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House Bill 1873

Florida House of Representatives - 1997 HB 1873 By the Committee on Colleges & Universities and Representatives Casey, Rojas, Diaz de la Portilla, Ritter, Betancourt, Rayson, Goode, Ball and Bradley 1 A bill to be entitled 2 An act relating to education; requiring the 3 Department of Education to develop a student 4 financial assistance database; providing a 5 definition; requiring a report; amending s. 6 228.502, F.S.; deleting requirement that the 7 Education Success Incentive Council serve as 8 the board of directors for a direct-support 9 organization; amending s. 232.2465, F.S., 10 relating to the Florida Academic Scholars' 11 Certificate Program; changing an eligibility 12 date; amending s. 239.117, F.S.; allowing 13 children adopted from the Department of 14 Children and Family Services to be exempt from 15 certain student fees; amending s. 239.217, 16 F.S., relating to the Florida Gold Seal 17 Vocational Endorsement Program; changing an 18 eligibility date; amending s. 240.107, F.S.; 19 conforming provisions; amending ss. 240.235 and 20 240.35, F.S.; allowing children adopted from 21 the Department of Children and Family Services 22 to be exempt from certain student fees; 23 amending s. 240.404, F.S., relating to general 24 requirements for eligibility for state 25 financial aid; deleting a requirement for 26 participation in a testing program; deleting a 27 requirement regarding Selective Service System 28 registration; creating s. 240.4041, F.S.; 29 providing eligibility requirements for state 30 financial aid for a student with a disability; 31 amending s. 240.4069, F.S.; transferring 1 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. Florida House of Representatives - 1997 HB 1873 184-257-97 1 administration of the Virgil Hawkins Fellows 2 Assistance Program to the Board of Regents; 3 revising program requirements; amending s. 4 240.408, F.S.; conforming provisions; amending 5 s. 240.412, F.S., relating to the Jose Marti 6 Scholarship Challenge Grant Program; revising 7 matching fund requirements; deleting a testing 8 requirement; amending s. 240.437, F.S., 9 relating to a state student financial aid 10 program; deleting a testing requirement; 11 amending s. 240.6045, F.S., relating to a 12 limited access competitive grant program; 13 revising eligibility requirements; amending s. 14 240.606, F.S., relating to the Florida Work 15 Experience Program; changing eligibility 16 requirements; deleting a requirement that a 17 certain portion of funds be used for contracts 18 with public schools; repealing ss. 240.4025, 19 240.4045, 240.407, 240.4085, and 240.4093, 20 F.S., relating to the Florida Graduate 21 Scholars' Fund, compliance with Selective 22 Service System registration requirements, 23 general scholarship loans, the Florida Student 24 Tuition Scholarship Grant Program, and the 25 Vocational Student Assistance Grant Program; 26 providing an effective date. 27 28 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 29 30 Section 1. (1) The Department of Education, in 31 conjunction with the Florida Council of Student Financial Aid 2 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. Florida House of Representatives - 1997 HB 1873 184-257-97 1 Advisors, staff of the Executive Office of the Governor, the 2 Legislature, the Postsecondary Education Planning Commission, 3 the Board of Regents, the State Board of Community Colleges, 4 and the three largest student loan lenders by volume serving 5 Florida students as of the effective date of this act, shall 6 design a student financial assistance database that can be 7 used to support all aspects of the administration and delivery 8 of state-funded student financial aid. In addition, the 9 database must have the capability of providing policymakers 10 with comprehensive information regarding the various financial 11 assistance programs available to students attending Florida 12 postsecondary education institutions. 13 (2) For purposes of this section, financial assistance 14 includes: 15 (a) For all students, any scholarship, grant, loan, 16 fee waiver, tuition assistance payment, or other form of 17 compensation provided from state or federal funds. 18 (b) For students attending public institutions, any 19 scholarship, grant, loan, fee waiver, tuition assistance 20 payment, or other form of compensation supported by 21 institutional funds. 22 (3) The database must include records on any student 23 receiving any form of financial assistance as described in 24 subsection (2). Institutions participating in any state 25 financial assistance program shall annually submit such 26 information to the Department of Education in a format 27 prescribed by the department and consistent with the 28 provisions of s. 228.093, Florida Statutes. 29 (4) By December 1, 1997, the Department of Education 30 shall provide to the President of the Senate and the Speaker 31 of the House of Representatives a progress report on the 3 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. Florida House of Representatives - 1997 HB 1873 184-257-97 1 development of the database. The progress report must identify 2 components of the database and provide a timeframe for 3 implementation. 