Read the full stored bill text
CS for CS for SB 1062
First Engrossed
20261062e1
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to speech and debate education;
3 creating s. 265.0042, F.S.; creating the Florida
4 Speech and Debate Hall of Fame; requiring the
5 Department of Management Services to set aside an area
6 in the Capitol Building for the hall of fame;
7 requiring the department to consult with the Florida
8 Education Foundation and the Commissioner of
9 Education; providing the duties for the hall of fame;
10 requiring the hall of fame to convene a committee for
11 specified purposes; creating s. 683.221, F.S.;
12 designating Florida Speech and Debate Week annually in
13 February; providing purposes for the annual
14 observance; authorizing specified entities to observe
15 Florida Speech and Debate Week; creating s. 1000.09,
16 F.S.; providing legislative findings and intent;
17 establishing the Florida Debate Initiative, Inc.,
18 (FDI) as a statewide speech and debate organization
19 that performs certain functions in support of the
20 Florida Civics and Debate Initiative (FCDI) in the
21 Department of Education; providing the duties of FDI;
22 providing construction; authorizing FDI to establish
23 and maintain certain partnerships; specifying
24 activities for FDI and FCDI; providing authorized uses
25 of funds for FDI; requiring FDI to publish online and
26 submit annually by a specified date to the department
27 a specified report; specifying requirements for the
28 report; authorizing a certified teacher to earn an
29 endorsement in speech and debate; specifying
30 requirements for the endorsement; requiring the
31 department to collaborate with FDI to establish
32 regional traveling debate teams; authorizing a school
33 district to use school buses to transport students to
34 speech and debate competitions; amending s. 1001.42,
35 F.S.; requiring each district school board annually to
36 publish online and submit to the department a report;
37 specifying requirements for the report; creating s.
38 1004.0983, F.S.; requiring the Board of Governors of
39 the State University System and the State Board of
40 Education to develop specified undergraduate and
41 graduate coursework, certificates, and micro
42 credentials; authorizing the Board of Governors and
43 the State Board of Education to collaborate with FDI
44 to develop coursework; requiring the department to
45 approve specified dual enrollment courses; providing
46 an appropriation; providing an effective date.
47
48 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
49
50 Section 1. Section 265.0042, Florida Statutes, is created
51 to read:
52
265.0042
Florida Speech and Debate Hall of Fame.—
53
(1) There is created the Florida Speech and Debate Hall of
54
Fame. The Department of Management Services shall set aside an
55
area on the Plaza Level of the Capitol Building and shall
56
consult with the Florida Education Foundation and the
57
Commissioner of Education regarding the design and theme of the
58
area.
59
(2)
The hall of fame shall do all of the following:
60
(a)
Honor distinguished students, coaches, educators,
61
alumni, veterans, public servants, benefactors, and supporters
62
who have elevated speech and debate in this state.
63
(b)
Preserve the history, impact, and cultural significance
64
of competitive debate.
65
(c)
Inspire future generations of Florida students to
66
pursue speech, debate, public leadership, and civic excellence.
67
(3)
The hall of fame shall convene a committee to establish
68
procedures to nominate and select individuals to be featured.
69 Section 2. Section 683.221, Florida Statutes, is created to
70 read:
71
683.221
Florida Speech and Debate Week
.—
72
(1) February 1 through February 7 shall be annually
73
designated as “Florida Speech and Debate Week.”
74
(2) Florida Speech and Debate Week shall be observed for
75
all of the following purposes:
76
(a) To r
ecognize the academic, civic, and leadership value
77
of competitive speech and debate
.
78
(b) To h
onor educators, coaches, judges, and school
79
districts that support debate programming
.
80
(c) To i
nspire students statewide to participate in debate
81
as a pathway to civic engagement
.
82
(d) To p
romote Florida’s role as the national leader in
83
scholastic speech and debate.
84
(3) Public and charter schools, state agencies, and other
85
entities may observe Florida Speech and Debate Week.
