SB 1246 Florida Senate · 2026 Regular Session

Linking Industry to Nursing Education Fund

Summary

Linking Industry to Nursing Education Fund; Revising the Legislative intent for the Linking Industry to Nursing Education (LINE) Fund; authorizing the inclusion of nonmonetary contributions to institutions for purposes of proposals for LINE Fund matching funds; requiring proposals for participation in the fund to be submitted by specified persons; prohibiting a proposal to participate in the fund from being comprised solely of nonmonetary contributions, etc.

Issues: ✓ Education ✓ Healthcare

Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2026

Committee Review

Mar 2026

Senate Passage

Mar 2026

House Passage

Mar 2026

Signed into Law

May 2026

Introduced Jan 13, 2026 Signed May 22, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 3 comparisons

What changed between versions

S 1246 e1 → S 1246 er · 5 edits

MODERATE

The bill was finalized and enacted as 'Enrolled' legislation, transitioning from a draft version to the official law. The substantive policy content remains consistent, but the final version added specific requirements for quantifying the fair market value of nonmonetary contributions and explicitly prohibited proposals from being comprised solely of nonmonetary contributions. It also introduced new criteria for evaluating proposals and established a requirement for annual reporting on fund usage.

Scope change

The scope of applicability remains unchanged; the bill still applies to the Linking Industry to Nursing Education (LINE) Fund in Florida.

REQUIREMENT

Added a requirement that nonmonetary contributions must have their fair market value quantified in dollars and certified as directly supporting the fund's goals.

Added an explicit prohibition stating that a proposal cannot be comprised solely of nonmonetary contributions.

Expanded the criteria for reviewing proposals to include specific metrics on workforce retention, program expansion, and clinical placement efforts.

ENFORCEMENT

Added a requirement for institutions to submit annual reports by February 1 detailing student enrollment, scholarship usage, and graduate outcomes.

TIMELINE

Confirmed the effective date of the act as July 1, 2026.

S 1246 c1 → S 1246 e1 · 7 edits

MODERATE

The bill was significantly expanded from focusing solely on nursing and health science workforce shortages to explicitly including nonmonetary contributions (like donated time and space) from healthcare partners. The scope of eligible institutions was broadened to include various types of schools and career centers, and the funding mechanism now allows for matching both money and the fair market value of in-kind donations, provided at least some monetary contribution is included.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded to include nonmonetary contributions (donated time, space, and equipment) as eligible matching funds, whereas the previous version only allowed matching monetary contributions. Additionally, the definition of eligible institutions was broadened to include charter technical career centers, independent nonprofit colleges, and independent schools, in addition to Florida College System institutions and state universities.

DEFINITION

The definition of 'health science' was removed entirely, while a new definition for 'health care partner' was added to specify licensed healthcare providers.

FISCAL

The fund now authorizes matching nonmonetary contributions (such as donated employee time, space, or equipment) in addition to monetary donations, subject to fair market value certification.

ELIGIBILITY

Eligible institutions were expanded to include charter technical career centers, independent nonprofit colleges, and independent schools, in addition to existing Florida College System and state university institutions.

REQUIREMENT

New requirements mandate that proposals must identify a specific healthcare partner making monetary contributions and that proposals cannot be comprised solely of nonmonetary contributions.

Evaluation criteria were updated to assess how nonmonetary contributions will increase student enrollment and program completion rates.

New reporting requirements were added, including a mandate for institutions to submit annual reports by February 1 detailing student enrollment, scholarship data, and workforce outcomes.

TIMELINE

A new provision allows the Board of Governors or Department of Education to award funds for up to two academic years in advance under certain conditions, with specific notification requirements for subsequent years.

Floor votes · Senate Feb 26, 2026 · House Mar 10, 2026

How they voted

37–0

Passed · 3 other

Total votes 40

Feb 26, 2026

D Democratic11

10 Yea 1

90% Yea

I Independent1

1 Yea

100% Yea

R Republican28

26 Yea 2

92% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Amendments

May 22, 2026

Signed into law

Approved by Governor

legislature

Mar 12, 2026

Upper · Passed

CS passed as amended; YEAS 39 NAYS 0

upper

Mar 12, 2026

Upper · Passed

Concurred in 1 amendment(s) (271703)

upper

Mar 10, 2026

Introduced

Amendment 271703 engrossed amendment (replaces 722471, 300069)

lower

Mar 10, 2026

Lower · Passed

CS passed as amended; YEAS 112, NAYS 0

lower

Mar 10, 2026

Lower · Passed

Amendment 722471 adopted as amended

lower

Mar 10, 2026

Lower · Passed

Amendment 300069 adopted

lower

Mar 9, 2026

Committee

Bill referred to House Calendar

lower

Feb 26, 2026

Upper · Passed

CS passed; YEAS 36 NAYS 0

upper

Feb 18, 2026

Upper · Passed

Favorable by- Fiscal Policy; YEAS 19 NAYS 0

upper

Feb 13, 2026

Upper · Passed

On Committee agenda-- Fiscal Policy, 02/18/26, 1:30 pm, 110 Senate Building

upper

Feb 6, 2026

Upper · Passed

Pending reference review under Rule 4.7(2) - (Committee Substitute)

upper

Feb 4, 2026

Upper · Passed

CS by Appropriations Committee on Higher Education; YEAS 7 NAYS 0

upper

Jan 30, 2026

Upper · Passed

On Committee agenda-- Appropriations Committee on Higher Education, 02/04/26, 3:45 pm, 110 Senate Building

upper

Jan 21, 2026

Upper · Passed

Now in Appropriations Committee on Higher Education

upper

Jan 21, 2026

Upper · Passed

Favorable by Education Postsecondary; YEAS 6 NAYS 0

upper

Jan 16, 2026

Upper · Passed

On Committee agenda-- Education Postsecondary, 01/21/26, 8:30 am, 301 Senate Building

upper

Jan 13, 2026

Introduced

upper

Jan 12, 2026

Committee

Referred to Education Postsecondary; Appropriations Committee on Higher Education; Fiscal Policy

upper

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors