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





                                                  SENATE AMENDMENT

    Bill No. CS/CS/HBs 63 & 77 and 891, 995, 2009 and 2135, 2nd Eng.

    Amendment No.    

                            CHAMBER ACTION
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11  Senator Cowin moved the following amendment:

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13         Senate Amendment (with title amendment) 

14         On page 144, between lines 16 and 17,

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16  insert:

17         Section 65.  Paragraphs (a) and (e) of subsection (3)

18  of section 240.4063, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:

19         240.4063  Florida Teacher Scholarship and Forgivable

20  Loan Program.--

21         (3)(a)  Within the Florida Teacher Scholarship and

22  Forgivable Loan Program shall be established the Florida

23  Critical Teacher Shortage Forgivable Loan Program which shall

24  make undergraduate and graduate forgivable loans available to

25  eligible students entering programs of study that lead to a

26  degree in a teaching program in a critical teacher shortage

27  area.  To be eligible for a program loan, a candidate shall:

28         1.  Be a full-time student at the upper-division

29  undergraduate or graduate level in a teacher training program

30  approved by the department pursuant to s. 240.529 leading to

31  certification in a critical teacher shortage subject area.

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                                                  SENATE AMENDMENT

    Bill No. CS/CS/HBs 63 & 77 and 891, 995, 2009 and 2135, 2nd Eng.

    Amendment No.    





 1         2.  Have declared an intent to teach, for at least the

 2  number of years for which a forgivable loan is received, in

 3  publicly funded public elementary or secondary schools of

 4  Florida in a critical teacher shortage area identified by the

 5  State Board of Education. For purposes of this subsection a

 6  school is publicly funded if it receives at least 75 percent

 7  of its operating costs from governmental agencies and operates

 8  its educational program under contract with a public school

 9  district or the Department of Education.

10         3.  Meet the general requirements for student

11  eligibility as provided in s. 240.404, except as otherwise

12  provided in this section.

13         4.  If applying for an undergraduate forgivable loan,

14  have maintained a minimum cumulative grade point average of

15  2.5 on a 4.0 scale for all undergraduate work.  Renewal

16  applicants for undergraduate loans shall maintain a minimum

17  cumulative grade point average of at least a 2.5 on a 4.0

18  scale for all undergraduate work and have earned at least 12

19  semester credits per term, or the equivalent.

20         5.  If applying for a graduate forgivable loan, have

21  maintained an undergraduate cumulative grade point average of

22  at least a 3.0 on a 4.0 scale or have attained a Graduate

23  Record Examination score of at least 1,000. Renewal applicants

24  for graduate loans shall maintain a minimum cumulative grade

25  point average of at least a 3.0 on a 4.0 scale for all

26  graduate work and have earned at least 9 semester credits per

27  term, or the equivalent.

28         (e)  The State Board of Education shall adopt by rule

29  repayment schedules and applicable interest rates under ss.

30  240.451 and 240.465. A forgivable loan must be repaid within

31  10 years of completion of a program of studies.

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                                                  SENATE AMENDMENT

    Bill No. CS/CS/HBs 63 & 77 and 891, 995, 2009 and 2135, 2nd Eng.

    Amendment No.    





 1         1.  Credit for repayment of an undergraduate or

 2  graduate forgivable loan shall be in an amount not to exceed

 3  $4,000 in loan principal plus applicable accrued interest for

 4  each full year of eligible teaching service. However, credit

 5  in an amount not to exceed $8,000 in loan principal plus

 6  applicable accrued interest shall be given for each full year

 7  of eligible teaching service completed at a high-density,

 8  low-economic urban school or at a low-density, low-economic

 9  rural school, as identified by the State Board of Education.

10         2.  Any forgivable loan recipient who fails to teach in

11  a publicly funded public elementary or secondary school in

12  this state as specified in this subsection is responsible for

13  repaying the loan plus accrued interest at 8 percent annually.

14         3.  Forgivable loan recipients may receive loan

15  repayment credit for teaching service rendered at any time

16  during the scheduled repayment period. However, such repayment

17  credit shall be applicable only to the current principal and

18  accrued interest balance that remains at the time the

19  repayment credit is earned.  No loan recipient shall be

20  reimbursed for previous cash payments of principal and

21  interest.

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23  (Redesignate subsequent sections.)

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

27  And the title is amended as follows:

28         On page 11, line 21, following the semicolon

29

30  insert:

31         amending s. 240.4063, F.S.; defining the term

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                                                  SENATE AMENDMENT

    Bill No. CS/CS/HBs 63 & 77 and 891, 995, 2009 and 2135, 2nd Eng.

    Amendment No.    





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