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





                                                   HOUSE AMENDMENT

                                                   Bill No. HB 323

    Amendment No.     (for drafter's use only)

                            CHAMBER ACTION
              Senate                               House
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 4                                                                

 5                                           ORIGINAL STAMP BELOW

 6

 7

 8

 9

10                                                                

11  Representative(s) Wise offered the following:

12

13         Amendment to Amendment (374995) (with title amendment) 

14         On page 16, between lines 7 and 8,

15

16  insert:

17         Section 11.  Section 239.515, Florida Statutes, is

18  created to read:

19         239.515  College Fast Start Program.--

20         (1)  There is established a College Fast Start Program

21  to increase the number of students with disabilities in grades

22  6 through 12 who are admitted to and successfully complete an

23  associate in arts degree or an associate in science degree or

24  a workforce development program. The goal of the program is

25  the completion of a degree or occupational completion points

26  by, and placement into competitive employment of, students who

27  were identified as having a disability, in accordance with the

28  requirements of chapter 6A-6, Florida Administrative Code,

29  prior to their senior year in high school and who otherwise

30  would be unlikely to seek admission to a community college,

31  state university, or independent postsecondary vocational

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                                                   HOUSE AMENDMENT

                                                   Bill No. HB 323

    Amendment No.     (for drafter's use only)





 1  institution without special support and recruitment efforts.

 2  As part of the College Fast Start Program, the Florida

 3  Governor's Alliance for the Employment of Disabled Citizens,

 4  in cooperation with community colleges, independent

 5  postsecondary institutions, high schools, businesses, and

 6  agencies serving youth with disabilities, shall sponsor

 7  programs to develop leadership skills, career counseling, and

 8  motivation and shall provide grants for internships to further

 9  prepare students with disabilities for postsecondary education

10  and employment opportunities.

11         (2)  As used in this section:

12         (a)  "The alliance" means the Florida Governor's

13  Alliance for the Employment of Disabled Citizens.

14         (b)  "Program participant" means a community college,

15  public university, independent postsecondary institution, high

16  school, agency serving youth with disabilities, or a

17  consortium of the above.

18         (3)  To apply to participate in the College Fast Start

19  Program, a potential program participant must submit a

20  proposal to the Florida Governor's Alliance for the Employment

21  of Disabled Citizens. Each proposal must contain the following

22  information:

23         (a)  A statement of purpose, which includes a

24  description of the need for, and the results expected from,

25  the proposed program.

26         (b)  An identification of the service area which names

27  the schools to be served and provides community and school

28  demographics on the number and types of students with

29  disabilities and the number of high school graduates within

30  the area with a disability.

31         (c)  An identification of existing programs for

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                                                   HOUSE AMENDMENT

                                                   Bill No. HB 323

    Amendment No.     (for drafter's use only)





 1  providing employment training for persons with disabilities.

 2         (d)  A description of the proposed training and

 3  modifications needed to accommodate students who would

 4  participate in the program. At least 40 percent of the

 5  students participating in any one year must be in grades 6

 6  through 9.

 7         (e)  A description of the program activities, which

 8  must support the following goals:

 9         1.  To motivate students to pursue a postsecondary

10  education.

11         2.  To develop students' basic learning and leadership

12  skills.

13         3.  To develop collaboration with the STARS program.

14         (f)  An evaluation component that provides for the

15  collection, maintenance, retrieval, and analysis of the data

16  required by this section.

17         (4)  The alliance shall consider proposals to determine

18  which proposals to implement as programs that will strengthen

19  the educational motivation and preparation of students with

20  disabilities to seek postsecondary education or job training.

21  In selecting proposals for approval, the alliance shall give

22  preference to:

23         (a)  Proposals submitted by a postsecondary institution

24  and a business partner that include innovative approaches,

25  provide a great variety of activities, and interact with

26  business and industry in the development of the learning

27  experience.

28         (b)  A program that will use institutional, federal, or

29  private resources to supplement state appropriations.

30         (c)  Proposals that demonstrate commitment to the

31  program by proposing to match the grant funds equally in cash

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                                                   HOUSE AMENDMENT

                                                   Bill No. HB 323

    Amendment No.     (for drafter's use only)





 1  or services, with cash being the preferred contribution.

 2         (d)  Proposals that demonstrate an interest in cultural

 3  diversity and that address the unmet regional employment needs

 4  of varying communities.

