House Bill hb0459

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    Florida House of Representatives - 2002                 HB 459

        By Representative Kilmer






  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to the Florida Bright Futures

  3         Scholarship Program; amending ss. 240.40201 and

  4         240.40202, F.S.; revising eligibility

  5         requirements; providing eligibility

  6         requirements for students who enter the

  7         military service; providing for reinstatement

  8         of awards; creating s. 240.40215, F.S.;

  9         providing for Florida Bright Futures

10         Scholarship awards for students attending

11         United States military service academies;

12         providing for the issuance of warrants;

13         providing that the receipt of awards shall be

14         retroactive under certain conditions; providing

15         for repeal; providing an effective date.

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

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19         Section 1.  Subsection (1) of section 240.40201,

20  Florida Statutes, is amended to read:

21         240.40201  Florida Bright Futures Scholarship

22  Program.--

23         (1)  The Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program is

24  created to establish a lottery-funded scholarship program to

25  reward any Florida high school graduate who merits recognition

26  of high academic achievement and who enrolls in an eligible

27  Florida public or private postsecondary education institution

28  within 7 3 years of graduation from high school. Regardless of

29  the year in which the student first receives scholarship

30  funding, all eligibility shall end 7 years after high school

31  graduation; however, students who enter the military service

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    Florida House of Representatives - 2002                 HB 459

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  1  within 7 years following high school graduation shall have

  2  their Bright Futures Scholarship eligibility extended for 7

  3  years after the student ends active military duty.

  4         Section 2.  Subsection (2) of section 240.40202,

  5  Florida Statutes, is amended to read:

  6         240.40202  Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program;

  7  student eligibility requirements for initial awards.--

  8         (2)  A student is eligible to accept an initial award

  9  for 3 years following high school graduation and to accept a

10  renewal award for 7 years following high school graduation. A

11  student who applies for an award by April 1 and who meets all

12  other eligibility requirements, but who does not accept his or

13  her award, may apply for reinstatement of the award.

14  Reinstatement applications must be received by the deadline

15  established by the Department of Education reapply during

16  subsequent application periods up to 3 years after high school

17  graduation.

18         Section 3.  Section 240.40215, Florida Statutes, is

19  created to read:

20         240.40215  Florida Bright Futures Scholarship

21  recipients attending United States military service

22  academies.--

23         (1)(a)  Notwithstanding the provisions of ss.

24  240.40201-240.40209 relating to postsecondary education

25  institutions, a student who is otherwise eligible to receive

26  an award under the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program,

27  who is accepted and enrolls as a student in the U.S. Air Force

28  Academy, the U.S. Military Academy, the U.S. Naval Academy,

29  the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, or the U.S. Merchant Marine

30  Academy, shall receive a fixed award calculated by using the

31  average matriculation and fee calculation for full-time

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    Florida House of Representatives - 2002                 HB 459

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  1  attendance at a public postsecondary education institution at

  2  the comparable level.

  3         (b)  Upon verification by the Florida Department of

  4  Education that the student is enrolled in a United States

  5  military service academy and meets the eligibility

  6  requirements for receipt of an award, the Comptroller shall

  7  issue an individual warrant made payable to the student and

  8  mailed by the Department of Education to the United States

  9  military service academy in which the student is enrolled.

10         (2)(a)  Any student who met the criteria for a Florida

11  Bright Futures Scholarship award in the 1997-1998, 1998-1999,

12  1999-2000, 2000-2001, or 2001-2002 school year, and who

13  enrolled as a student in a United States military service

14  academy, shall retroactively receive the Florida Bright

15  Futures Scholarship award amounts calculated pursuant to

16  subsection (1) for each year the student was eligible.

17  Notwithstanding the provisions of s. 240.40202, students shall

18  be eligible for the retroactive receipt of this award by

19  applying to the Florida Department of Education by July 1,

20  2003.

21         (b)  Upon verification by the Florida Department of

22  Education that a student was enrolled for any of the years

23  listed in paragraph (a) in a United States military service

24  academy and met the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship

25  eligibility requirements for receipt of an award, the

26  Comptroller shall issue an individual warrant made payable to

27  the student and mailed by the Florida Department of Education

28  to the student.

29         (c)  This subsection is repealed effective July 1,

30  2003.

31         Section 4.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2002.

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    Florida House of Representatives - 2002                 HB 459

    718-135A-02






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  2                          HOUSE SUMMARY

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      With respect to the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship
  4    Program, revises eligibility requirements and provides
      for awards to students attending United States military
  5    service academies.

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