4 Section 2. Subsection (12) of section 228.502, Florida 5 Statutes, 1996 Supplement, is amended to read: 6 228.502 The Education Success Incentive Program.-- 7 (12) The Commissioner of Education may establish a 8 direct-support organization which is: 9 (a) A Florida corporation, not for profit, 10 incorporated under the provisions of chapter 617 and approved 11 by the Secretary of State. 12 (b) Organized and operated exclusively to receive, 13 hold, invest, and administer property and to make expenditures 14 to or for the benefit of the Education Success Incentive 15 Program. The board of directors of the direct-support 16 organization shall establish policies and procedures which 17 enable private contributors to designate the name of the 18 student, school, or geographic area for which contributions 19 are being provided. 20 (c) Subject to an annual postaudit by an independent 21 certified public accountant in accordance with rules 22 promulgated by the board. The annual audit shall be submitted 23 to the Department of Insurance and the Auditor General for 24 review. The Department of Insurance and Auditor General shall 25 have the authority to require and receive from the 26 organization or its independent auditor any detail or 27 supplemental data relative to the operation of the 28 organization. The identity of a donor or prospective donor 29 who desires to remain anonymous and all information 30 identifying such donor or prospective donor are confidential 31 and exempt from the provisions of s. 119.07(1) and s. 24(a), 4 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. Florida House of Representatives - 1997 HB 1873 184-257-97 1 Art. I of the State Constitution. Such anonymity shall be 2 maintained in the auditor's report. 3 4 The Education Success Incentive Council shall be the board of 5 directors of the direct-support organization. 6 Section 3. Paragraph (a) of subsection (1) of section 7 232.2465, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 8 232.2465 Florida Academic Scholars' Certificate 9 Program.--For the purpose of recognizing and rewarding 10 outstanding performance and academic achievement on the part 11 of public school students and nonpublic school students, the 12 Commissioner of Education shall award to each high school 13 graduate who meets the requirements specified herein, and as 14 further specified by the State Board of Education, a special 15 certificate recognizing and designating the graduate as a 16 Florida Academic Scholar. 17 (1) In order to qualify as a Florida Academic Scholar, 18 a student must: 19 (a) At the time of application or by the second half 20 of the senior year, have been enrolled in and intend to 21 complete a program of at least 24 credits in advanced-level 22 studies as prescribed by the State Board of Education, 23 including as a minimum: 24 1. Four years of progressively advanced instruction in 25 language arts, including courses in English composition and 26 literature; 27 2. Four years of progressively advanced instruction in 28 science, including laboratory courses in biology, chemistry, 29 and physics where laboratory facilities are available; 30 31 5 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. Florida House of Representatives - 1997 HB 1873 184-257-97 1 3. Four years of progressively advanced instruction in 2 mathematics, including courses in algebra and geometry and 3 calculus or trigonometry; 4 4. Two years of sequential foreign language; 5 5. One year of instruction in art and music or in 6 either art or music; 7 6. Three years of instruction in social studies, 8 including courses in American history and government, world 9 history, and comparative political and economic systems; and 10 7. One year of instruction in health and physical 11 education to include assessment, improvement, and maintenance 12 of personal fitness. 13 Section 4. Paragraph (e) of subsection (2) of section 14 239.117, Florida Statutes, 1996 Supplement, is amended to 15 read: 16 239.117 Postsecondary student fees.-- 17 (2) The following students are exempt from any 18 requirement for the payment of registration, matriculation, 19 and laboratory fees for instruction: 20 (e) A student for whom the state is paying a foster 21 care board payment pursuant to s. 409.145(3) or pursuant to 22 parts III and V of chapter 39, for whom the permanency 23 planning goal pursuant to part V of chapter 39 is long-term 24 foster care or independent living, or who is adopted from the 25 Department of Children and Family Services after December 31, 26 1997. Such exemption includes fees associated with enrollment 27 in college-preparatory instruction and completion of the 28 college-level communication and computation skills testing 29 program. Such exemption shall be available to any student 30 adopted from the Department of Children and Family Services 31 6 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. Florida House of Representatives - 1997 HB 1873 184-257-97 1 after December 31, 1997, no more than 4 years after the date 2 of graduation from high school. 3 Section 5. Paragraph (a) of subsection (2) of section 4 239.217, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 5 239.217 Florida Gold Seal Vocational Endorsement 6 Program.