86 Section 3. Section 1000.09, Florida Statutes, is created to
87 read:
88
1000.09
Competitive speech and debate.—
89
(1)
LEGISLATIVE FINDINGS AND INTENT.—
90
(a)
The Legislature finds that speech and debate
91
significantly improve literacy, critical thinking, research
92
ability, civic knowledge, and leadership for students of this
93
state.
94
(b)
The Legislature also finds that this state’s civics and
95
debate expansion has become a national model, increasing access
96
to this instruction in all regions. Sustaining and improving
97
this success requires a permanent statewide organization with
98
specialized expertise, program capacity, and year-round
99
operational support.
100
(c)
The Legislature further finds that the Florida Debate
101
Initiative has demonstrated statewide effectiveness and is
102
uniquely positioned to ensure continuity, equitable access,
103
quality programming, tournament infrastructure, and
104
instructional rigor.
105
(d) It is the intent of the Legislature to establish a
106
comprehensive statewide infrastructure, under the Florida Debate
107
Initiative’s direction, which expands, supports, and elevates K
108
20 speech and debate education.
109
(2)
CREATION, DESIGNATION, AND RESPONSIBILITIES.—
In
110
alignment with, and
in
support of
, the Department of Education
111
and the program it operates called
the Florida Civics and Debate
112
Initiative
(FCDI)
, the Florida Debate Initiative, Inc., (FDI) is
113
established
as
this state’s
nonprofit statewide speech and
114
debate organization that manages, develops, and expands K–20
115
civics, speech, and debate programs.
116
(a)1.
FDI shall s
upport and expand access to statewide
117
civic literacy and speech and debate programs
by
undertaking the
118
following, which list is not exhaustive
:
119
a.
Educating and training coaches and students
.
120
b.
Training judges and volunteers
.
121
c.
Promoting educational competition opportunities
.
122
d.
Leading training and leadership development experiences
.
123
e.
Establishing competition standards
.
124
f.
Maintaining statewide data reporting.
125
g. Assisting the FCDI, upon request, in civics-focused
126
education, training, and programming initiatives.
127
2. This paragraph may not
be construed to prohibit schools,
128
districts, or students from participating in
civics,
speech and
129
debate activities, leagues, or competitions not operated or
130
supervised by
FDI
.
131
(b) FDI
may
establish and maintain partnerships with school
132
districts, charter schools, state agencies, postsecondary
133
institutions, nonprofit organizations, private entities, and
134
national or international organizations to achieve the purposes
135
of this section
, including collaborative efforts with FCDI. In
136
such collaboration:
137
1. FCDI and FDI shall jointly host and operate the annual
138
National Civics and Debate Championship known as The Great
139
Debate, a nationally recognized synthesis of civics education
140
and debate competition that challenges students’ civic
141
knowledge, debate skills, and endurance through multi-day,
142
multi-event competition.
143
2. FCDI shall lead specific civics immersion events,
144
including FCDI Day at the Capitol and the Great American Civics
145
Challenge, which includes the Ronald Reagan Presidential Debates
146
and the We The People Civics Showdown.
147
3. FDI shall provide logistical support, debate tournament
148
operations support, and tournament coordination support for The
149
Great Debate and other collaborative initiatives to advance
150
statewide speech and debate opportunities.
151
(3)
AUTHORIZED USES OF FUNDS.—FDI may expend program funds
152
on all of the following:
153
(a)
Administrative operations, including staffing,
154
insurance, compliance, reporting, and statewide infrastructure.
155
(b)
Programmatic operations, including curriculum,
156
training, summer programs, workshops, camps, and mentorship
157
programs.
158
(c)
Tournament operations, including logistics, staff,
159
judge training, technology, awards, and regional team
160
operations.
161
(d)
Travel, lodging, training, and transportation for
162
participants
, including local, state
,
and national travel to
163
competitions hosted by FDI, FCDI, or other civics, speech
,
and
164
debate organizations.
