brandes (R - St. Petersburg)
SB 520 – Public Records and Public Meetings, by Senator Jeff Brandes (R - St. Petersburg), provides an exemption from public records requirements for any personal identifying information of an applicant for president of a state university or a Florida College System institution held by a state university or a Florida College System institution. Additionally, the bill provides an exemption from public meeting requirements for any portion of a meeting held for the purpose of identifying or vetting applicants for president of a state university or a Florida College System institution, including any portion of a meeting which would disclose certain personal identifying information of such applicants. The bill is scheduled to be heard by the Education Committee tomorrow. The identical bill in the House, HB 703 by Representative Sam Garrison (R – Orange Park), is waiting to be heard by the Post-Secondary Education & Lifelong Learning Subcommittee.