CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
SENATE AMENDMENT
Bill No. CS for SB 2456
Amendment No.
CHAMBER ACTION
Senate House
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11 Senator Sullivan moved the following amendment:
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13 Senate Amendment (with title amendment)
14 On page 31, between lines 24 and 25,
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17 Section 6. 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 for SB 2456
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 for SB 2456
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 for SB 2456
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 for SB 2456
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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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 2, line 1, after the semicolon,
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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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