-- 7 (2) Each school district may award the Florida gold 8 seal vocational endorsement to a high school student who meets 9 the requirements of this section. To be eligible for award of 10 the Florida gold seal vocational endorsement, a student must: 11 (a) At the time of application or by the second half 12 of the senior year, have been enrolled in and intend to 13 complete Meet all requirements for graduation as specified in 14 s. 232.246, including number of credits, courses, grade point 15 average, and mastery of minimum performance standards and 16 basic skills. 17 18 If a student does not meet the requirements of this subsection 19 as a result of inaccurate or incomplete information provided 20 by a high school guidance counselor, teacher, or school 21 district personnel, the student may, nevertheless, be eligible 22 for the Florida gold seal vocational endorsement if the 23 principal of the school or the district superintendent 24 verifies that such inaccuracies or misinformation caused the 25 deficiencies. The school district must provide a means for 26 the student to correct deficiencies resulting from such 27 misinformation. The student must correct the deficiencies no 28 later than December 31 immediately following high school 29 graduation, either by completing comparable work at the 30 postsecondary institution or by completing a directed 31 individualized study program that is developed and 7 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. Florida House of Representatives - 1997 HB 1873 184-257-97 1 administered by the school district. If the student does not 2 complete the requirements necessary to correct the 3 deficiencies by December 31 immediately following high school 4 graduation, the student is ineligible to participate in the 5 Florida Gold Seal Vocational Endorsement Program. 6 Section 6. Subsection (7) of section 240.107, Florida 7 Statutes, is amended to read: 8 240.107 College-level communication and computation 9 skills examination.-- 10 (7) The State Board of Education, by rule, shall 11 establish fees for the administration of the examination to 12 private postsecondary students. The examination may be 13 administered to students other than those receiving financial 14 aid as required in s. 240.404(1)(a)2., provided that the 15 appropriate fees are paid. 16 Section 7. Paragraph (a) of subsection (5) of section 17 240.235, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 18 240.235 Fees.-- 19 (5)(a) Any student for whom the state is paying a 20 foster care board payment pursuant to s. 409.145(3) or parts 21 III and V of chapter 39, for whom the permanency planning goal 22 pursuant to part V of chapter 39 is long-term foster care or 23 independent living, or who is adopted from the Department of 24 Children and Family Services after December 31, 1997, shall be 25 exempt from the payment of all undergraduate fees, including 26 fees associated with enrollment in college-preparatory 27 instruction or completion of college-level communication and 28 computation skills testing programs. Before a fee exemption 29 can be given, the student shall have applied for and been 30 denied financial aid, pursuant to s. 240.404, which would have 31 provided, at a minimum, payment of all undergraduate fees. 8 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. Florida House of Representatives - 1997 HB 1873 184-257-97 1 Such exemption shall be available to any student adopted from 2 the Department of Children and Family Services after December 3 31, 1997, no more than 4 years after the date of graduation 4 from high school. 5 Section 8. Paragraph (a) of subsection (2) of section 6 240.35, Florida Statutes, 1996 Supplement, is amended to read: 7 240.35 Student fees.--Unless otherwise provided, the 8 provisions of this section apply only to fees charged for 9 college credit instruction. 10 (2)(a) Any student for whom the state is paying a 11 foster care board payment pursuant to s. 409.145(3) or parts 12 III and V of chapter 39, for whom the permanency planning goal 13 pursuant to part V of chapter 39 is long-term foster care or 14 independent living, or who is adopted from the Department of 15 Children and Family Services after December 31, 1997, is 16 exempt from the payment of all undergraduate fees, including 17 fees associated with enrollment in college-preparatory 18 instruction or completion of the college-level communication 19 and computation skills testing program. Before a fee 20 exemption can be given, the student shall have applied for and 21 been denied financial aid, pursuant to s. 240.404, which would 22 have provided, at a minimum, payment of all student fees. Such 23 exemption shall be available to any student adopted from the 24 Department of Children and Family Services after December 31, 25 1997, no more than 4 years after graduation from high school. 26 Section 9. Paragraph (a) of subsection (1) of section 27 240.404, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 28 240.404 General requirements for student eligibility 29 for state financial aid.