Senate Bill sb1810c1
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Florida Senate - 2003 CS for SB 1810
By the Committee on Commerce, Economic Opportunities, and
Consumer Services; and Senator Aronberg
310-2365-03
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to student financial
3 assistance; creating s. 1009.892, F.S.;
4 creating the Innovation Florida Scholarships
5 for Developing High-Tech Jobs Program;
6 authorizing need-based scholarships for
7 students enrolled in certified degree programs
8 in targeted employment areas at Florida
9 postsecondary educational institutions;
10 providing for administration and funding of the
11 program; providing student eligibility
12 requirements for initial and renewal awards;
13 providing for the adoption of rules; providing
14 an appropriation; providing an effective date.
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16 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
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18 Section 1. Section 1009.892, Florida Statutes, is
19 created to read:
20 1009.892 Innovation Florida Scholarships for
21 Developing High-Tech Jobs Program.--
22 (1) This section may be cited as the "Innovation
23 Florida Scholarships for Developing High-Tech Jobs Act."
24 (2) The Innovation Florida Scholarships for Developing
25 High-Tech Jobs Program is created to provide need-based
26 financial assistance to any Florida high school graduate who
27 merits recognition of high academic achievement and who
28 enrolls in a certified degree program at an eligible Florida
29 postsecondary educational institution within 3 years after
30 graduation from high school.
31 (3) As used in this section, the term:
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Florida Senate - 2003 CS for SB 1810
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1 (a) "Certified degree program" means a degree program
2 that:
3 1. Is certified by the Department of Education.
4 2. Addresses the need for support of degree programs
5 in targeted employment areas.
6 3. Includes an internship component as described in
7 this section.
8 (b) "Targeted employment" means employment in any of
9 the following business areas:
10 1. Advanced manufacturing, including the following:
11 a. Automotive and electronics.
12 b. Aerospace technology.
13 c. Robotics.
14 d. Engineering design technology.
15 2. Life sciences, including the following:
16 a. Orthopedics or medical devices.
17 b. Biomedical research or development.
18 c. Pharmaceutical manufacturing.
19 d. Agribusiness.
20 e. Nanotechnology or molecular manufacturing.
21 3. Information technology, including the following:
22 a. Informatics.
23 b. Certified network administration.
24 c. Software development.
25 d. Fiber optics.
26 4. High-technology logistics, including the following:
27 a. High-technology distribution.
28 b. Efficient and effective flow and storage of goods,
29 services, or information.
30 c. Intermodal ports.
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Florida Senate - 2003 CS for SB 1810
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1 (4) The Department of Education shall administer the
2 Innovation Florida Scholarships for Developing High-Tech Jobs
3 Program according to rules and procedures established by the
4 State Board of Education. The department must advertise the
5 availability of the scholarship program and must notify
6 students, teachers, parents, guidance counselors, and
7 principals or other relevant school administrators of the
8 criteria and application procedures. The department must begin
9 this process of notification no later than January 1 of each
10 year.
11 (5) Funds for the Innovation Florida Scholarships for
12 Developing High-Tech Jobs Program shall be appropriated
13 annually in the General Appropriations Act.
14 (a) If funds appropriated are not adequate to provide
15 the maximum allowable award to each eligible applicant, awards
16 must be prorated to each eligible applicant using the same
17 percentage reduction.
18 (b) Notwithstanding s. 216.301, if all funds allocated
19 to the Innovative Florida Scholarships for Developing
20 High-Tech Jobs Program are not used in any fiscal year, up to
21 20 percent of the total allocation may be carried forward and
22 used for awards in the following year.
23 (6) The department shall issue awards from the
24 scholarship program annually. Annual awards may be for up to
25 45 semester credit hours or the equivalent for the amount of
26 demonstrated unmet need for the cost of education, not to
27 exceed an amount equal to the average prior academic year cost
28 of tuition, fees, and assigned books and supplies at state
29 universities or such other amount as specified in the General
30 Appropriations Act. A demonstrated unmet need of less than
31 $100 shall render the applicant ineligible for a scholarship.
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Florida Senate - 2003 CS for SB 1810
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1 Before the registration period each semester, the department
2 shall transmit payment for each award to the president or
3 director of the postsecondary educational institution, or his
4 or her representative, except that the department may withhold
5 payment if the receiving institution fails to report or to
6 make refunds to the department as required in this section.
7 (a) Within 30 days after the end of regular
8 registration each semester, the educational institution shall
9 certify to the department the eligibility status of each
10 student who receives an award. After the end of the drop and
11 add period, an institution is not required to reevaluate or
12 revise a student's eligibility status, but must make a refund
13 to the department if a student who receives an award
14 disbursement terminates enrollment for any reason during an
15 academic term and a refund is permitted by the institution's
16 refund policy.
17 (b) An institution that receives funds from the
18 program shall certify to the department the amount of funds
19 disbursed to each student and shall remit to the department
20 any undisbursed advances within 60 days after the end of
21 regular registration.
22 (c) Each institution that receives moneys through this
23 program shall prepare an annual report that includes an annual
24 financial audit conducted by an independent certified public
25 accountant or the Auditor General. The report shall include an
26 audit of the institution's administration of the program and a
27 complete accounting of the moneys for the program. This report
28 must be submitted to the department annually by March 1. The
29 department may conduct its own annual audit of an
30 institution's administration of the program. The department
31 may request a refund of any moneys overpaid to the institution
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Florida Senate - 2003 CS for SB 1810
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1 for the program. The department may suspend or revoke an
2 institution's eligibility to receive future moneys for the
3 program if the department finds that an institution has not
4 complied with this section. The institution must remit within
5 60 days any refund requested in accordance with this
6 subsection.
