House Bill hb0463e1

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                                        CS/HB 463, First Engrossed



  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to the Florida Prepaid College

  3         Program; amending s. 240.551, F.S.; revising

  4         the accreditation requirements for independent

  5         college or university eligibility purposes;

  6         clarifying that the amount of benefits

  7         transferred to an eligible independent college

  8         or university, an eligible out-of-state college

  9         or university, an applied technology diploma

10         program, or a vocational certificate program or

11         refunded to a purchaser shall not exceed the

12         redemption value of the advance payment

13         contract at a state postsecondary institution;

14         providing for a rollover of benefits to a

15         college savings program at the redemption value

16         of the advance payment contract at a state

17         postsecondary institution; revising provisions

18         relating to appointment of directors of the

19         direct-support organization; providing an

20         effective date.

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

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24         Section 1.  Subsection (10) and paragraphs (a), (b),

25  and (c) of subsection (13) of section 240.551, Florida

26  Statutes, are amended, and paragraph (f) is added to

27  subsection (13) of said section, to read:

28         Section 2.  Subsection (10), paragraphs (b) and (c) of

29  subsection (13), and paragraph (e) of subsection (22) of

30  section 240.551, Florida Statutes, are

31         240.551  Florida Prepaid College Program.--


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                                        CS/HB 463, First Engrossed



  1         (10)  TRANSFER OF BENEFITS TO PRIVATE AND OUT-OF-STATE

  2  COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES AND TO AREA TECHNICAL CENTERS.--A

  3  qualified beneficiary may apply the benefits of an advance

  4  payment contract toward:

  5         (a)  Any eligible independent college or university. An

  6  independent college or university that is located and

  7  chartered in Florida, that is not for profit, that is

  8  accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern

  9  Association of Colleges and Schools or the Accrediting Council

10  for Commission of the Association of Independent Colleges and

11  Schools, and that confers degrees as defined in s. 246.021, is

12  eligible for such application. The board shall transfer, or

13  cause to have transferred, to the eligible independent college

14  or university designated by the qualified beneficiary an

15  amount not to exceed the redemption value of the advance

16  payment contract at within a state postsecondary institution.

17  If the cost of registration or housing fees at the independent

18  college or university is less than the corresponding fees at a

19  state postsecondary institution, the amount transferred shall

20  not exceed the actual cost of registration or housing fees. A

21  transfer authorized under this paragraph may not exceed the

22  number of semester credit hours or semesters of dormitory

23  residence contracted on behalf of a qualified beneficiary.

24         (b)  An eligible out-of-state college or university. An

25  out-of-state college or university that is not for profit and

26  is accredited by a regional accrediting association, and that

27  confers degrees, is eligible for such application. The board

28  shall transfer, or cause to have transferred, an amount not to

29  exceed the redemption value of the advance payment contract at

30  a state postsecondary institution or the original purchase

31  price plus 5 percent compounded interest, whichever is less,


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                                        CS/HB 463, First Engrossed



  1  after assessment of a reasonable transfer fee. If the cost of

  2  registration or housing fees charged the qualified beneficiary

  3  at the eligible out-of-state college or university is less

  4  than this calculated amount, the amount transferred shall not

  5  exceed the actual cost of registration or housing fees. Any

  6  remaining amount shall be transferred in subsequent semesters

  7  until the transfer value is depleted. A transfer authorized

  8  under this paragraph may not exceed the number of semester

  9  credit hours or semesters of dormitory residence contracted on

10  behalf of a qualified beneficiary.

11         (c)  An applied technology diploma program or

12  vocational certificate program conducted by a community

13  college listed in s. 240.3031 or an area technical center

14  operated by a district school board. The board shall transfer

15  or cause to be transferred to the community college or area

16  technical center designated by the qualified beneficiary an

17  amount not to exceed the redemption value of the advance

18  payment contract at within a state postsecondary institution.

19  If the cost of the fees charged by the college or center, as

20  authorized in s. 239.117, is less than the corresponding fees

21  at a state postsecondary institution, the amount transferred

22  may not exceed the actual cost of the fees. A transfer

23  authorized under this paragraph may not exceed the number of

24  semester credit hours contracted on behalf of a qualified

25  beneficiary.

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27  Notwithstanding any other provision in this section, an

28  institution must be an "eligible educational institution"

29  under s. 529 of the Internal Revenue Code to be eligible for

30  the transfer of advance payment contract benefits.

31         (13)  REFUNDS.--


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                                        CS/HB 463, First Engrossed



  1         (a)  Except as provided in paragraphs (b), and (c), and

  2  (f), no refund shall exceed the amount paid into the fund by

  3  the purchaser.

  4         (b)  If the beneficiary is awarded a scholarship, the

  5  terms of which cover the benefits included in the advance

  6  payment contracts, moneys paid for the purchase of the advance

  7  payment contracts shall be refunded returned to the purchaser

  8  in semester installments coinciding with the matriculation by

  9  the beneficiary in an amount which, in total, does not exceed

10  the redemption value of the advance payment contract at a

11  state postsecondary institution amounts of either the original

12  purchase price plus 5 percent compounded interest, or the

13  current rates at state postsecondary institutions, whichever

14  is less.

15         (c)  In the event of the death or total disability of

16  the beneficiary, moneys paid for the purchase of advance

17  payment contracts shall be refunded returned to the purchaser

18  in an amount not to exceed the redemption value of the advance

19  payment contract at a state postsecondary institution together

20  with 5 percent compounded interest, or the current rates at

21  state postsecondary institutions, whichever is less.

22         (f)  Benefits purchased under the Florida Prepaid

23  College Program shall be permitted to roll over to a college

24  savings program, as defined under s. 529 of the United States

25  Internal Revenue Code, relating to qualified state tuition

26  programs. The board shall transfer, or cause to have

27  transferred, an amount not to exceed the redemption value of

28  the advance payment contract at a state postsecondary

29  institution in Florida at the time of the rollover, after

30  assessment of a reasonable transfer fee.

31         (22)  DIRECT-SUPPORT ORGANIZATION; AUTHORITY.--


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                                        CS/HB 463, First Engrossed



  1         (e)  The chair and the executive director of the board

  2  shall be directors of the direct-support organization and

  3  shall jointly name, at a minimum, three other individuals to

  4  serve as directors of the organization.

  5         Section 3.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2001.

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