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Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
House proposes tighter restrictions on private higher-education vouchers
University of Miami campus, via UM Nearly 22,000 private college and university students, including Floridians attending the University of Miami, will go without a longtime state scholarship if the House of Representatives has its way. Some of Florida's private colleges and universities are raising concerns about the House's proposed budget, which would restrict the state's Effective Access to Student Education award, also known as EASE, which provides $3,500 to Florida students attending private institutions. The House budget proposal, which at $113 billion is $4.4 billion less than the Senate's, calls for schools to meet benchmarks related to graduation and affordability set by the state to be eligible to receive EASE money. The Senate budget does not propose metric requirements. Bob Boyd, president of Independent Colleges and Universities of Florida, called the metrics 'arbitrary.' The University of Miami, University of Tampa, and Bethune-Cookman University are among the 15 schools that would be ineligible to receive EASE money if the language is included in the final budget. ICUF estimates about 22,000 students would lose EASE funding. The EASE grant, established in 1979, is similar to the recently expanded K-12 voucher program in that taxpayer money is used to pay for private school tuition. The House budget would provide $135.9 billion for the program in the coming fiscal year, in line with current year funding of $134.8 billion. Mike Allen, president of Barry University in Miami Shores, said the proposal 'doesn't track' with the Legislature's 'priorities around school choice that have been made very, very clear.' Republican Rep. Demi Busatta, chair of the House Higher Education Budget subcommittee, said she is 'always open to having a discussion' when asked whether she was open to a glide path to implement the metrics. 'I think the most important thing is that the money per student is the same. It has not decreased. We have not changed it,' Busatta said, adding that change would not affect students' eligibility for Bright Futures scholarships. She said she has had 'many meetings' with ICUF and its institutions including UM, and other stakeholders. 'There's institutions out there that have a 14- or 15% graduation rate. We want to make sure that students aren't going, getting into debt when they are not having the best opportunity to be set up for success at that institution.' ICUF data show some of its member institutions have four-year graduation rates as low as Busatta suggested, including Webber International University, Barry University, and Bethune-Cookman University. Republican Rep. Mike Caruso, vice chair of the subcommittee, told the Phoenix he is against the private institution restrictions in the House budget proposal as well as the $5 billion cut to the overall budget. 'I think it's a trickle down from the proposed budget cut of $5 billion from leadership that's working its way down through the different silos and things are going to suffer as a result,' Caruso said Tuesday. Caruso said the 'big hand of the state puts their foot down on just about everything.' 'These private universities serve a purpose, a tremendous role in the way that we have education, and the EASE program helps to facilitate it. I don't like these restrictions, we put our hand into everything and we continue to do that,' Caruso said. According to ICUF, its institutions produce 28% of nursing degrees and 25% of teaching degrees in the state. 'The ripple effect can occur in many directions and in many ways, but certainly one will be that this will really limit our ability, particularly here in South Florida, to provide basic services that people need to live here, and I think that would really affect folks,' Allen said, adding that several of the private schools train nurses, a field the state has focused on bolstering amid a shortage. Hospitals are 'in a panic about the inability to find enough nurses to staff their hospitals,' Allen said. 'When it comes to the EASE grants, they are essential for thousands of our Florida students,' Caruso said, adding that the language 'may be cracking down on the universities, but what we're really hurting is the students themselves, and those students are the future nurses, the future technicians, the future of our state.' The House proposal would require schools to have graduation rates of at least 54%, retention rates of at least 67%, and affordability rates of $6,183, among other measurements. Private institution presidents told reporters Monday that factors unique to each university could unfairly exempt students, including how the state calculates accessibility and how it considers graduation rates and course drops when students transfer. Rep. Gallop Franklin, Democratic ranking member on the House Higher Education Budget subcommittee, told the Phoenix implementing changes to EASE should be more 'methodical.' Franklin said the proposal would affect 22,000 students instantly and result in immediate costs spikes on students. Franklin suggested grandfathering people in and having conversations with institutions to minimize disruption, or to offer less than $3,500 for the coming year if there are budgetary concerns. Franklin said he is not sure that the government should 'be in the space of saying, 'Hey, we're only going to allow you to take your voucher to certain schools.'' Tightening EASE disbursements is part of House Speaker Daniel Perez's budget, which is lower than the current year's budget, and comes amid talk of cutting the sales tax by 0.75%. Boyd complained the state is using 'arbitrary metrics with arbitrary percentages to implement a budget cut — that's the way I look at it.' David Armstrong, president of St. Thomas University in Miami Gardens, said supporting private schools helps keep students in Florida. 'The fact that the Florida state schools are ranked Number One in the country is fantastic for all of us as the citizens of the state, but who has picked up the role as the access schools?' Armstrong said. 