7 (7)(a) A student enrolled in 6 to 8 semester credit
8 hours may receive up to one-half of the maximum award; a
9 student enrolled in 9 to 11 credit hours may receive up to
10 three-fourths of the maximum award; and a student enrolled in
11 12 or more credit hours may receive up to the full award.
12 (b) If a recipient transfers from one eligible
13 institution to another and continues to meet eligibility
14 requirements, the award must be transferred with the student.
15 (c) A student may use an award for summer term
16 enrollment if funds are available.
17 (d) Funds from a scholarship may not be used to pay
18 for remedial or college-preparatory coursework.
19 (8) To be eligible for an initial award, a student
20 must:
21 (a) Be a Florida resident as defined in s. 1009.40 and
22 rules of the State Board of Education.
23 (b) Earn a standard Florida high school diploma or its
24 equivalent as described in s. 1003.43 or s. 1003.45 unless:
25 1. The student is enrolled full-time in the early
26 admission program of an eligible postsecondary educational
27 institution or completes a home education program according to
28 s. 1002.41; or
29 2. The student earns a high school diploma from a
30 non-Florida school while living with a parent who is on
31 military or public service assignment away from Florida.
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1 (c) Have achieved a cumulative grade point average of
2 at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale or its equivalent in high school
3 courses designated by the Department of Education, unless the
4 student has attended a home education program according to s.
5 1002.41 during grades 11 and 12, in which case the student
6 must have attained at least the score identified by rules of
7 the Department of Education on the combined verbal and
8 quantitative parts of the Scholastic Aptitude Test, the
9 Scholastic Assessment Test, or the recentered Scholastic
10 Assessment Test of the College Entrance Examination, or an
11 equivalent score on the ACT Assessment Program.
12 (d) Be accepted by and enroll in a Florida public or
13 independent postsecondary educational institution identified
14 by the Department of Education.
15 (e) Be enrolled for at least 6 semester credit hours
16 or the equivalent in quarter hours or clock hours.
17 (f) Have not been convicted of a felony offense,
18 unless the student's civil rights have been restored by the
19 Governor and Cabinet sitting as the Board of Executive
20 Clemency. This paragraph does not apply to an offense for
21 which adjudication of guilt is withheld.
22 (g) Apply for a scholarship from the program by high
23 school graduation.
24 (9) A student is eligible to accept an initial award
25 for 3 years following high school graduation and to accept a
26 renewal award for 7 years following high school graduation. A
27 student who applies for an award by high school graduation and
28 who meets all other eligibility requirements, but who does not
29 accept his or her award, may reapply during subsequent
30 application periods up to 3 years after high school
31 graduation.
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Florida Senate - 2003 CS for SB 1810
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1 (10) Eligibility for renewal awards shall be based on
2 continued academic achievement of a cumulative grade point
3 average of at least 2.75 on a 4.0 scale or its equivalent by
4 the student at the eligible institution, continued eligibility
5 for financial assistance pursuant to this section, and
6 participation of the student for at least one summer during
7 the course of the student's postsecondary education in an
8 internship program that is relevant to at least one of the
9 targeted employment areas as defined in this section. A
10 student must work a minimum of 160 hours during the summer
11 internship.
12 (11) A postsecondary educational institution with a
13 certified degree program may provide a grant to an employer in
14 targeted employment that hires a student in the certified
15 degree program as part of a summer internship program approved
16 by the institution for wages paid to the student, not to
17 exceed $500 per student per summer. An employer that receives
18 a grant under this subsection must pay each student in the
19 internship program wages at a rate that is at least 120
20 percent of the federal minimum wage.
21 (12) The State Board of Education shall adopt rules
22 under ss. 120.536(1) and 120.54 to administer this section.
23 Section 2. There is appropriated from the General
24 Revenue Fund to the Department of Education for fiscal year
25 2003-2004 the sum of $30 million to implement the provisions
26 of this act.
27 Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2003.
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Florida Senate - 2003 CS for SB 1810
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1 STATEMENT OF SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES CONTAINED IN
COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
2 Senate Bill 1810
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4 The committee substitute:
5 1) Clarifies that a student's demonstrated unmet need for
purposes of eligibility for scholarship awards relates to
6 the cost of education;
7 2) Exempts students in home education programs during 11th
and 12th grade from meeting minimum grade-point-average
8 requirements, but requires these home education students
to achieve minimum scores on standardized tests for
9 purposes of eligibility for scholarship awards;
10 3) Replaces a provision in the original bill, which
specifies that a student is ineligible for scholarship
11 awards if he or she is found guilty or pleads nolo
contendere to a felony unless the Governor and Cabinet
12 grant clemency, with a requirement that a student
convicted of a felony must have his or her civil rights
13 restored by the Governor and Cabinet to be eligible for a
scholarship award;
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4) Clarifies provisions authorizing a postsecondary
15 educational institution with a certified degree program
to provide grants to employers in targeted employment
16 which hire students in the certified degree program as
part of a summer internship program approved by the
17 institution;
18 5) Clarifies that employers receiving grants must pay each
student in the internship program wages of at least 120
19 percent of the federal minimum wage; and
20 6) Grants rulemaking authority to the State Board of
Education to implement the scholarship program.
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