-- 30 31 9 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. Florida House of Representatives - 1997 HB 1873 184-257-97 1 (1)(a) The general requirements for eligibility of 2 students for state financial aid awards consist of the 3 following: 4 1. Acceptance at a state university or community 5 college; a nursing diploma school approved by the Florida 6 Board of Nursing; a Florida college, university, or community 7 college which is accredited by a member of the Commission on 8 Recognition of Postsecondary Accreditation; any Florida 9 institution the credits of which are acceptable for transfer 10 to state universities; any area technical center; or any 11 private vocational-technical institution accredited by a 12 member of the Commission on Recognition of Postsecondary 13 Accreditation. 14 2. Participation in the college-level communication 15 and computation skills testing program. This requirement is 16 limited to students seeking associate's or bachelor's degrees. 17 2.3. Residency in this state for no less than 1 year 18 preceding the award of aid for a program established pursuant 19 to s. 240.402, s. 240.4021, s. 240.4085, s. 240.409, s. 20 240.4093, s. 240.4095, s. 240.4097, s. 240.412, s. 240.4125, 21 s. 240.413, s. 240.4987, s. 240.605, or s. 240.606. Residency 22 in this state must be for purposes other than to obtain an 23 education. Resident status for purposes of receiving state 24 financial aid awards shall be determined in the same manner as 25 resident status for tuition purposes pursuant to s. 240.1201 26 and rules of the State Board of Education. 27 4. Compliance with Selective Service System 28 registration requirements pursuant to s. 240.4045. 29 3.5. Submission of certification attesting to the 30 accuracy, completeness, and correctness of information 31 provided to demonstrate a student's eligibility to receive 10 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. Florida House of Representatives - 1997 HB 1873 184-257-97 1 state financial aid awards. Falsification of such information 2 shall result in the denial of any pending application and 3 revocation of any award currently held to the extent that no 4 further payments shall be made. Additionally, students who 5 knowingly make false statements in order to receive state 6 financial aid awards shall be guilty of a misdemeanor of the 7 second degree subject to the provisions of s. 837.06 and shall 8 be required to return all state financial aid awards 9 wrongfully obtained. 10 Section 10. Section 240.4041, Florida Statutes, is 11 created to read: 12 240.4041 State financial aid; students with a 13 disability.--Notwithstanding the provisions of s. 14 240.404(1)(b)1.b. regarding the number of credits earned per 15 term, a student with a disability, as defined by the Americans 16 with Disabilities Act, is eligible for state financial aid 17 while attending an eligible postsecondary institution on a 18 part-time basis upon certification of the student's disability 19 by a licensed physician in this state or by the Division of 20 Vocational Rehabilitation of the Department of Labor and 21 Employment Security. The State Board of Education shall adopt 22 rules necessary to implement the provisions of this section. 23 Section 11. Section 240.4069, Florida Statutes, is 24 amended to read: 25 240.4069 Virgil Hawkins Fellows Assistance Program 26 Scholarships.-- 27 (1) The Virgil Hawkins Fellows Assistance Program 28 Scholarships, established by the General Appropriations Act, 29 shall provide financial assistance be provided for study in 30 law to each of 10 minority first-year students in law at the 31 Florida State University College of Law and to each of 10 11 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. Florida House of Representatives - 1997 HB 1873 184-257-97 1 minority first-year students in law at the University of 2 Florida College of Law. For the purposes of this section a 3 minority student qualified to receive assistance from the a 4 Virgil Hawkins Fellows Assistance Program shall be identified 5 pursuant to policies adopted by the Board of Regents 6 Scholarship is a person who is a member of an ethnic group 7 that was by law and custom previously denied access to a law 8 school at a predominantly white institution in Florida. 9 (2) The balance of any funds remaining after the 10 10 scholarships for each law school have been allocated shall be 11 used to provide state matching of grants from private sources 12 that raise money for additional fellowships to be awarded to 13 minority students. Matching funds shall be generated through 14 contributions made after July 1, 1993, and pledged for the 15 purposes of this section. Pledged contributions shall be for 16 a minimum of 2 years and shall not be eligible for matching 17 prior to the actual collection of the total funds. 18 (2)(3) Each student who is awarded a fellowship Virgil 19 Hawkins Fellows Scholarship shall be entitled to receive an 20 award a scholarship under this act for each academic term year 21 that the student is in good standing as approved by the Board 22 of Regents' Office for Equal Opportunity Programs and the dean 23 and continues studies toward completion of the Juris Doctor 24 degree at the Florida State University College of Law or at 25 the University of Florida College of Law. 26 (3)(4) If a fellowship scholarship vacancy occurs, and 27 has not been assigned or utilized by second-year or third-year 28 law students, permission will be granted for the Dean of the 29 College of Law to identify and assign that scholarship slot 30 shall be reassigned and funded fund it as a continuing 31 12 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. Florida House of Representatives - 1997 HB 1873 184-257-97 1 fellowship scholarship for the remainder of the period for 2 which the award scholarship was originally designated. 