Bill Text: FL S1542 | 2014 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Faith-based Institutions
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Failed) 2014-05-02 - Died in Education [S1542 Detail]
Download: Florida-2014-S1542-Introduced.html
Florida Senate - 2014 SB 1542
By Senator Bean
4-00438A-14 20141542__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to faith-based institutions; amending
3 s. 1005.06, F.S.; exempting a faith-based institution
4 from the jurisdiction or purview of the Commission for
5 Independent Education; authorizing the commission to
6 retain governmental oversight of a faith-based
7 institution’s compliance with fair consumer practices;
8 requiring a faith-based institution to submit an
9 affidavit to the commission; requiring the commission
10 to provide a faith-based institution a certificate of
11 authorization; exempting certain faith-based
12 institutions from complying with fair consumer
13 practices; providing an effective date.
14
15 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
16
17 Section 1. Paragraph (f) of subsection (1) of section
18 1005.06, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
19 1005.06 Institutions not under the jurisdiction or purview
20 of the commission.—
21 (1) Except as otherwise provided in law, the following
22 institutions are not under the jurisdiction or purview of the
23 commission and are not required to obtain licensure:
24 (f) A faith-based, degree-granting entity, institute,
25 college, university, or seminary, hereinafter referred to as a
26 “faith-based institution,” which is not funded by the
27 government, offers postsecondary education, and is domiciled in
28 this state or provides classroom instruction at a physical
29 location in this state. However, the commission shall retain A
30 religious college may operate without governmental oversight of
31 a faith-based institution’s requirement to comply with fair
32 consumer practices under s. 1005.04. Therefore, a faith-based
33 institution shall if the college annually verify verifies by
34 sworn or affirmed affidavit to the commission that:
35 1. The name of the institution includes a religious
36 modifier or the name of a religious patriarch, saint, person, or
37 symbol of the church.
38 2. The institution offers only educational programs that
39 prepare students for religious vocations as ministers,
40 professionals, or laypersons in the categories of ministry,
41 counseling, theology, education, administration, music, fine
42 arts, media communications, or social work.
43 3. The titles of degrees issued by the institution cannot
44 be confused with secular degree titles. For this purpose, each
45 degree title must include a religious modifier that immediately
46 precedes, or is included within, any of the following degrees:
47 Associate of Arts, Associate of Science, Bachelor of Arts,
48 Bachelor of Science, Master of Arts, Master of Science, Doctor
49 of Philosophy, and Doctor of Education. The religious modifier
50 must be placed on the title line of the degree, on the
51 transcript, and whenever the title of the degree appears in
52 official school documents or publications.
53 1.4. The duration of all degree programs offered by the
54 faith-based institution is consistent with the standards of the
55 commission.
56 2.5. The faith-based institution’s consumer practices are
57 consistent with those required by s. 1005.04, excluding s.
58 1005.04(1)(g) and rule 6E-5.001, Florida Administrative Code.
59 The commission shall may provide the faith-based such a
60 religious institution a certificate of authorization letter
61 stating that the institution has met the requirements of state
62 law and is not subject to governmental oversight.
63
64 A faith-based institution pursuant to this paragraph which
65 issues only nondegree certificates is exempt from the
66 requirement to comply with fair consumer practices under s.
67 1005.04, and such certificates are not transferable to a degree
68 granting college or university.
69 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2014.
