CS for SB 860 - Military and Veterans Support Summary

• Expands the Educational Dollars for Duty program to include industry certifications, continuing education, and licensing exam fees; provides $1.53 million in recurring funding and $250,000 in nonrecurring funding for fiscal year 2014-2015.

• Establishes Florida Is For Veterans, Inc., a nonprofit corporation within the Department of Veterans' Affairs to promote veteran employment, entrepreneurship, and retention in the state; governed by a nine-member board with quarterly reporting requirements.

• Creates the Veterans Employment and Training Services Program to connect veterans with employment opportunities and businesses seeking to hire veterans, including a $8,000-per-veteran grant program for workforce training.

• Extends military veteran fee waivers for professional licensing from 24 months to 60 months after discharge and expands waiver eligibility to spouses of veterans for certain professions.

• Establishes the Congressman C.W. Bill Young Veteran Tuition Waiver Program requiring state universities and colleges to waive out-of-state fees for honorably discharged veterans, and provides preference and priority in state and private employment for veterans and their families.