SESSION WATCH
Superseded — its companion passed SENATE · SESSION 2026

No. CS/CS/SB 7038

Education
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SPONSOR
Rules; Appropriations Committee on Pre-K - 12 Education; Education Postsecondary
EFFECTIVE
7/1/2026
COMPANION
CS/CS/HB 1279 — CS/CS/SB 7038 was set aside and its companion carried the policy

Filed under Education.

PROVIDED SUMMARY

Education; Requiring each Florida College System institution and state university to waive tuition and fees for members of the Florida State Guard if certain conditions are met; requiring entities that offer fee-based services to individuals who are blind or visually impaired to disclose in writing whether the service may be obtained elsewhere at no cost; authorizing school district career centers to use alternative methods adopted by the board in lieu of common placement tests to assess students in basic communication and computation skills; providing that a fee waiver only applies to a full-time undergraduate student, beginning with a specified academic year, etc.

Full bill text →

Plain English Summary

AI-GENERATED
Mandates tuition waivers, campus safety policies, and new college funding models.

Public colleges must waive tuition for National Guard members and adopt written campus safety policies. These new mandates apply to every state university and Florida College System institution.

School districts must use a statewide weighted grading system for high school GPAs. This removes local discretion and standardizes how grades are calculated across the state.

Colleges must maintain a 7% reserve balance and use a new funding model. This replaces the old cost-to-continue model and sets a minimum funding level per student.

Businesses charging blind individuals for services must disclose in writing if free public alternatives exist. This creates a new compliance requirement for service providers.

KEY PROVISIONS
§ 1 Mandatory tuition waiver for Florida State Guard members majors. 251.001(9)(d)

AICreates a binding obligation for all public postsecondary institutions to waive tuition and fees for active National Guard members, subject to director approval and space availability.

“each Florida College System institution and state university shall waive tuition and fees for active members of the Florida State Guard to enroll for up to 6 credit hours of course” bill text, line 3 →
§ 2 Written disclosure required for fee-based services to blind individuals majors. 413.0114(1)

AIMandates that any entity charging for services to blind or visually impaired individuals must provide a written disclosure stating whether free equivalent services exist through public agencies before accepting payment.

“disclose in writing whether equivalent or substantially similar services may be available at no cost through the Division of Blind Services or another public agency” bill text, line 145 →
§ 3 Mandatory statewide weighted grading system for high schools majors. 1003.437(6)

AIReplaces district-level discretion with a mandatory requirement that all district school boards use a statewide uniform weighted grading system to calculate high school GPAs.

“District school boards shall use the weighted grading system to calculate weighted high school grade point averages”
§ 4 Mandatory campus safety policies for public postsecondary institutions majors. 1004.0983(1)

AIRequires every state university and Florida College System institution to adopt, implement, and annually review written safety policies for preventing, reporting, and responding to violence and credible threats on campus.

“Each state university and Florida College System institution shall adopt and implement written safety policies and procedures applicable to campus facilities, classrooms, and other” bill text, line 336 →
§ 5 FACT College Algebra Funding and Teacher Bonuses majors. 1011.62(17)(h)

AICreates a new funding stream and mandatory teacher bonuses for high school students who pass the FACT College Algebra test.

“A value of 0.16 full-time equivalent student membership shall be calculated for each student in the Florida Advanced Courses and Tests (FACT) College Algebra course who achieves a” bill text, line 809 →
§ 6 Florida College System Funding Model majors. 1011.84(3)(b)

AIReplaces the existing cost-to-continue funding model with a new model developed by college presidents, requiring recognition of a minimum funding level per FTE.

“developed by the Florida College System presidents in consultation with the Department of Education and approved by the Legislature. The model must recognize a minimum level of” bill text, line 858 →
§ 7 Florida College System Reserve Balance majors. 1013.841(2)(a)

AIStandardizes the minimum carry forward balance requirement at 7% for all Florida College System institutions, removing the previous 5% threshold for smaller colleges.

“Each Florida College System institution shall maintain a minimum carry forward balance of at least 7 percent of its state operating budget”
§ 8 Expanded dual enrollment eligibility and fee exemption moderates. 1007.271(16)

AIBroadens the definition of dual enrollment to include students in this state and explicitly exempts participating students from registration, tuition, and laboratory fees.

“Students who participate in dual enrollment programs are exempt from the payment of registration, tuition, and laboratory fees”
TIMELINE
3/13/2026
Laid on Table, companion bill(s) passed, see CS/CS/HB 1279 (Ch....
3/13/2026
Substituted CS/CS/HB 1279 -SJ 894
3/13/2026
Read 2nd time -SJ 894
3/12/2026
Retained on Special Order Calendar -SJ 884
3/11/2026
Retained on Special Order Calendar -SJ 824
3/6/2026
Placed on Special Order Calendar, 03/11/26
2/25/2026
CS/CS by Rules read 1st time
2/25/2026
Placed on Calendar, on 2nd reading
2/25/2026
Pending reference review -under Rule 4.7(2) - (Committee Substitute)
2/24/2026
CS/CS by- Rules; YEAS 23 NAYS 0
2/19/2026
CS by Appropriations Committee on Pre-K - 12 Education read 1st time
2/19/2026
On Committee agenda-- Rules, 02/24/26, 12:00 pm, 412 Knott Building
2/19/2026
Now in Rules
2/19/2026
Pending reference review under Rule 4.7(2) - (Committee Substitute)
2/18/2026
CS by Appropriations Committee on Pre-K - 12 Education; YEAS 9 NAYS 0
2/13/2026
On Committee agenda-- Appropriations Committee on Pre-K - 12...
2/10/2026
Introduced
2/9/2026
Referred to Appropriations Committee on Pre-K - 12 Education; Rules
2/6/2026
Filed
2/4/2026
Submitted as Committee Bill and Reported Favorably by Education...
1/30/2026
On Committee agenda-- Education Postsecondary, 02/04/26, 10:30 am,...
1/30/2026
Submitted for consideration by Education Postsecondary
16 EARLIER →
STATUTES IT CHANGES
s. 251.001
+65 / −0
s. 413.0114
+150 / −0
s. 413.208
+175 / −12
s. 491.005
+1 / −1
s. 1001.7065
+6 / −0
s. 1001.92
+6 / −0
STAFF ANALYSES
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