House Bill hb0459e2

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                                   CS/HB 459, Second Engrossed/ntc



  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, Second Engrossed/ntc



  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)  Except as otherwise provided in s. 240.40201(1), a

  6  student is eligible to accept an initial award for 3 years

  7  following high school graduation and to accept a renewal award

  8  for 7 years following high school graduation. A student who

  9  applies for an award by April 1 and who meets all other

10  eligibility requirements, but who does not accept his or her

11  award, may apply for reinstatement of the award. Reinstatement

12  applications must be received by the deadline established by

13  the Department of Education reapply during subsequent

14  application periods up to 3 years after high school

15  graduation.

16         Section 3.  Section 240.40215, Florida Statutes, is

17  created to read:

18         240.40215  Florida Bright Futures Scholarship

19  recipients attending United States military service

20  academies.--

21         (1)  Notwithstanding the provisions of ss.

22  240.40201-240.40209 relating to postsecondary education

23  institutions, a student who is otherwise eligible to receive

24  an award under the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program

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

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

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

28  Marine Academy shall receive a fixed award calculated by using

29  the average matriculation and fee calculation for full-time

30  attendance at a public postsecondary education institution at

31  the comparable level.


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                                   CS/HB 459, Second Engrossed/ntc



  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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