Florida SB 1300: Education and Workforce Development for Current and Former Inmates

Bill Text

1300 
Education and Workforce Development for Current and Former Inmates 
2026-01-07T03:44:14Z 
Authorizing the Department of Transportation to expend certain funds for all workforce development programs, rather than only construction workforce development programs; authorizing the department to use workforce development funds for certain certification and training opportunities; authorizing employers to apply to the Department of Financial Services for reimbursement of the cost of certain workers’ compensation and automobile liability premiums, subject to appropriation; providing requirements and restrictions for reimbursement, etc. 
Original Filed Version 
2026 
S 
2026-07-01T00:00:00Z 
GB 
General Bill 
__ 

 Florida Senate - 2026 SB 1300 

 By Senator Calatayud 

 38-00607A-26 20261300__ 
 1 A bill to be entitled 
 2 An act relating to education and workforce development 
 3 for current and former inmates; amending s. 334.044, 
 4 F.S.; authorizing the Department of Transportation to 
 5 expend certain funds for all workforce development 
 6 programs, rather than only construction workforce 
 7 development programs; revising the entities to which 
 8 and the purposes for which the department may provide 
 9 certain grants; amending s. 334.62, F.S.; requiring 
 10 that certification and training opportunities include 
 11 training for specified commercial driver licenses for 
 12 certain inmates; authorizing the department to use 
 13 workforce development funds for certain certification 
 14 and training opportunities; creating s. 446.55, F.S.; 
 15 defining the term “employer”; authorizing employers to 
 16 apply to the Department of Financial Services for 
 17 reimbursement of the cost of certain workers’ 
 18 compensation and automobile liability premiums, 
 19 subject to appropriation; providing requirements for 
 20 the reimbursement application; providing requirements 
 21 and restrictions for reimbursement; requiring the 
 22 department to process an application and notify the 
 23 applicant within a specified timeframe; requiring the 
 24 department to coordinate with the employer for a 
 25 certain purpose; providing reimbursement limits; 
 26 amending s. 944.801, F.S.; requiring the Correctional 
 27 Education Program under the Department of Corrections 
 28 to include specified information in a report annually 
 29 submitted to the Secretary of Corrections; authorizing 
 30 the Correctional Education Program to develop and 
 31 implement a vocational curriculum in which certain 
 32 inmates can earn specified commercial driver licenses; 
 33 amending s. 945.091, F.S.; conforming a provision to 
 34 changes made by the act; amending s. 945.0913, F.S.; 
 35 authorizing inmates to drive a state-owned vehicle 
 36 under certain circumstances; providing an effective 
 37 date. 
 38 
 39 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 
 40 
 41 Section 1. Subsection (35) of section 334.044, Florida 
 42 Statutes, is amended to read: 
 43 334.044 Powers and duties of the department.—The department 
 44 shall have the following general powers and duties: 
 45 (35) To expend funds for a construction workforce 
 46 development program, in consultation with affected stakeholders, 
 47 for delivery of projects designated in the department’s work 
 48 program. The department may annually expend up to $5 million 
 49 from the State Transportation Trust Fund for fiscal years 2025 
 50 2026 through 2029-2030 in grants to state colleges, and school 
 51 districts, and private educational providers, with priority 
 52 given to state colleges and school districts in counties that 
 53 are rural communities as defined in s. 288.0656(2), for 
 54 certification and training opportunities within the Florida 
 55 Transportation Academy, for the purchase of equipment simulators 
 56 with authentic original equipment manufacturer controls and a 
 57 companion curriculum, for the purchase of instructional aids for 
 58 use in conjunction with the equipment simulators, and to support 
 59 offering an elective course in heavy civil construction which 
 60 must, at a minimum, provide the student with an Occupational 
 61 Safety and Health Administration 10-hour certification and a 
 62 fill equipment simulator certification. 
 63 Section 2. Subsection (1) of section 334.62, Florida 
 64 Statutes, is amended to read: 
 65 334.62 Florida Transportation Academy.—The Legislature 
 66 finds that the growth and sustainability of the transportation 
 67 industry workforce is vital to the continued success and 
 68 efficiency of the state’s supply chain and economic 
 69 competitiveness. In order to prioritize the continued need for 
 70 transportation industry workforce development programs, the 
 71 Florida Transportation Academy is established within the 
 72 department. In order to support, promote, and sustain workforce 
 73 development efforts in the transportation sector, the department 
 74 may do all of the fol