CS/CS/SB 1062 full text · Session Watch

CS for CS for SB 1062 First Engrossed 20261062e1

1 A bill to be entitled

2 An act relating to speech and debate education;

3 creating s. 265.0042, F.S.; creating the Florida

4 Speech and Debate Hall of Fame; requiring the

5 Department of Management Services to set aside an area

6 in the Capitol Building for the hall of fame;

7 requiring the department to consult with the Florida

8 Education Foundation and the Commissioner of

9 Education; providing the duties for the hall of fame;

10 requiring the hall of fame to convene a committee for

11 specified purposes; creating s. 683.221, F.S.;

12 designating Florida Speech and Debate Week annually in

13 February; providing purposes for the annual

14 observance; authorizing specified entities to observe

15 Florida Speech and Debate Week; creating s. 1000.09,

16 F.S.; providing legislative findings and intent;

17 establishing the Florida Debate Initiative, Inc.,

18 (FDI) as a statewide speech and debate organization

19 that performs certain functions in support of the

20 Florida Civics and Debate Initiative (FCDI) in the

21 Department of Education; providing the duties of FDI;

22 providing construction; authorizing FDI to establish

23 and maintain certain partnerships; specifying

24 activities for FDI and FCDI; providing authorized uses

25 of funds for FDI; requiring FDI to publish online and

26 submit annually by a specified date to the department

27 a specified report; specifying requirements for the

28 report; authorizing a certified teacher to earn an

29 endorsement in speech and debate; specifying

30 requirements for the endorsement; requiring the

31 department to collaborate with FDI to establish

32 regional traveling debate teams; authorizing a school

33 district to use school buses to transport students to

34 speech and debate competitions; amending s. 1001.42,

35 F.S.; requiring each district school board annually to

36 publish online and submit to the department a report;

37 specifying requirements for the report; creating s.

38 1004.0983, F.S.; requiring the Board of Governors of

39 the State University System and the State Board of

40 Education to develop specified undergraduate and

41 graduate coursework, certificates, and micro

42 credentials; authorizing the Board of Governors and

43 the State Board of Education to collaborate with FDI

44 to develop coursework; requiring the department to

45 approve specified dual enrollment courses; providing

46 an appropriation; providing an effective date.

48 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

50 Section 1. Section 265.0042, Florida Statutes, is created

51 to read:

52 265.0042 Florida Speech and Debate Hall of Fame.—

53 (1) There is created the Florida Speech and Debate Hall of

54 Fame. The Department of Management Services shall set aside an

55 area on the Plaza Level of the Capitol Building and shall

56 consult with the Florida Education Foundation and the

57 Commissioner of Education regarding the design and theme of the

58 area.

59 (2) The hall of fame shall do all of the following:

60 (a) Honor distinguished students, coaches, educators,

61 alumni, veterans, public servants, benefactors, and supporters

62 who have elevated speech and debate in this state.

63 (b) Preserve the history, impact, and cultural significance

64 of competitive debate.

65 (c) Inspire future generations of Florida students to

66 pursue speech, debate, public leadership, and civic excellence.

67 (3) The hall of fame shall convene a committee to establish

68 procedures to nominate and select individuals to be featured.

69 Section 2. Section 683.221, Florida Statutes, is created to

70 read:

71 683.221 Florida Speech and Debate Week.—

72 (1) February 1 through February 7 shall be annually

73 designated as “Florida Speech and Debate Week.”

74 (2) Florida Speech and Debate Week shall be observed for

75 all of the following purposes:

76 (a) To recognize the academic, civic, and leadership value

77 of competitive speech and debate.

78 (b) To honor educators, coaches, judges, and school

79 districts that support debate programming.

80 (c) To inspire students statewide to participate in debate

81 as a pathway to civic engagement.

82 (d) To promote Florida’s role as the national leader in

83 scholastic speech and debate.

84 (3) Public and charter schools, state agencies, and other

85 entities may observe Florida Speech and Debate Week.

86 Section 3. Section 1000.09, Florida Statutes, is created to

87 read:

88 1000.09 Competitive speech and debate.—

89 (1) LEGISLATIVE FINDINGS AND INTENT.—

90 (a) The Legislature finds that speech and debate

91 significantly improve literacy, critical thinking, research

92 ability, civic knowledge, and leadership for students of this

93 state.

94 (b) The Legislature also finds that this state’s civics and

95 debate expansion has become a national model, increasing access

96 to this instruction in all regions. Sustaining and improving

97 this success requires a permanent statewide organization with

98 specialized expertise, program capacity, and year-round

99 operational support.

100 (c) The Legislature further finds that the Florida Debate

101 Initiative has demonstrated statewide effectiveness and is

102 uniquely positioned to ensure continuity, equitable access,

103 quality programming, tournament infrastructure, and

104 instructional rigor.

105 (d) It is the intent of the Legislature to establish a

106 comprehensive statewide infrastructure, under the Florida Debate

107 Initiative’s direction, which expands, supports, and elevates K

108 20 speech and debate education.

109 (2) CREATION, DESIGNATION, AND RESPONSIBILITIES.—In

110 alignment with, and in support of, the Department of Education

111 and the program it operates called the Florida Civics and Debate

112 Initiative (FCDI), the Florida Debate Initiative, Inc., (FDI) is

113 established as this state’s nonprofit statewide speech and

114 debate organization that manages, develops, and expands K–20

115 civics, speech, and debate programs.

116 (a)1. FDI shall support and expand access to statewide

117 civic literacy and speech and debate programs by undertaking the

118 following, which list is not exhaustive:

119 a. Educating and training coaches and students.

120 b. Training judges and volunteers.

121 c. Promoting educational competition opportunities.

122 d. Leading training and leadership development experiences.

123 e. Establishing competition standards.