165
(e)
Public-private partnership development, including
166
sponsorship and philanthropic support.
167
(f)
Memberships, affiliations, and participation fees
168
related to civics education, speech, debate, leadership, and
169
academic competition programs, provided such
memberships,
170
affiliations, and participation
advance the purposes of this
171
section.
172
(4)
REPORTING.—FDI shall make publicly available online and
173
submit, no later than December 31 of each year, an annual report
174
to the Department of Education which includes all of the
175
following:
176
(a)
Student participation in statewide FDI programs, by
177
district and demographics.
178
(b)
The number of active student teams in
statewide
FDI
179
speech and debate programs
.
180
(c)
Competitive and educational outcomes of statewide FDI
181
programs.
182
(d)
A categorized summary of all expenditures.
183
(5)
ENDORSEMENT IN SPEECH AND DEBATE.—Pursuant to s.
184
1012.56 and State Board of Education rule, a certified teacher
185
may earn an endorsement in speech and debate if he or she
186
demonstrates all of the following:
187
(a)
Completion of coursework approved by the board in
188
argumentation, rhetoric, communication, or debate instruction.
189
(b)
Completion of professional development offered by FDI
190
or equivalent professional development offered by a Florida
191
College System institution or state university.
192
(c)
Competency, as determined by the board, in the rules,
193
events, and competitive standards of scholastic debate.
194
(6)
REGIONAL TRAVELING DEBATE TEAMS.—The department shall
195
collaborate with FDI to establish regional traveling debate
196
teams to represent Florida in national competitions. Teams must
197
be accessible to students at Title I and rural schools. Teams
198
must provide competitive training and coaching for speech and
199
debate.
200
(a)
All travel costs may be covered through legislative
201
appropriation, public-private partnerships, and sponsorships.
202
(b)
A school district may use school buses to transport
203
students to and from speech and debate competitions.
204 Section 4. Present subsection (29) of section 1001.42,
205 Florida Statutes, is redesignated as subsection (30), and a new
206 subsection (29) is added to that section, to read:
207 1001.42 Powers and duties of district school board.—The
208 district school board, acting as a board, shall exercise all
209 powers and perform all duties listed below:
210
(29)
SPEECH AND DEBATE COMPETITION REPORTING.—Each district
211
school board shall annually make available online and submit to
212
the Department of Education, by a date set by the department,
a
213
report
that includes all of the following information:
214
(a)
The number of active speech and debate teams.
215
(b)
Student participation rates.
216
(c)
Competitive performance and public service engagement.
217
(d)
Transportation, facilities, and administrative support
218
provided.
219
(e)
Resources needed to expand the program.
220 Section 5. Section 1004.0983, Florida Statutes, is created
221 to read:
222
1004.0983
Speech and debate training pathways.—The Board of
223
Governors and the State Board of Education shall develop
224
undergraduate and graduate coursework, certificates, and micro
225
credentials in speech and debate education, coaching, and
226
tournament operations.
227
(1)
Coursework may include all of the following:
228
(a)
Rhetoric, argumentation, and communication theory.
229
(b)
Coaching methods and competitive event instruction.
230
(c)
Tournament management and adjudication.
231
(d)
Public speaking pedagogy.
232
(2)
The Board of Governors and the State Board of Education
233
may collaborate with the Florida Debate Initiative, Inc., to
234
develop coursework.
235 Section 6.
The Department of Education shall approve
236
courses developed pursuant to s. 1004.0983, Florida Statutes,
237
for inclusion in dual enrollment programs under s. 1007.271,
238
Florida Statutes.
239 Section 7.
For the 2026–2027 fiscal year
, the
sum of $2.4
240
million in recurring funds is appropriated from the General
241
Revenue Fund to support the Florida Debate Initiative, Inc.’s
242
responsibilities assigned under s. 1000.09(
1
), Florida Statutes,
243
including administrative, programmatic, and tournament operation
244
dutie
s.
245 Section 8. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026.