 5         (e)  A program that identifies potential student

 6  participants from among students who are not already enrolled

 7  in similar programs that assist students with disabilities.

 8         (f)  A program that includes a parental involvement

 9  component.

10         (5)  Program applicants that are approved to

11  participate in the program must implement procedures which

12  provide consistent contact with students from the point at

13  which the student is selected to participate in the program

14  until he or she enrolls in a postsecondary education

15  institution. These procedures must assist students in

16  selecting courses required for graduation from high school and

17  must include occupational forecasting for future job

18  availability and requirements for those positions.

19  Institutions that participate must provide on-campus academic

20  or job training activities, job profiling and career

21  counseling activities during summer vacation, and

22  opportunities for interacting with business leaders and

23  employers, mentors, tutors, or role models. Each program

24  participant is encouraged to use its resources to meet program

25  objectives. Each program participant must establish an

26  advisory committee composed of high school and middle school

27  personnel and business leaders to provide advice and

28  assistance in implementing the program.

29         (6)  An advisory council shall review each proposal and

30  recommend to the alliance an order of priority for funding the

31  proposals. The advisory council shall consist of the following

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                                                   HOUSE AMENDMENT

                                                   Bill No. HB 323

    Amendment No.     (for drafter's use only)





 1  10 members and shall designate a meeting facilitator from

 2  among the members:

 3         (a)  Three persons with disabilities, appointed by the

 4  Governor.

 5         (b)  Two representatives of private or community-based

 6  organizations, one each appointed by the President of the

 7  Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

 8         (c)  One representative of the State University System,

 9  appointed by the chair of the Board of Regents.

10         (d)  One representative of the Community College

11  System, appointed by the chair of the State Board of Community

12  Colleges.

13         (e)  One representative of the Independent Colleges and

14  Universities of Florida, appointed by the president of the

15  Independent Colleges and Universities of Florida.

16         (f)  One representative of a public school district,

17  appointed by the Commissioner of Education.

18         (g)  One representative of the Postsecondary Education

19  Planning Commission, appointed by the chair of the commission.

20

21  Each member shall be appointed for a 3-year, staggered term of

22  office. Members may serve no more than two consecutive terms.

23  A vacancy must be filled with a person of the same status as

24  the original appointee who shall serve for the remainder of

25  the term. Members are entitled to per diem and travel expenses

26  as provided in s. 112.061 while performing council duties.

27         (7)  Funding for the College Fast Start Program shall

28  be provided annually in the General Appropriations Act. From

29  these funds, an annual allocation shall be provided to the

30  alliance to conduct the program. Approved programs must be

31  funded competitively according to the following methodology:

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                                                   HOUSE AMENDMENT

                                                   Bill No. HB 323

    Amendment No.     (for drafter's use only)





 1         (a)  Eighty percent of funds appropriated annually to

 2  the College Fast Start Program must be distributed as grants

 3  to projects that include, at the minimum:

 4         1.  A summer business internship program.

 5         2.  A minimum number of hours of academic instructional

 6  and developmental activities, career counseling, and personal

 7  counseling.

 8         (b)  The remaining 20 percent of funds appropriated

 9  annually may be used by the Florida Governor's Alliance for

10  the Employment of Disabled Citizens for college preparatory

11  leadership training programs.

12         (c)  Subject to legislative appropriations, funds for

13  the continuation of projects that satisfy the minimum

14  requirements shall be increased each year by the same

15  percentage as the rate of inflation. Projects funded for 3

16  consecutive years must have a cumulative institutional cash

17  match of not less than 50 percent of the total cost of the

18  project over the 3-year period. Any College Fast Start Program

19  operating for 3 years which does not provide the minimum 50

20  percent institutional cash match shall not be considered for

21  continued funding.

22         (8)  On or before February 15 of each year, each

23  participant or consortium of participants shall submit to the

24  alliance an interim report of program expenditures and

25  participant information as requested by the alliance.

26         (9)  On or before October 15 of each year, each program

27  participant shall submit to the alliance an end-of-the-year

28  report on the effectiveness of its participation in the

29  program during the preceding fiscal year. The end-of-the-year

30  report must include, without limitation:

31         (a)  An itemization of program expenditures by funding

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                                                   HOUSE AMENDMENT

                                                   Bill No. HB 323

    Amendment No.     (for drafter's use only)





 1  category, including:  state grant funds, institutional

 2  matching contributions disaggregated by cash and in-kind

 3  services, and outside funding sources disaggregated by cash

 4  and in-kind services.

