Senate Bill 2454c1

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    Florida Senate - 2000                           CS for SB 2454

    By the Committee on Education and Senator Sullivan





    304-2153-00

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to the Florida Education Fund;

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

  4         requirements for support services provided

  5         through the law school scholarship program;

  6         authorizing the provision of awards to

  7         part-time students; providing for establishment

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

  9         student; providing a guarantee of enrollment of

10         a certain number of award recipients, provided

11         certain requirements are met; revising services

12         provided as part of the minority pre-law

13         scholarship loan program; limiting

14         administrative costs of the legal education

15         component of the Florida Education Fund;

16         providing an effective date.

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18  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

19         Section 1.  Subsection (8) of section 240.498, Florida

20  Statutes, is amended to read:

21         240.498  Florida Education Fund.--

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

23  the Florida Education Fund to provide the opportunity for

24  minorities to attain representation within the legal

25  profession proportionate to their representation within the

26  general population. The legal education component of the

27  Florida Education Fund includes a law school program and a

28  pre-law program.

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

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

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

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    Florida Senate - 2000                           CS for SB 2454
    304-2153-00




  1  200 the number of minority students enrolled in law schools in

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

  3  over a 3-year period.

  4         1.  The board of directors shall provide financial,

  5  academic, and other support to students selected for

  6  participation in this program from funds appropriated by the

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

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

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

10  bar examination passage support, and supplemental bar

11  examination preparation clinics.

12         2.  Student selection must be made in accordance with

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

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

15  for success, merit, and financial need.

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

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

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

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

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

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

22  requirements, including academic performance standards and

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

24  full-time students who are award recipients.

25         4.  Each accredited law school in Florida shall be

26  guaranteed three law school scholarship recipients per year.

27  Law schools experiencing a decrease in the number of enrolled

28  African-American or Hispanic students during 3 consecutive

29  years will lose their guaranteed law scholarship recipients.

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    Florida Senate - 2000                           CS for SB 2454
    304-2153-00




  1         5.3.  Support must be made available to students who

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

  3  state which are accredited by the American Bar Association.

  4         6.4.  Scholarships must be paid directly to the

  5  participating students.

  6         7.5.  Students who participate in this program must

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

  8  upon successful admission to The Florida Bar, to either

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

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

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

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

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

14  satisfied the repayment provision of the law scholarship

15  program.

16         8.6.  Annually the board of directors shall compile a

17  report that includes a description of the selection process,

18  an analysis of the academic progress of all scholarship

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

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

21  the House of Representatives, and the Governor.

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

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

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

25  increasing the opportunity of minority students to prepare for

26  law school.

27         1.  From funds appropriated by the Legislature, the

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

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

30  summer program to be held at one American Bar Association

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

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    Florida Senate - 2000                           CS for SB 2454
    304-2153-00




  1  supplies, and academic and other support to selected minority

  2  undergraduate students matriculating at eligible public and

  3  independent colleges and universities in Florida.

  4         2.  Student selection must be made in accordance with

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

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

  7  for success, merit, and financial need.

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

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

10  this state within 2 years after graduation or repay the

11  scholarship loan amount plus interest at the prevailing rate.

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

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

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

15  canceled.

16         5.  Minority pre-law scholarship loans shall be

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

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

19  receipt of scholarship loans, recipients must maintain a 2.75

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

21  point average thereafter. Participants must also take

22  specialized courses to enhance competencies in English and

23  logic.

24         6.  The board of directors shall maintain records on

25  all scholarship loan recipients. Participating institutions

26  shall submit academic progress reports to the board of

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

28  directors shall compile a report that includes a description

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

30  of all scholarship loan recipients, and an analysis of

31  expenditures. This report must be submitted to the President

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    Florida Senate - 2000                           CS for SB 2454
    304-2153-00




  1  of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives,

  2  and the Governor.

  3         (c)  The allowable administrative costs for the legal

  4  education component of the Florida Education Fund shall not

  5  exceed 10 percent of the total funds appropriated by the

  6  Legislature for the legal education component of the Florida

  7  Education Fund.

  8         Section 2.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2000.

  9

10          STATEMENT OF SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES CONTAINED IN
                       COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
11                             SB 2454

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13  Committee Substitute for Senate Bill 2454:

14  Increases and specifies services required for the law school
    program and the pre-law program administered by the Florida
15  Education Fund.

16  Raises the limit for administrative costs to 10 percent of the
    total program expenditures.
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    For the law school program, the bill also:
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    Authorizes scholarships for part-time students.
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    Allocates at least three scholarships per year to each of the
20  state's accredited law schools, so long as they maintain at
    least their current enrollment of minority students over a 3
21  year period.

22  Allows the scholarship loan to be repaid 1 year faster by
    practicing law as an employee of a state attorney, public
23  defender, or the Attorney General.

24  For the pre-law program, the bill requires payment for Law
    School Admission Test preparation courses and a pre-law summer
25  program and deletes the payment for room and board, books, and
    other expenses.
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