'In our state, it's the community college system and the smaller private institutions that are enrollment-driven. Now that works out fine, because that's a part of our mission, serving those who are underserved.' Lawmakers will debate the budget Wednesday before heading into negotiations with the Senate. 'I think most of our institutions will survive. It's the impact on the students. Because this is a voucher program. This is not a grant to the institution. This is a direct dollar, per dollar, to that student to go to school and use for their education,' said Art Keiser, chancellor of Keiser University in Fort Lauderdale. AdventHealth University Ave Maria University Barry University Bethune-Cookman University Edward Waters University Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Florida Memorial University Keiser University Lynn University Saint Leo University St. Thomas University University of Miami University of Tampa Warner University Webber International University SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
‘Who are these fees going to?': Author of Florida bill amendment cracking down on restaurant service fees speaks out
A South Florida congresswoman is throwing a spotlight on the controversial topic of restaurant service fees with a new house bill that could change the way diners tip at eateries. Filed in February, HB 535 (titled 'Public Lodging and Public Food Service Establishments') aims to make it easier for restaurants and hotels to remove customers who don't pay their bills. But last week, state Rep. Demi Busatta (R-Coral Gables) slipped in an amendment that would give diners more control over extra fees — and this addition has polarized both diners and hospitality groups. Her amendment would ban service fees and automatic gratuities for parties with six or fewer guests, and make them optional for larger parties of seven or more, so that these would not be required 'if the guest requests not to pay such gratuity or service charge.' It also would force restaurants to clearly spell out their automatic gratuity and service charge policies on their menus as well as on receipts that diners would have to sign — and to provide a notice to the diner listing who gets the service fees and at what percentage. 'Most customers might presume that service fees go to a server, but what's really happening is that service fees are going to restaurants to meet overhead costs,' Busatta tells the South Florida Sun Sentinel. 'This confusion is what's frustrating to the customer and frustrating from an employee standpoint.' Busatta says she proposed the amendment after hearing numerous complaints from diners and restaurant owners alike — along with a personal experience. In early March, Busatta dined at a Miami restaurant, receiving a check that failed to mention a service fee and automatic gratuity and led her to ask for an itemized bill of fare. 'The restaurant used three different ways to describe this charge beyond food and beverage,' Busatta says. 'But who are these fees going to?' Busatta says she's confident the bill will pass: 'The amendment language I added passed with unanimous support on both sides of the aisle. It still has two more stops in the House and then the Senate, so I'll stay on top of it.' The amendment proved to be divisive over the weekend, as illustrated by the Sun Sentinel's 192,000-member 'Let's Eat, South Florida' Facebook group, where some commenters pointed to 'government overreach,' while others said diners would use the amendment to justify never paying service fees. 'Since this is South Florida, I see everyone gonna be complaining about the quality of service so they don't have to pay the charge. I guarantee it,' wrote commenter Lisa Ciao. 'If people hate service charges and fees, then don't support establishments that have them,' member Eric Anderson wrote. Restaurant service fees have spiked on bills of fare since the pandemic, according to an August 2024 report by the payment system company Square. In the second quarter of 2024, 3.7% of national restaurant transactions included service fees, which is up from 1.27% in early 2022. The Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association (FRLA), which promotes hospitality interests through state lobbying, says service fees help restaurants create a livable wage for workers, especially tipped servers who make less than Florida's minimum wage. Giving diners the ability to stop paying them is 'a bad idea,' says Samantha Padgett, FRLA's vice president for government relations and general counsel. 'It functionally removes a tool that has allowed Florida restaurants to be successful during challenging times and to continue to provide competitive wages to attract and retain talent and staff.' Instead of allowing diners to choose whether to opt out of service charges, restaurants should do 'a better job to notify customers' of fees by providing more notices, including menu boards and signs on the register, she argues. 'That way, customers can decide for themselves if they want to pay them before they dine,' Padgett says. 'I think it's a very real risk that any consumer for any reason can decline a service charge at any time.' John Noble Masi, a Florida International University hospitality associate professor and chef, says he would rather customers decide to refuse service charges or gratuities. 'I love the opt-out,' Masi says. 'If a guest, regardless of any reason, decides a gratuity is not deserving, forcing them to pay for things is never the answer. That doesn't send the right message.' Masi acknowledges that a ban on service charges and gratuities might hurt the wallets of restaurant workers, but adds that a livable wage is the restaurant's responsibility — not the diner's. 'The [restaurants] that are flexible and trying to improve and manage these costs are the ones that can survive and thrive,' Masi says. The bill now moves to the Criminal Justice Subcommittee, which hasn't yet scheduled its next meeting. If adopted, the bill would go into effect on July 1.
