SB 7044: Postsecondary Education This bill would require a 5 year listing of books made public for each class as well as require public colleges and universities to seek a different accreditation agency each cycle. This bill which included the post tenure review amendment was passed by the Florida Senate yesterday and is now being considered by the Florida House of Representatives. The bill would give power to the Board of Governors to institute a Post Tenure Review system. The language of the amendment is below:

(b)The Board of Governors may adopt a regulation requiring each tenured state university faculty member to undergo a comprehensive post-tenure review every 5 years. The board may include other considerations in the regulation, but the regulation must address:
1. Accomplishments and productivity;
2. Assigned duties in research, teaching, and service;
3. Performance metrics, evaluations, and ratings; and
4. Recognition and compensation considerations, as well as improvement plans and consequences for underperformance.

Should this bill pass the House and be signed by the governor it would mean that the Board of Governors will produce a post tenure review policy (or more than one) that conforms to the legislation that the various colleges and universities will have to adopt.

HB 1197: Employee Organizations Representing Public Employees-This is the draft bill from last year that failed to pass which would require public employee unions to have over 50% membership for certification but it would exclude police and fire departments. It has passed the House and is being considered by the Senate. It is still not out of committee in the Senate. Should this bill pass and become law, public employee unions in Florida will have to maintain 50% or more membership to be certified, except for police, firefighters and correctional employees. Our union is a little bit more than 33% currently.

In Solidarity,

Robert Cassanello,
UFF-UCF, President