CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.





                                                  SENATE AMENDMENT

    Bill No. CS/HB 1631

    Amendment No.    

                            CHAMBER ACTION
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11  Senator Sullivan moved the following amendment:

12

13         Senate Amendment (with title amendment) 

14         On page 31, between lines 17 and 18,

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16  insert:

17         Section 25.  Subsection (8) of section 240.498, Florida

18  Statutes, is amended to read:

19         240.498  Florida Education Fund.--

20         (8)  There is created a legal education component of

21  the Florida Education Fund to provide the opportunity for

22  minorities to attain representation within the legal

23  profession proportionate to their representation within the

24  general population. The legal education component of the

25  Florida Education Fund includes a law school program and a

26  pre-law program.

27         (a)  The law school scholarship program of the Florida

28  Education Fund is to be administered by the Board of Directors

29  of the Florida Education Fund for the purpose of increasing by

30  200 the number of minority students enrolled in law schools in

31  this state. Implementation of this program is to be phased in

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                                                  SENATE AMENDMENT

    Bill No. CS/HB 1631

    Amendment No.    





 1  over a 3-year period.

 2         1.  The board of directors shall provide financial,

 3  academic, and other support to students selected for

 4  participation in this program from funds appropriated by the

 5  Legislature. Support services shall include, at a minimum: a

 6  beginning law scholars' orientation, first-year student campus

 7  meetings, a law scholars' annual meeting, a resume directory,

 8  bar examination passage support, and supplemental bar

 9  examination preparation clinics.

10         2.  Student selection must be made in accordance with

11  rules adopted by the board of directors for that purpose and

12  must be based, at least in part, on an assessment of potential

13  for success, merit, and financial need.

14         3.  Awards may be made available to part-time students.

15  To be eligible to participate in the program, a student must

16  take the minimum number of credit hours required by the board

17  of directors. The board of directors shall provide for a

18  scholarship awarded to a part-time student to be in an amount

19  in proportion to the award for full-time students. All program

20  requirements, including academic performance standards and

21  postgraduation restrictions, shall apply to both part-time and

22  full-time students who are award recipients.

23         4.  Each accredited law school in Florida shall be

24  guaranteed three law school scholarship recipients per year.

25  Law schools experiencing a decrease in the number of enrolled

26  African-American or Hispanic students during 3 consecutive

27  years will lose their guaranteed law scholarship recipients.

28         5.3.  Support must be made available to students who

29  enroll in private, as well as public, law schools in this

30  state which are accredited by the American Bar Association.

31         6.4.  Scholarships must be paid directly to the

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                                                  SENATE AMENDMENT

    Bill No. CS/HB 1631

    Amendment No.    





 1  participating students.

 2         7.5.  Students who participate in this program must

 3  agree in writing to sit for The Florida Bar examination and,

 4  upon successful admission to The Florida Bar, to either

 5  practice law in the state for a period of time equal to the

 6  amount of time for which the student received aid, up to 3

 7  years, or repay the amount of aid received. A student who

 8  practices law for 2 years as an employee of a state attorney,

 9  a public defender, or the Office of the Attorney General has

10  satisfied the repayment provision of the law scholarship

11  program.

12         8.6.  Annually the board of directors shall compile a

13  report that includes a description of the selection process,

14  an analysis of the academic progress of all scholarship

15  recipients, and an analysis of expenditures. This report must

16  be submitted to the President of the Senate, the Speaker of

17  the House of Representatives, and the Governor.

18         (b)  The minority pre-law scholarship loan program of

19  the Florida Education Fund is to be administered by the Board

20  of Directors of the Florida Education Fund for the purpose of

21  increasing the opportunity of minority students to prepare for

22  law school.

23         1.  From funds appropriated by the Legislature, the

24  board of directors shall provide for student fees, Law School

25  Admission Test preparation course tuition, and a pre-law

26  summer program to be held at one American Bar Association

27  accredited law school in Florida annually room, board, books,

28  supplies, and academic and other support to selected minority

29  undergraduate students matriculating at eligible public and

30  independent colleges and universities in Florida.

31         2.  Student selection must be made in accordance with

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                                                  SENATE AMENDMENT

    Bill No. CS/HB 1631

    Amendment No.    





 1  rules adopted by the board of directors for that purpose and

 2  must be based, at least in part, on an assessment of potential

 3  for success, merit, and financial need.

 4         3.  To be eligible, a student must make a written

 5  agreement to enter or be accepted to enter a law school in

 6  this state within 2 years after graduation or repay the

 7  scholarship loan amount plus interest at the prevailing rate.

 8         4.  Recipients who fail to gain admission to a law

 9  school within the specified period of time, may, upon

10  admission to law school, be eligible to have their loans

11  canceled.

12         5.  Minority pre-law scholarship loans shall be

13  provided to 34 minority students per year for up to 4 years

14  each, for a total of 136 scholarship loans. To continue

15  receipt of scholarship loans, recipients must maintain a 2.75

16  grade point average for the freshman year and a 3.25 grade

17  point average thereafter. Participants must also take

18  specialized courses to enhance competencies in English and

19  logic.

20         6.  The board of directors shall maintain records on

21  all scholarship loan recipients. Participating institutions

22  shall submit academic progress reports to the board of

23  directors following each academic term. Annually, the board of

24  directors shall compile a report that includes a description

25  of the selection process, an analysis of the academic progress

26  of all scholarship loan recipients, and an analysis of

27  expenditures. This report must be submitted to the President

28  of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives,

29  and the Governor.

30         (c)  The allowable administrative costs for the legal

31  education component of the Florida Education Fund shall not

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                                                  SENATE AMENDMENT

    Bill No. CS/HB 1631

    Amendment No.    





 1  exceed 10 percent of the total funds appropriated by the

 2  Legislature for the legal education component of the Florida

 3  Education Fund.

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 5  (Redesignate subsequent sections.)

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 7

 8  ================ T I T L E   A M E N D M E N T ===============

 9  And the title is amended as follows:

10         On page 5, line 16, after the semicolon,

11

12  insert:

13         amending s. 240.498, F.S.; providing minimum

14         requirements for support services provided

15         through the law school scholarship program;

16         authorizing the provision of awards to

17         part-time students; providing for establishment

18         of the amount of an award for a part-time

19         student; providing a guarantee of enrollment of

20         a certain number of award recipients, provided

21         certain requirements are met; revising services

22         provided as part of the minority pre-law

23         scholarship loan program; limiting

24         administrative costs of the legal education

25         component of the Florida Education Fund;

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