Education Postsecondary

>> Chair: COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION POSTSECONDARY WILL COME TO ORDER. SECRET PLEASE CALL THE ROLL. >> Chair: HERE. >> Senator Simon: HERE. >> Senator Berman: HERE. >> Senator Harrel: HERE. >> Senator Jones: HERE. >> Senator Rodriguez: HERE. A QUORUM IS PRESENT. >> Chair: PLEASE SILENCE ALL ELECTRONICS. ANYONE WISHING TO SPEAK BEFORE THE COMMITTEE PLEASE SUBMIT AN APPEARANCE FORM AND HAND IT TO A MEMBER OF THE SERGEANTS OFFICE. MEMBERS WE WILL START TODAY BY WELCOMING THE STUDENTS THAT HAVE COME TO VISIT US FROM THE COLLEGE OF CENTRAL FLORIDA. CITRUS, LEVY, MARION, LEVY, LAFAYETTE. [LAUGHTER]. LEON. LEON COUNTY. IS IT A SPANISH WORD. HEY GUYS. WE ARE HAPPY TO HAVE YOU IN THE FLORIDA SENATE. AND THIS WILL BE A BRIEF COMMITTEE MEETING SO I HOPE YOU REALLY ENJOY IT WITH US. AND WELCOME TO THE FLORIDA SENATE. MEMBERS, TAB ONE THROUGH FOUR WILL BE WORKING ON THE CONFIRMATION HEARING FOR APPOINTMENTS. UNLESS THE SENATORS REQUEST A SEPARATE VOTE ON AN INDIVIDUAL APPOINTEE WE WILL TAKE ONE ON ALL. IS THERE A MOTION TO RECOMMEND CONFIRMATION? OKAY, SENATOR SIMON MOVES TO RECOMMEND CONFIRMATION OF ALL APPOINTEES. SECRET PLEASE CALL THE ROLL. >> SENATOR BERMAN. SENATOR HARRELL. SENATOR JONES. SENATOR RODRIGUEZ. SENATOR SIMON. CHAIR CALATAYUD. >> Chair: THE CONFIRMATION OF THE APPOINTEES TAB ONE THROUGH FOUR HAS BEEN CONFIRMED. I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU SO MUCH MEMBERS OF THIS COMMITTEE FOR YOUR DILIGENCE AND EFFORT AND WORK THE PAST TWO YEARS SINCE WE HAVE BEEN PRIVILEGE TO SERVE IN THIS COMMITTEE TOGETHER. THANK YOU TO US REALLY NOT THE LAST THING OR THE MOST IMPORTANT THING, IT IS TO THE INCREDIBLE POSTSECONDARY STAFF THAT GIVES US THE PREPARATION AND OPPORTUNITY TO DO THIS WORK WITH THE FIDELITY AND INTEGRITY THAT OUR CONSTITUENTS REQUIRE OF US. FIRST, THANK YOU MATT AND ALEX FOR ALL THAT YOU ALL HAVE DONE TO HELP US. KENDRA AND BEN, GARY, SECRET. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR EFFORTS AND YOUR DILIGENCE AND FOR YOUR GREAT KINDNESS TO ALL OF US. IT IS A PRIVILEGE TO SERVE OUR CONSTITUENTS, BUT IT IS A JOY TO SERVE WITH YOU. AND I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU. YES SENATOR, YOU ARE RECOGNIZED. >> Senator Harrell: I ALSO WANT TO SAY THANK YOU TO OUR AMAZING STAFF. I MUST SAY THAT WE HAVE THE NUMBER ONE HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEM AND THE ENTIRE COUNTRY. I AM ON MY SOAPBOX, SO EXCUSE ME. I JUST HAVE TO GIVE A BIG PLUG TO ALL OF OUR WONDERFUL STATE COLLEGES AND OUR UNIVERSITIES FOR WHAT THEY ARE DOING AND IT IS BECAUSE THEY HAVE THE ABILITY TO DO WHAT THEY DO BECAUSE THIS SENATE, THIS LEGISLATURE, AND THE GOVERNOR STANDS BEHIND THEM IN PREPARING OUR STUDENTS. WE HAVE STUDENTS HERE. IN PREPARING STUDENTS FOR THEIR FUTURE. THAT IS WHERE WE ARE AND THAT IS THE ROLE OF THIS COMMITTEE AND THANK YOU AS CHAIR FOR EVERYTHING THAT YOU ARE DOING ESPECIALLY FOR YOUR WONDERFUL COMMITTEE BILL. AND I AM DELIGHTED THAT WE ARE MOVING SOME GOOD POLICY FORWARD OUT OF THIS COMMITTEE AND ALSO THE APPROPRIATIONS PROCESS FUNDING ARE UNIVERSITIES AT A LEVEL THAT THEY CAN CONTINUE TO ACHIEVE WHAT THEY HAVE SET THE RECORD OVER THE LAST FIVE TO SIX YEARS IN DOING AND REMAINING NUMBER ONE IN THE COUNTRY IN HIGHER EDUCATION. THANK YOU TO YOU AS CHAIR OF THIS COMMITTEE BUT ALSO THANK YOU TO STAFF. WE COULD NOT DO WITHOUT THEM. AND ALSO FOR THE COLLEGIALITY OF ALL OF OUR SENATORS WHO REALLY LOOK FOR THE BEST POLICY IN COMING OUT OF THIS COMMITTEE TO SET THE COURSE FOR THE STATE OF FLORIDA AND FOR THESE WONDERFUL STUDENTS. THANK YOU FOR COMING ALL THE WAY TO TALLAHASSEE AND YOU ARE LUCKY YOU ARE HERE THIS WEEK AND NOT LAST WEEK BECAUSE IT WAS 23 DEGREES LAST WEEK. BUT THANK YOU SO MUCH MADAME CHAIR. WE APPRECIATE YOU SO GREATLY. >> Chair: THANK YOU SO MUCH SENATOR HARRELL. WE HAVE A CAPTIVE STUDENT AUDIENCE AND I WANT TO TELL YOU THAT I WAS JUST THINKING ABOUT THIS. THIS IS OUR FINAL POSTSECONDARY COMMITTEE AND THIS IS BUT MY LAST AS CHAIR BUT 13 YEARS AGO I CAME AS A COLLEGE STUDENT DOING WHAT YOU GUYS ARE DOING TO THE CAPITAL. AND TODAY I AM ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE DAIS AS CHAIR OF THE COMMITTEE SO I WANT TO TAKE A BRIEF MOMENT TO ENCOURAGE YOU THAT ADVOCACY IS IMPORTANT. YOUR EXPERIENCE AS STUDENT LEADERS MATTER AND YOU CAN NOT JUST DIRECT POLICY THROUGH ADVOCACY AND YOUR EFFORTS IN THE MEETINGS YOU HAVE IN THE CAPITAL TODAY BUT YOU CAN ABSOLUTELY DO ANYTHING YOU WANT TO DO. SO THANK YOU ALL. IS THERE OTHER BUSINESS BEFORE THE COMMITTEE? OKAY SENATOR SIMON MOVES WE ADJOURN. IS THERE OBJECTION? SEEING NONE. THE MOTION IS ADOPTED.'