S 1246

ENROLLED
2026 Legislature  CS for SB 1246, 1st Engrossed
                                                      20261246er
1
2An act relating to the Linking Industry to Nursing
3Education Fund; amending s. 1009.8962, F.S.; revising
4the Legislative intent for the Linking Industry to
5Nursing Education (LINE) Fund; revising the definition
6of the term “health care partner”; authorizing the
7inclusion of nonmonetary contributions to institutions
8for purposes of proposals for LINE Fund matching
9funds; requiring monetary contributions to receive
10priority in the award of matching funds; revising the
11authorized uses of awarded funds; requiring proposals
12for participation in the fund to be submitted by
13specified persons; providing allowable nonmonetary
14contributions; providing requirements for the
15acceptance of nonmonetary contributions as health care
16matching funds; prohibiting a proposal to participate
17in the fund from being comprised solely of nonmonetary
18contributions; revising the criteria the Board of
19Governors and the Department of Education must use to
20review proposals; requiring grant funds awarded based
21on nonmonetary contributions to be based on such
22contribution’s fair market value; authorizing the
23Board of Governors and the Department of Education to
24provide multiyear awards under certain circumstances;
25providing notification requirements for such awards;
26providing an effective date.
27
28Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
29
30Section 1. Section 1009.8962, Florida Statutes, is amended
31to read:
321009.8962 Linking Industry to Nursing Education (LINE)
33Fund.—
34(1) This section shall be known and may be cited as the
35“Linking Industry to Nursing Education (LINE) Fund Act.”
36(2) Recognizing that the state has a persistent and growing
37nursing shortage, it is the intent of the Legislature to address
38this critical workforce need by incentivizing collaboration
39between nursing education programs and health care partners that
40contribute monetary or nonmonetary contributions through the
41establishment of the LINE Fund. This fund is intended to meet
42local, regional, and state workforce demand by recruiting
43faculty and clinical preceptors, increasing the capacity of
44high-quality nursing education programs, and increasing the
45number of nursing education program graduates who are prepared
46and licensed to enter the workforce.
47(3) As used in this section, the term:
48(a) “Health care partner” means a health care provider as
49defined in s. 768.38(2) which is licensed to operate in this
50state.
51(b) “Institution” means a school district career center
52under s. 1001.44; a charter technical career center under s.
531002.34; a Florida College System institution; a state
54university; an independent nonprofit college or university
55located and chartered in this state and accredited by an agency
56or association that is recognized by the database created and
57maintained by the United States Department of Education to grant
58baccalaureate degrees; or an independent school, college, or
59university with an accredited program as defined in s. 464.003
60which is located in this state and licensed by the Commission
61for Independent Education pursuant to s. 1005.31, or an
62institution authorized under s. 1009.521, which has a nursing
63education program that meets or exceeds the following:
641. For a certified nursing assistant program, a completion
65rate of at least 70 percent for the prior year.
662. For a licensed practical nurse, associate of science in
67nursing, and bachelor of science in nursing program, a first
68time passage rate on the National Council of State Boards of
69Nursing Licensing Examination of at least 75 percent for the
70prior year based on a minimum of 10 testing participants.
71(c) “Student” means a person who is a resident for tuition
72purposes pursuant to s. 1009.21 and enrolled in a nursing
73education program at an institution.
74(4) The LINE Fund shall be administered by the Board of
75Governors for state universities and the Department of Education
76for all other institutions.
77(5) Subject to available funds, for every monetary or
78nonmonetary contribution [dollar contributed] to an institution by
79a health care partner or other person or entity, the fund shall
80provide a dollar-to-dollar match to the participating
81institution to implement the activities outlined in the
82institution’s approved proposal. Monetary contributions from
83health care partners shall receive priority when awarding
84matching funds to institutions.
85(6)(a) Funds may be used for student scholarships;[,]
86recruitment of additional faculty and preceptors; increasing
87program enrollment, program completion, and licensure
88examination passage rates;[,] equipment;[, and] simulation centers;
89and internships to advance high-quality nursing education
90programs throughout the state.
