Florida SB 2516: Higher Education

Bill Text

2516 
Higher Education 
2026-02-18T14:27:50Z 
Establishing the Florida Center for Nursing within the University of South Florida; providing that a specified fee waiver applies to a student’s out-of-pocket expenses for tuition and fees after other aid is applied; providing that the LINE Fund was established for shortages in health science professions in addition to nursing; requiring institutions awarded grant funds to submit an annual report by a certain date to the center instead of the Board of Governors or the Department of Education; requiring the Office of Reimagining Education and Career Help to provide specified data to the department, etc. 
Original Filed Version 
2026 
S 
2026-07-01T00:00:00Z 
GB 
General Bill 
__ 

 Florida Senate - 2026 SB 2516 

 By the Committee on Appropriations 

 576-03003-26 20262516__ 
 1 A bill to be entitled 
 2 An act relating to higher education; amending s. 
 3 464.0195, F.S.; establishing the Florida Center for 
 4 Nursing within the University of South Florida; 
 5 requiring the center to administer the Linking 
 6 Industry to Nursing Education Fund (LINE) Fund; 
 7 requiring the center to promote certain funds and 
 8 provide technical assistance during a specified 
 9 timeframe; requiring the center to develop certain 
 10 guidelines and make them publicly available on its 
 11 website; providing requirements for the administration 
 12 of LINE funds; amending s. 1009.26, F.S.; providing 
 13 that a specified fee waiver applies to a student’s 
 14 out-of-pocket expenses for tuition and fees after 
 15 other aid is applied; deleting a requirement for a 
 16 state university to report and disburse certain waived 
 17 fees; deleting a requirement for disbursement; 
 18 amending s. 1009.8962, F.S.; providing that the LINE 
 19 Fund was established for shortages in health science 
 20 professions in addition to nursing; defining terms; 
 21 requiring that the LINE Fund be administered by the 
 22 Florida Center for Nursing within the University of 
 23 South Florida, rather than the Board of Governors and 
 24 the Department of Education; providing that funding is 
 25 subject to approval of an application by the center; 
 26 authorizing the fund to match certain contributions if 
 27 funds are available; revising how funds may be used; 
 28 providing exceptions to certain prohibitions on the 
 29 use of funds; revising requirements for a proposal for 
 30 LINE funds submitted by an institution; providing that 
 31 proposals for related health science programs may not 
 32 be prioritized over nursing programs; revising 
 33 requirements for the center to evaluate submitted 
 34 proposals; authorizing the center to prioritize 
 35 certain grant applications; requiring the center to 
 36 notify each applicant of its determination; defining 
 37 terms; requiring an institution with an approved 
 38 proposal to certify the health care partner’s 
 39 contribution in a specified manner; authorizing the 
 40 center to award funds for up to 3 academic years; 
 41 requiring institutions awarded grant funds to submit 
 42 an annual report by a certain date to the center 
 43 instead of the Board of Governors or the Department of 
 44 Education; providing that the Department of Education 
 45 is the lead entity for identifying and maintaining 
 46 which health science programs are eligible for LINE 
 47 funds; requiring the department to compile and publish 
 48 a list of eligible programs by a specified date; 
 49 requiring the department to review and update the list 
 50 annually; requiring the Office of Reimagining 
 51 Education and Career Help to provide specified data to 
 52 the department; deleting a requirement for the Board 
 53 of Governors to adopt regulations and the State Board 
 54 of Education to adopt rules; providing an effective 
 55 date. 
 56 
 57 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 
 58 
 59 Section 1. Section 464.0195, Florida Statutes, is amended 
 60 to read: 
 61 464.0195 Florida Center for Nursing; goals.— 
 62 (1) There is established within the University of South 
 63 Florida the Florida Center for Nursing to address issues of 
 64 supply and demand for nursing, including issues of recruitment, 
 65 retention, and utilization of resources that support the state’s 
 66 nursing nurse workforce resources. The Legislature finds that 
 67 the center will repay the state’s investment by providing an 
 68 ongoing strategy for the allocation of the state’s resources 
 69 directed towards nursing. 
 70 (2) The primary goals for the center shall be to: 
 71 (a) Develop a strategic statewide plan for nursing manpower 
 72 in this state by: 
 73 1. Conducting a statistically valid biennial data-driven 
 74 gap analysis of the supply and demand of the health care 
 75 workforce. The center shall: 
 76 a. Establish and maintain a database on nursing supply and 
 77 demand in the state, to include current supply and demand. 
 78 b. Analyze th