3 (4)(5) The Board of Regents shall adopt policies and 4 shall administer the Virgil Hawkins Fellows Assistance Program 5 Scholarships shall be administered by the Department of 6 Education. The State Board of Education shall adopt rules to 7 implement the Virgil Hawkins Fellows Scholarships. 8 Section 12. Subsection (1) of section 240.408, Florida 9 Statutes, is amended to read: 10 240.408 Challenger Astronauts Memorial Undergraduate 11 Scholarship Trust Fund.-- 12 (1) There is created the Challenger Astronauts 13 Memorial Undergraduate Scholarship Trust Fund which shall 14 receive distributions as provided by s. 320.08058. The 15 Comptroller shall authorize expenditures from this fund for 16 Challenger Astronauts Memorial awards pursuant to s. 240.402, 17 and any remaining balances may be expended for graduate 18 fellowships in space science, space commerce, or space policy 19 research pursuant to s. 240.4025, and for education/business 20 partnership programs which involve teacher development 21 strategies pursuant to s. 229.602, upon receipt of vouchers 22 approved by the Department of Education. The Comptroller 23 shall also authorize expenditures from this fund for 24 Challenger Astronauts Memorial Undergraduate Scholarships for 25 students who participated in this program prior to July 1, 26 1993, provided that such students continue to meet the renewal 27 eligibility requirements that were in effect at the time that 28 their original awards were made. Any balance therein at the 29 end of any fiscal year shall remain therein and shall be 30 available for carrying out the purposes of these programs. 31 13 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. Florida House of Representatives - 1997 HB 1873 184-257-97 1 Section 13. Subsection (4) and paragraph (b) of 2 subsection (5) of section 240.412, Florida Statutes, are 3 amended to read: 4 240.412 Jose Marti Scholarship Challenge Grant 5 Program.-- 6 (4) The amount appropriated to the trust fund for the 7 program shall be allocated by the department on the basis of 8 one $5,000 challenge grant for each $2,500 $5,000 raised from 9 private sources. Matching funds shall be generated through 10 contributions made after July 1, 1986, and pledged for the 11 purposes of this section. Pledged contributions shall not be 12 eligible for matching prior to the actual collection of the 13 total funds. 14 (5) 15 (b) In order to renew a scholarship awarded pursuant 16 to this section, a student must shall: 17 1. Earn a grade point average of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 18 scale for the previous term, maintain at least a 3.0 average 19 for college work, or have an average below 3.0 only for the 20 previous term and be eligible for continued enrollment at the 21 institution. 22 2. Maintain full-time enrollment. 23 3. Participate in the college-level communication and 24 computation skills testing program. Graduate recipients shall 25 be exempt from this requirement. 26 Section 14. Subsection (2) of section 240.437, Florida 27 Statutes, is amended to read: 28 240.437 Student financial aid planning and 29 development.-- 30 (2) The objective of a state program is the 31 maintenance of a state student financial aid program to 14 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. Florida House of Representatives - 1997 HB 1873 184-257-97 1 supplement a basic national program which will provide equal 2 access to postsecondary education to citizens of this state 3 who have the ability and motivation to benefit from a 4 postsecondary education. In the development of a state program 5 to achieve this objective, it shall be the policy that: 6 (a) State student financial aid be provided primarily 7 on the basis of financial need; 8 (b) Students receiving need-based financial aid be 9 expected to contribute toward their cost of education through 10 self-help resources such as savings, work, and loans; 11 (c) Student financial aid be available to state 12 residents for attendance at accredited public or private 13 institutions of higher education in this state; 14 (d) Student financial aid be provided for all levels 15 of postsecondary education; and 16 (e) State student financial aid be administered by a 17 central state agency. 18 (f) Effective August 1, 1985, students enrolled in 19 associate in arts degree programs and bachelor's degree 20 programs in independent institutions in this state who receive 21 state aid pursuant to s. 240.402, s. 240.4063, s. 240.4085, s. 22 240.4095, s. 240.4097, s. 240.412, s. 240.605, or s. 240.606 23 participate in the college-level communication and computation 24 skills testing program provided in s. 229.551. The department 25 and the eligible institutions shall negotiate an agreement 26 that will assure that the test is available to students either 27 directly through the independent institutions or on a 28 contractual basis with a state community college or 29 university. Before August 1, 1985, all independent 30 institutions subject to this provision shall have an 31 opportunity to participate in preliminary testing activities 15 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. Florida House of Representatives - 1997 HB 1873 184-257-97 1 similar to those afforded the public institutions before the 2 initiation of formal testing; and the independent sector shall 3 be afforded appropriate representation on all committees and 4 commissions charged with responsibilities for developing, 5 administering, and evaluating the tests. 