91(b) Funds may not be used for the construction of new
92buildings, but may be used to expand, retrofit, or upgrade
93existing facilities if the proposal will result in increased
94program enrollments or improved or modernized educational or
95simulation space for an institution’s nursing education program
96students.
97(7)(a) To participate, an institution’s president, chief
98administrative officer, or designee [institution] must submit a
99timely and completed proposal to the Board of Governors or
100Department of Education, in a format prescribed by the Board of
101Governors or Department of Education, as applicable.
102(b) The proposal must identify a health care partner
103located and licensed to operate in the state whose [monetary]
104contributions will be matched by the fund on a dollar-to-dollar
105basis.
106(c)Allowable nonmonetary contributions are limited to the
107following:
1081.The value of the donated use of health care partner
109employees as nursing education program instructors or
110preceptors.
1112.The value of the donated use of a health care partner’s
112space or equipment by a nursing education program.
1133.The value of donated educational or simulation
114equipment.
1154.Other similar quantifiable donated goods and services
116deemed by the Board of Governors or Department of Education, as
117applicable, to be good faith contributions that support the
118goals of the LINE Fund.
119(d)To accept nonmonetary contributions as health care
120matching funds, the applicant and Board of Governors or
121Department of Education, as applicable, must quantify the fair
122market value of the contribution in dollars and certify that the
123proposed contribution directly supports the goals of the LINE
124Fund outlined in subsection (2).
125(e)A proposal may not be comprised solely of nonmonetary
126contributions.
127(8) The Board of Governors or Department of Education, as
128applicable, must review and evaluate each completed and timely
129submitted proposal according to the following minimum criteria,
130where applicable:
131(a) Whether monetary and nonmonetary contributions [funds]
132committed by the health care partner will contribute to an
133eligible purpose.
134(b) How the institution plans to use the funds or
135nonmonetary contribution, including how such funds or
136nonmonetary contribution will be utilized to increase student
137enrollment and program completion.
138(c) How the health care partner will onboard and retain
139graduates or otherwise improve the likelihood that graduates
140will successfully join the state or local workforce.
141(d) How the funds or nonmonetary contribution will be used
142to expand the institution’s nursing education programs to meet
143local, regional, or state workforce demands. If applicable, this
144shall include advanced education nursing programs and how the
145funds or nonmonetary contribution will increase the number of
146faculty and clinical preceptors and planned efforts to utilize
147the clinical placement process established in s. 14.36.
148(9)(a) Each institution with an approved proposal shall
149notify the Board of Governors or Department of Education, as
150applicable, upon receipt of the health care partner provided
151funds or nonmonetary contribution identified in the proposal.
152The Board of Governors or Department of Education, as
153applicable, shall release grant funds, on a dollar-for-dollar
154basis, up to the amount of funds or the fair market value of the
155nonmonetary contribution received by the institution, including
156notifications made on a rolling or periodic basis.
157(b)If deemed to meet the long-term goals of the LINE Fund,
158the Board of Governors or Department of Education, as
159applicable, may, but are not required to, award funds for an
160approved proposal for up to 2 academic years immediately
161following the academic year within which the initial approval is
162granted. If the Board of Governors or Department of Education,
163as applicable, approves a multiyear award to an institution, it
164must notify the recipient that the award amount in subsequent
165years is subject to a LINE Fund appropriation and the continued
166notification of the health care partner’s contribution to match
167the multiyear award of state funds.
168(c)[(b)] Annually, by February 1, each institution awarded
169grant funds in the previous fiscal year shall submit a report to
170the Board of Governors or Department of Education, as
171applicable, that demonstrates the expansion as outlined in the
172proposal and the use of funds. At minimum, the report must
173include, by program level, the number of additional nursing
174education students enrolled; if scholarships were awarded using
175grant funds, the number of students who received scholarships
176and the average award amount; and the outcomes of students as
177reported by the Office of Reimagining Education and Career Help
178pursuant to s. 14.36(3)(l).
179(10) The Board of Governors shall adopt regulations and the
180State Board of Education shall adopt rules to administer the
181fund, establish dates for the submission and review of
182proposals, award funds, and other regulations and rules
183necessary to implement this section.
184Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026.