124 f. Maintaining statewide data reporting.

125 g. Assisting the FCDI, upon request, in civics-focused

126 education, training, and programming initiatives.

127 2. This paragraph may not be construed to prohibit schools,

128 districts, or students from participating in civics, speech and

129 debate activities, leagues, or competitions not operated or

130 supervised by FDI.

131 (b) FDI may establish and maintain partnerships with school

132 districts, charter schools, state agencies, postsecondary

133 institutions, nonprofit organizations, private entities, and

134 national or international organizations to achieve the purposes

135 of this section, including collaborative efforts with FCDI. In

136 such collaboration:

137 1. FCDI and FDI shall jointly host and operate the annual

138 National Civics and Debate Championship known as The Great

139 Debate, a nationally recognized synthesis of civics education

140 and debate competition that challenges students’ civic

141 knowledge, debate skills, and endurance through multi-day,

142 multi-event competition.

143 2. FCDI shall lead specific civics immersion events,

144 including FCDI Day at the Capitol and the Great American Civics

145 Challenge, which includes the Ronald Reagan Presidential Debates

146 and the We The People Civics Showdown.

147 3. FDI shall provide logistical support, debate tournament

148 operations support, and tournament coordination support for The

149 Great Debate and other collaborative initiatives to advance

150 statewide speech and debate opportunities.

151 (3) AUTHORIZED USES OF FUNDS.—FDI may expend program funds

152 on all of the following:

153 (a) Administrative operations, including staffing,

154 insurance, compliance, reporting, and statewide infrastructure.

155 (b) Programmatic operations, including curriculum,

156 training, summer programs, workshops, camps, and mentorship

157 programs.

158 (c) Tournament operations, including logistics, staff,

159 judge training, technology, awards, and regional team

160 operations.

161 (d) Travel, lodging, training, and transportation for

162 participants, including local, state, and national travel to

163 competitions hosted by FDI, FCDI, or other civics, speech, and

164 debate organizations.

165 (e) Public-private partnership development, including

166 sponsorship and philanthropic support.

167 (f) Memberships, affiliations, and participation fees

168 related to civics education, speech, debate, leadership, and

169 academic competition programs, provided such memberships,

170 affiliations, and participation advance the purposes of this

171 section.

172 (4) REPORTING.—FDI shall make publicly available online and

173 submit, no later than December 31 of each year, an annual report

174 to the Department of Education which includes all of the

175 following:

176 (a) Student participation in statewide FDI programs, by

177 district and demographics.

178 (b) The number of active student teams in statewide FDI

179 speech and debate programs.

180 (c) Competitive and educational outcomes of statewide FDI

181 programs.

182 (d) A categorized summary of all expenditures.

183 (5) ENDORSEMENT IN SPEECH AND DEBATE.—Pursuant to s.

184 1012.56 and State Board of Education rule, a certified teacher

185 may earn an endorsement in speech and debate if he or she

186 demonstrates all of the following:

187 (a) Completion of coursework approved by the board in

188 argumentation, rhetoric, communication, or debate instruction.

189 (b) Completion of professional development offered by FDI

190 or equivalent professional development offered by a Florida

191 College System institution or state university.

192 (c) Competency, as determined by the board, in the rules,

193 events, and competitive standards of scholastic debate.

194 (6) REGIONAL TRAVELING DEBATE TEAMS.—The department shall

195 collaborate with FDI to establish regional traveling debate

196 teams to represent Florida in national competitions. Teams must

197 be accessible to students at Title I and rural schools. Teams

198 must provide competitive training and coaching for speech and

199 debate.

200 (a) All travel costs may be covered through legislative

201 appropriation, public-private partnerships, and sponsorships.

202 (b) A school district may use school buses to transport

203 students to and from speech and debate competitions.

204 Section 4. Present subsection (29) of section 1001.42,

205 Florida Statutes, is redesignated as subsection (30), and a new

206 subsection (29) is added to that section, to read:

207 1001.42 Powers and duties of district school board.—The

208 district school board, acting as a board, shall exercise all

209 powers and perform all duties listed below:

210 (29) SPEECH AND DEBATE COMPETITION REPORTING.—Each district

211 school board shall annually make available online and submit to

212 the Department of Education, by a date set by the department, a

213 report that includes all of the following information:

214 (a) The number of active speech and debate teams.

215 (b) Student participation rates.

216 (c) Competitive performance and public service engagement.

217 (d) Transportation, facilities, and administrative support

218 provided.

219 (e) Resources needed to expand the program.

220 Section 5. Section 1004.0983, Florida Statutes, is created

221 to read:

222 1004.0983 Speech and debate training pathways.—The Board of

223 Governors and the State Board of Education shall develop

224 undergraduate and graduate coursework, certificates, and micro

225 credentials in speech and debate education, coaching, and

226 tournament operations.

227 (1) Coursework may include all of the following:

228 (a) Rhetoric, argumentation, and communication theory.

229 (b) Coaching methods and competitive event instruction.

230 (c) Tournament management and adjudication.

231 (d) Public speaking pedagogy.

232 (2) The Board of Governors and the State Board of Education

233 may collaborate with the Florida Debate Initiative, Inc., to

234 develop coursework.

235 Section 6. The Department of Education shall approve

236 courses developed pursuant to s. 1004.0983, Florida Statutes,

237 for inclusion in dual enrollment programs under s. 1007.271,

238 Florida Statutes.

239 Section 7. For the 2026–2027 fiscal year, the sum of $2.4

240 million in recurring funds is appropriated from the General

241 Revenue Fund to support the Florida Debate Initiative, Inc.’s

242 responsibilities assigned under s. 1000.09(1), Florida Statutes,

243 including administrative, programmatic, and tournament operation

244 duties.

245 Section 8. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026.