House Bill hb0459e1

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                                        CS/HB 459, First Engrossed



  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.; providing eligibility

  5         requirements for students who enter the

  6         military service; providing for reinstatement

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

  8         providing for Florida Bright Futures

  9         Scholarship awards for students attending

10         United States military service academies;

11         providing for the issuance of warrants;

12         providing an effective date.

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

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

17  Florida Statutes, is amended to read:

18         240.40201  Florida Bright Futures Scholarship

19  Program.--

20         (1)  The Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program is

21  created to establish a lottery-funded scholarship program to

22  reward any Florida high school graduate who merits recognition

23  of high academic achievement and who enrolls in an eligible

24  Florida public or private postsecondary education institution

25  within 3 years of graduation from high school. However,

26  students who enter the military service within 7 years

27  following high school graduation shall have their Bright

28  Futures Scholarship eligibility extended for 7 years after the

29  student ends active military duty, provided the student was

30  discharged or released from active duty under conditions other

31  than dishonorable.


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                                        CS/HB 459, First Engrossed



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

  2  Florida Statutes, is amended to read:

  3         240.40202  Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program;

  4  student eligibility requirements for initial awards.--

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

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

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

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

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

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

11  Reinstatement applications must be received by the deadline

12  established by the Department of Education reapply during

13  subsequent application periods up to 3 years after high school

14  graduation.

15         Section 3.  Section 240.40215, Florida Statutes, is

16  created to read:

17         240.40215  Florida Bright Futures Scholarship

18  recipients attending United States military service

19  academies.--

20         (1)  Notwithstanding the provisions of ss.

21  240.40201-240.40209 relating to postsecondary education

22  institutions, a student who is otherwise eligible to receive

23  an award under the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program

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

25  Force Academy, the U.S. Military Academy, the U.S. Naval

26  Academy, the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, or the U.S. Merchant

27  Marine Academy shall receive a fixed award calculated by using

28  the average matriculation and fee calculation for full-time

29  attendance at a public postsecondary education institution at

30  the comparable level.

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                                        CS/HB 459, First Engrossed



  1         (2)  Upon verification by the Department of Education

  2  that the student is enrolled in a United States military

  3  service academy and meets the eligibility requirements for

  4  receipt of an award, the Comptroller shall issue an individual

  5  warrant made payable to the student and mailed by the

  6  Department of Education to the United States military service

  7  academy in which the student is enrolled.

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

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