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Florida's school cell phone ban pushes boundaries with new legislation
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WFLA) — As more states follow in Florida's footsteps banning the use of cell phones in schools, state lawmakers in Tallahassee are continuing the conversation trying to take Florida's current ban one step in 2023, the legislature passed a bill that prohibited students from using cellphones at school during class time. That effort was spearheaded by State Senator Danny Burgess, (R-Zephyrhills), who now wants to examine the impact of phone-free school campuses on student behavior. Phones are distracting students. More states want schools to ban them Senate Bill 1296, aims to establish a pilot program in six Florida school districts that currently have or will be implementing a policy to prohibit the use of cell phones by students during the entire school day. That's not the only effort at the statehouse being taken up on this issue. To further address distracted learning, lawmakers are pushing to ban students from using their cell phones from the start of the day until the end. 'Cell phones not only cause constant distractions to a student's focus during the school day, which impedes their ability to learn, but it also has shown to increase bullying throughout the school day,' said State Rep. Demi Busatta, (R-Coral Gables). Busatta wants to build off of current Florida law with House Bill 949. The bill prohibits students from using wireless communication devices during the school day, rather than just during instruction time. 'It also requires schools to designate locations within the school building where students can use their cell phones with permission of a school administrator,' Busatta said. The bill, which just passed out of its first committee, has already rallied up support.'In my district, we've had two schools who implemented on their own a no cell phone policy during the day and it has done remarkable,' said State Rep. Susan Valdes, (R-Tampa). But even with the bill getting a green light, not everyone is sold. 'Things have changed because of school lockdowns and school shootings, I do have concerns if this ever were to go a step further in terms of the pouches where students wouldn't have access at all to their cell phones,' said State Rep. Lavon Bracy Davis, (D-Ocoee). However, despite those concerns, both Republicans and Democrats voted in favor of the bill moving forward. State Representative Dianne Hart, (D-Tampa) shared with 8 On Your Side that she sees both sides of the argument and wants to go back to her district and speak with parents and constituents to hear their thoughts on the issue. 'It does frighten me that kids cannot have their phones, but I can tell you that these children are so distracted by these telephones and that concerns me,' Hart said. 'That you're not learning because you're constantly playing with your phone.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Full phone ban in Florida schools gets unanimous support in House committee
(Getty Images) Florida lawmakers voted to take a proposed phone ban in school another step forward on Tuesday. The House Education Administration Subcommittee unanimously supported Rep. Demi Busatta's proposal, HB 949, to ban students from using their phones during the school day, furthering the 2023 law banning students from using phones during instructional time. Some schools in the state have opted to enforce a full ban on the devices, but the proposed law would take the mandate statewide and give teachers more credibility in enforcing the rule against defiant students. 'It's really hard to tell a kid, 'Hey we need to take your phone again,' but when you say, 'It's the law,' it just kind of ends the conversation there,' Rep. Fabian Basabe said during the subcommittee meeting. School administrators told representatives earlier this year that the phone ban during instructional time has shown positive results, the Phoenix reported. Administrators shared that they observed students socializing more and struggling learners perform better. 'The amount of funding invested in these algorithms that have made them so addictive, you see adults have a hard time and imagine kids and it's like a psychological manipulation that we can't expect kids to manage on their own,' Basabe said. 'It truly has become an addiction.' Like the 2023 law, the proposal would leave it up to school districts how they want to enforce the law. Some schools provide lockers for students to bank their phones in, others use hanging shoe organizers. It would put school boards in charge of designating locations where phone use can be permitted. Florida was the first state to pass an instructional time ban, and in 2024 several other states followed suit with varying bans. Busatta said the primary opposition to the bill is from some parents concerned they won't be able to contact their kids during the school day. 'To which I've said, 'Well, when we were all in school, we didn't have phones except for maybe Porras, because that was yesterday,'' Busatta said, poking fun at the youngest member of the House, Rep. Juan Porras, at 27. 'But we didn't have them, and our parents managed to get a hold of us by calling the front office.' Rep. Marie Woodson said some teachers have told her that students have used phones to cheat, which the law would help mitigate. Lawmakers raised concerns about students' ability to access devices during emergencies. The bill passed its first committee stop, 17-0. Its next stop is the Education and Employment Committee. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
