UFF-UWF is following these filed higher-ed bills during the 2026 legislative session. The pages on the Florida House and Senate pages contain links to companion bills if applicable, and you can also choose to “track” each bill to receive information when the bill status is updated.
Legislative Session Dates
- January 13, 2026 Regular Session convenes
- February 28, 2026 Motion to reconsider made and considered the same day
- March 3, 2026 50th day – Last day for regularly scheduled committee meetings
- March 13, 2026 60th day – Last day of Regular Session
SB 176: Public Postsecondary Education Safety Policies and Procedures (and H 77)
Public Postsecondary Education Safety Policies and Procedures; Requiring state universities and Florida College System institutions to adopt and implement specified policies and procedures relating to safety; providing requirements for such policies and procedures; requiring state universities and Florida College System institutions to annually review and update the policies and procedures, etc
HB 995: Public Employees Relations Commission (several related bills)
Public Employees Relations Commission; Revises provisions relating to certain final orders issued by PERC; specifies annual salaries of chair & other commissioners of PERC; revises provisions for delivery of service; requires employee organization, within specified timeframe, to revoke membership of, & cease collection of membership dues from, public employee; revises requirements for registration, registration renewal, certification, recertification, or decertification of employee organizations; removes provisions relating to revocation of certification of employee organizations; requires commission or one of its designated agents to conduct investigation if challenge is filed; provides prohibitions on public employers, their agents or representatives, & any person acting on their behalf; revises provisions relating to impasse; authorizes certain actions by public employees upon agreement between public employer & bargaining agent; provides exceptions for certain bargaining units; increases fines for certain violations.
HB 899: Task Force on Artificial Intelligence in Public Postsecondary Education (and S 1458)
Task Force on Artificial Intelligence in Public Postsecondary Education; Creates Task Force on Artificial Intelligence in Public Postsecondary Education.
SB 1410: Optional Retirement Programs (and H 1441)
Optional Retirement Programs; Requiring that the employer contribution rate for certain optional retirement programs be equal to the employer contribution rate for the Florida Retirement System Investment Plan
SB 1478: Intellectual Freedom and Viewpoint Diversity (no companion bill)
Intellectual Freedom and Viewpoint Diversity; Deleting a definition of the term “shield”; requiring the State Board of Education to ensure that Florida College System institutions are free from political influence and interference; granting specified rights to students of Florida College System institutions and state universities; granting specified rights to faculty,
HB 113: Redesignations of State University and Florida College System Institution Roads (and S 1428)
Redesignations of State University and Florida College System Institution Roads; Requires state university & FCS institution boards of trustees to redesignate specified roads or portions of roads to certain names relating to Charlie James Kirk within specified time period; requires state funds to be withheld for any university & institution that fails to redesignate road or portion of roadway within such time period.
CS/HB 121: Nursing Education Programs (and S 254)
Nursing Education Programs ; Revises application requirements for nursing education program approval; authorizes Board of Nursing to revoke program’s approval; revises requirements for annual reports program directors of approved programs are required to submit to board; provides for revocation of program’s approval & discipline of its program director; revises remediation procedures; removes provision authorizing board to extend program’s probationary status; authorizes agents of DOH to conduct onsite evaluations & inspections; authorizes DOH to collect evidence as part of such evaluations & inspections; removes provision authorizing approved nursing education programs to request extension to meet board’s accreditation requirements.
HB 437: Public Records (and S 770)
Public Records; Provides that it is a violation of ch. 119, F.S., to fail to acknowledge public records request promptly & respond to such request in good faith; revises various provisions relating to custodians of public records, agencies, fees, & penalties; requires written, detailed cost estimate be provided upon request to persons seeking to inspect or copy public record; requires courts to assess specified costs, fees, & penalties; requires certain public records exemption provisions be repealed after specified timeframe unless Legislature reenacts such exemption.
SB 720: Resident Status for Tuition Purposes (no companion bill)
Resident Status for Tuition Purposes; Providing that a person may not lose his or her resident status for tuition purposes due to incarceration
HB 721: Foreign Students Enrolled in Public Postsecondary Educational Institutions (and S 1276)
Foreign Students Enrolled in Public Postsecondary Educational Institutions; Requires FCS institutions & state universities to limit number of enrolled students who are citizens of foreign country & who are not permanent residents of United States to specified percentage of students enrolled at institution or university.
HB 725: Political Activity on Public Institutions of Higher Education (and S 1736)
Political Activity on Public Institutions of Higher Education; Revises provisions relating to certain political activities on campuses of Public Institutions of Higher Education.
HB 757: School Safety (and S 896)
School Safety; Authorizes public postsecondary institutions to participate in school guardian program; authorizes certain college or university employees, faculty members, & students to openly carry handgun or carry concealed weapon or concealed firearm into college or university facility; creates offense of discharging weapon or firearm within 1,000 feet of school; provides exception; provides that person arrested for certain offenses must be held in custody until brought before court for admittance to bail; ranks offense created by act on offense severity ranking chart; requires that postsecondary institutions be made aware of mobile suspicious activity reporting tool in specified manner; requires public postsecondary educational institutions to promote use of such tool; requires transfer of specified educational records for certain students; requires State Board of Education & Board of Governors to adopt rules & regulations; requires certain trainings to include specified information relating to school safety; defines “public postsecondary educational institution”; authorizes such institutions to participate in certain programs and appoint certified school guardians; requires such institutions to adopt specified emergency response plans, provide specified training, post specified information, & adopt threat management processes; authorizes State Board of Education & Board of Governors to adopt rules & regulations.
SB 802: Public Officers and Employees (several related bills)
Public Officers and Employees; Requiring that, beginning on a specified date, secretaries and executive directors of departments, chief administrative officers of certain units of state government, members of commissions and licensing boards, chairs of governing boards or certain chief executives of certain statewide entities, or any persons appointed to hold state office in the executive branch of state government be United States citizens and residents of this state; providing that such an office is automatically deemed vacant if the person holding that office does not meet certain requirements; requiring the Commission on Ethics to investigate certain lobbyists or principals who make prohibited expenditures
SB 1052: Education (and H 1279)
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; prohibiting a Florida College System institution or state university from admitting a student who is not a citizen of the United States or lawfully present therein; revising eligibility requirements for the Graduation Alternative to Traditional Education (GATE) Program; prohibiting a Florida College System institution or state university from imposing certain graduation requirements; revising conditions for a student to meet the definition of homeless children and youths for purposes of tuition and fee exemptions, etc.
HB 1115: Grants for Genetic Counseling Education (and S 1376)
Grants for Genetic Counseling Education; Creates Genetic Counseling Education Enhancement Grant Program within State University System; provides requirements for program.
HB 1555: Postsecondary Education (no companion bill)
Postsecondary Education ; Provides requirements for FCS institutions & state universities relating to reporting requirements, training, & publishing of specified information relating to enrollment, courses, specified information.
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