Sen. Bill Montford

Designation of School Grades; Revising the components on which a school’s grade is based, etc.

Economic Development; Revising the responsibilities of divisions within the Department of Economic Opportunity; specifying that the concept of building the professional capacity of a regional economic development organization includes the hiring of professional staff to perform specified services; revising the maximum percentage of total infrastructure project costs for which the department may award grants; replacing CareerSource Florida, Inc., with the state board or the department in provisions relating to the implementation of the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, etc.

Advanced Well Stimulation Treatment; Defining the terms “high-pressure well stimulation” and “matrix acidization”; prohibiting the performance of high-pressure well stimulation or matrix acidization; providing that permits for drilling or for operating a well do not authorize the performance of high-pressure well stimulation or matrix acidization, etc.

High School Graduation Requirements; Revising the credit requirements to earn a standard high school diploma to include career and technical education rather than practical arts; specifying that eligible courses are identified in the Course Code Directory, etc.

Environmental Value of Agricultural Lands and Timberlands; Requiring the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, in collaboration with specified entities, to determine the environmental value that agricultural lands and timberlands provide to this state based on certain factors, etc.

Special Risk Class; Adding specified Florida State Hospital employees to the class, etc.

Open Educational Resources Grant Program; Establishing the Open Educational Resources Grant Program; requiring the Department of Education, the Board of Governors, and the State Board of Education to administer the program; authorizing state universities and Florida College System institutions to submit applications for grant awards under the program; specifying that implementation of the program is subject to legislative appropriation, etc.

Teacher Scholarship Program; Establishing the Teacher Scholarship Program within the Department of Education; providing a purpose of the program and the criteria for student eligibility; specifying duties of each postsecondary institution for the program; providing for disbursement of the scholarship awards, etc.

Child Care Subsidies for Foster Parents; Providing an early education or child care subsidy for certain foster parents, etc.

Fees/State Hemp Program; Requiring applicants seeking to obtain or renew a license in the state hemp program to submit with each application a fee to be specified by rule of the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services; limiting the amount of the fee; requiring fee proceeds to be deposited in a specified trust fund for the administration of the state hemp program, etc.