 5         (b)  The number of students participating by grade

 6  level, gender, race, and disability.

 7         (c)  The student identification number and social

 8  security number, if available, the name of the public school

 9  attended, and the gender, ethnicity, grade level, and grade

10  point average of each student participant at the time of entry

11  into the program.

12         (d)  The grade point average, grade, and promotion

13  status of each student participant at the end of the academic

14  year and notification of suspension or expulsion of a

15  participant, if applicable.

16         (e)  The number and percentage of high school

17  participants who satisfactorily complete 2 sequential years of

18  a foreign language and Levels 2 and 3 mathematics and science

19  courses.

20         (f)  The number and percentage of participants eligible

21  for high school graduation who receive a standard high school

22  diploma or a high school equivalency diploma pursuant to s.

23  229.814.

24         (g)  The number and percentage of 12th grade

25  participants who are accepted for enrollment and who enroll in

26  a postsecondary institution and the program of study in which

27  they are enrolled.

28         (h)  The number of participants who receive

29  scholarships, grant aid, and work-study awards.

30         (i)  The number and percentage of participants who

31  enroll in a public postsecondary institution and who fail to

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                                                   HOUSE AMENDMENT

                                                   Bill No. HB 323

    Amendment No.     (for drafter's use only)





 1  achieve a passing score, as defined in State Board of

 2  Education rule, on college placement tests pursuant to s.

 3  240.117.

 4         (j)  The number and percentage of participants who

 5  enroll in a postsecondary institution and have a minimum

 6  cumulative grade point average of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale, or its

 7  equivalent, by the end of the second semester.

 8         (k)  A statement of how the program addresses the three

 9  program goals identified in paragraph (3)(e).

10         (l)  A brief description and analysis of program

11  characteristics and activities critical to program success.

12         (m)  A description of the cooperation received from

13  other units, organizations, businesses, or agencies.

14         (n)  An explanation of the program's outcomes,

15  including data related to student performance on the measures

16  provided for in paragraph (3)(f).

17

18  The Postsecondary Education Planning Commission, in

19  consultation with the alliance and the Department of

20  Education, shall develop specifications and procedures for the

21  collection and transmission of the data.

22         (10)  By February 15 of each year, the alliance shall

23  submit to the Governor, the President of the Senate, the

24  Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the Commissioner

25  of Education a report that evaluates the effectiveness of the

26  College Fast Start Program. The report must be based upon

27  information provided by program participants, the Board of

28  Regents, the State Board of Community Colleges, and the

29  Division of Workforce Development pursuant to subsections (1)

30  and (7). To the extent feasible, the performance of College

31  Fast Start Program participants must be compared to the

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                                                   HOUSE AMENDMENT

                                                   Bill No. HB 323

    Amendment No.     (for drafter's use only)





 1  performance of comparable cohorts of students in public school

 2  and postsecondary education.

 3

 4

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

 6  And the title is amended as follows:

 7         On page 18, of the amendment

 8

 9  after "appropriation;" insert:

10         creating s. 239.515, F.S.; establishing the

11         College Fast Start Program; providing

12         legislative intent; defining terms; providing

13         procedures for application to participate in

14         the program; providing guidelines for program

15         approval; providing requirements for approved

16         programs; requiring an advisory council to

17         review proposals and recommend an order of

18         priority for funding; providing membership of

19         the advisory council; providing for funding of

20         the program; providing methodology for

21         competitive funding of approved programs;

22         providing requirements for the continuation of

23         funding for programs; requiring an interim

24         report to the Florida Governor's Alliance for

25         the Employment of Disabled Citizens; requiring

26         an annual end-of-the-year report to the

27         alliance; requiring the alliance and the

28         Postsecondary Education Planning Commission to

29         develop specifications and procedures for the

30         transmission of such data; requiring the

31         alliance to report to the Governor, the

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                                                   HOUSE AMENDMENT

                                                   Bill No. HB 323

    Amendment No.     (for drafter's use only)





 1         Legislature, and the Commissioner of Education

 2         annually on the effectiveness of the program;

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