Public Postsecondary Tuition and Fee Waivers for Sheriff's Office Employees

Education Labor

Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor: Johnson ; (CO-INTRODUCERS) Grow
Last action: 2026-03-13
Official status: House - Died in Careers & Workforce Subcommittee
Effective date: 2026-07-01

Plain English Breakdown

The bill did not pass and died in a subcommittee, so it will not take effect on July 1, 2026.

Public Postsecondary Tuition and Fee Waivers for Sheriff's Office Employees

This bill requires state universities and Florida College System institutions to waive tuition and fees for sheriff's office employees, with specific requirements.

What This Bill Does

Requires state universities and Florida College System institutions to waive tuition and fees for sheriff's office employees.
Specifies that a person must be a full-time sworn law enforcement officer, correctional officer, or civilian employee of the sheriff's office to qualify.
Allows up to 6 credit hours per term on a space-available basis.

Who It Names or Affects

Employees of sheriff's offices in Florida
State universities and Florida College System institutions

Terms To Know

Sheriff's office employee: A full-time sworn law enforcement officer, correctional officer, or civilian employee working for a sheriff's office.
Space-available basis: Courses are offered to employees based on availability after regular students have enrolled.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill did not pass the final stages of the legislature and died in a subcommittee.
It is unclear how many sheriff's office employees will take advantage of this benefit.
Details about administrative ease for verification are left to be determined by the Chief Financial Officer.

Bill History

2026-03-13 House
• Died in Careers & Workforce Subcommittee
2026-01-13 House
• 1st Reading (Original Filed Version)
2025-11-12 House
• Referred to Careers & Workforce Subcommittee • Referred to Higher Education Budget Subcommittee • Referred to Education & Employment Committee • Now in Careers & Workforce Subcommittee
2025-11-04 House
• Filed

Official Summary Text

Public Postsecondary Tuition and Fee Waivers for Sheriff's Office Employees; Requires state universities & FCS institutions to waive tuition & fees for sheriff's office employees; provides requirements for waiver of tuition & fees for sheriff's office employees; & provides requirements for person to be considered sheriff's office employee.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

HB 307 2026

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb307-00
Page 1 of 2
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S

A bill to be entitled 1
An act relating to public postsecondary tuition and 2
fee waivers for sheriff's office employees; amending 3
s. 1009.265, F.S.; requiring state universities and 4
Florida College System institutions to waive tuition 5
and fees for sheriff's office employees; providing 6
requirements for the waiver of tuition and fees for 7
sheriff's office employees; providing requirements for 8
a person to be considered a sheriff's office employee; 9
providing an effective date. 10
11
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 12
13
Section 1. Subsections (1), (2), and (5) of section 14
1009.265, Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 15
1009.265 State employee and sheriff's office employee fee 16
waivers.— 17
(1) As a benefit to the employer and employees of the 18
state and each sheriff's office in the state, subject to 19
approval by an employee's agency head or sheriff, or the 20
equivalent, each state university and Florida College System 21
institution shall waive tuition and fees for state employees and 22
sheriff's office employees to enroll for up to 6 credit hours of 23
courses per term on a space-available basis. 24
(2) The Chief Financial Officer, in cooperation with the 25

HB 307 2026

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb307-00
Page 2 of 2
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S

Florida College System institutions and state universities, 26
shall identify and implement ways to ease the administrative 27
burden to Florida College System institutions and state 28
universities, including, but not limited to, providing easier 29
access to verify state or sheriff's office employment. 30
(5) For purposes of this section:, 31
(a) Employees of the state include employees of the 32
executive, legislative, and judicial branches of state 33
government, except for persons employed by a state university. 34
(b) Employees of a sheriff's office include any full-time 35
sworn law enforcement officer, correctional officer, or civilian 36
employee of the sheriff's office. 37
Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026. 38