6 7 Planning and development must shall be in accordance with the 8 foregoing objective and policies. 9 Section 15. Subsections (1), (2), (3),and (4) of 10 section 240.6045, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 11 240.6045 Limited access competitive grant program.-- 12 (1) There is established a limited access competitive 13 grant program which shall be administered by the Department of 14 Education. The purpose of the program shall be to provide 15 enrollment opportunities for qualified applicants in unable to 16 obtain admission to selected state university limited access 17 programs or equivalent academic tracks. 18 (2) The Postsecondary Education Planning Commission 19 shall annually identify for the State Board of Education 20 selected high priority employment fields that are designated, 21 commonly referred to as limited access programs, which require 22 a baccalaureate degree and for which one or more state 23 universities have insufficient capacity to serve all qualified 24 applicants. 25 (3) Program applicants shall be Florida residents, 26 either community college graduates or state university 27 students, who are qualified for admission to a selected 28 independent college or university because of lack of space are 29 denied admission to a state university program directly 30 related to a high priority employment field identified by the 31 State Board of Education. 16 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. Florida House of Representatives - 1997 HB 1873 184-257-97 1 (4) A limited access competitive grant may be awarded 2 in a competitive grant which equals 50 percent of the cost to 3 the state per academic year of funding an undergraduate 4 student in public postsecondary education if the recipient 5 chooses to enroll in a comparable program provided by an 6 eligible independent college or university in Florida. 7 Eligible independent institutions shall be designated by the 8 Department of Education and shall be selected from among 9 institutions accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the 10 Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Priority shall 11 be given to state residents who graduate from a Florida high 12 school or community college. 13 Section 16. Paragraph (b) of subsection (1) and 14 subsection (3) of section 240.606, Florida Statutes, are 15 amended to read: 16 240.606 Florida Work Experience Program.-- 17 (1) There is established the Florida Work Experience 18 Program to be administered by the Department of Education. The 19 purpose of the program is to introduce eligible students to 20 work experience that will complement and reinforce their 21 educational program and career goals and provide a self-help 22 student aid program. Such program shall be available to: 23 (b) Any student attending a nonprofit Florida 24 postsecondary education institution that is eligible to 25 participate in either of the student assistance grant programs 26 established in ss. 240.4095 and 240.4097. college or 27 university which: is accredited by a member of the Commission 28 on Recognition of Postsecondary Accreditation, the credits of 29 which are acceptable, without qualification, for transfer to a 30 state university; grants baccalaureate or associate degrees; 31 17 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. Florida House of Representatives - 1997 HB 1873 184-257-97 1 is not a pervasively sectarian institution; and is located in 2 and chartered by the state. 3 (3) Each participating institution is authorized to 4 enter into contractual agreements with private or public 5 employers for the purpose of establishing a Florida work 6 experience program. A minimum of 25 percent of the funds for 7 the Florida Work Experience Program shall be used to contract 8 with public schools for student work experience opportunities. 9 Section 17. Sections 240.4025, 240.4045, 240.407, 10 240.4085, and 240.4093, Florida Statutes, are repealed. 11 Section 18. This act shall take effect upon becoming a 12 law. 13 14 ***************************************** 15 HOUSE SUMMARY 16 Requires the Department of Education to develop a student 17 financial assistance database. Deletes the requirement that the Education Success Incentive Council serve as the 18 board of directors to a direct-support organization. Changes eligibility dates for certain awards. Allows 19 children adopted from the Department of Children and Family Services to be exempt from certain student fees. 20 Deletes a testing requirement for eligibility for state financial aid. Provides eligibility requirements for 21 state financial aid for a student with a disability. Transfers administration of the Virgil Hawkins Fellows 22 Assistance Program to the Board of Regents. Revises provisions relating to a limited access competitive grant 23 program and the Florida Work Experience Program. Repeals certain provisions relating to financial assistance. 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 18