Senate Bill sb1580
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Florida Senate - 2004 SB 1580
By Senator Aronberg
27-760-04
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.
15
16 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
17
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 graduate of a high school in this
27 state who merits recognition of high academic achievement and
28 who enrolls in a certified degree program at an eligible
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 - 2004 SB 1580
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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.
31
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Florida Senate - 2004 SB 1580
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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 cost of tuition, fees,
28 and assigned books and supplies for the prior academic year at
29 state universities or such other amount as specified in the
30 General Appropriations Act. A demonstrated unmet need of less
31 than $100 shall render the applicant ineligible for a
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1 scholarship. Before the registration period each semester, the
2 department shall transmit payment for each award to the
3 president or director of the postsecondary educational
4 institution, or his or her representative, except that the
5 department may withhold payment if the receiving institution
6 fails to report or to make refunds to the department as
7 required in this section.
8 (a) Within 30 days after the end of regular
9 registration each semester, the educational institution shall
10 certify to the department the eligibility status of each
11 student who receives an award. After the end of the drop and
12 add period, an institution is not required to reevaluate or
13 revise a student's eligibility status, but must make a refund
14 to the department if a student who receives an award
15 disbursement terminates enrollment for any reason during an
16 academic term and a refund is permitted by the institution's
17 refund policy.
18 (b) An institution that receives funds from the
19 program shall certify to the department the amount of funds
20 disbursed to each student and shall remit to the department
21 any undisbursed advances within 60 days after the end of
22 regular registration.
23 (c) Each institution that receives moneys through this
24 program shall prepare an annual report that includes an annual
25 financial audit conducted by an independent certified public
26 accountant or the Auditor General. The report must include an
27 audit of the institution's administration of the program and a
28 complete accounting of the moneys for the program. This report
29 must be submitted to the department annually by March 1. The
30 department may conduct its own annual audit of an
31 institution's administration of the program. The department
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1 may request a refund of any moneys overpaid to the institution
2 for the program. The department may suspend or revoke an
3 institution's eligibility to receive future moneys for the
4 program if the department finds that an institution has not
5 complied with this section. The institution must remit within
6 60 days any refund requested in accordance with this
7 subsection.
8 (7)(a) A student enrolled in 6 to 8 semester credit
9 hours may receive up to one-half of the maximum award; a
10 student enrolled in 9 to 11 credit hours may receive up to
11 three-fourths of the maximum award; and a student enrolled in
12 12 or more credit hours may receive up to the full award.
13 (b) If a recipient transfers from one eligible
14 institution to another and continues to meet eligibility
15 requirements, the award must be transferred with the student.
16 (c) A student may use an award for summer term
17 enrollment if funds are available.
18 (d) Funds from a scholarship may not be used to pay
19 for remedial or college-preparatory coursework.
20 (8) To be eligible for an initial award, a student
21 must:
22 (a) Be a resident of this state as defined in s.
23 1009.40 and rules of the State Board of Education.
24 (b) Earn a standard Florida high school diploma or its
25 equivalent as described in s. 1003.43 or s. 1003.45 unless:
26 1. The student is enrolled full-time in the early
27 admission program of an eligible postsecondary educational
28 institution or completes a home education program according to
29 s. 1002.41; or
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1 2. The student earns a high school diploma from an
2 out-of-state school while living with a parent who is on
3 military or public service assignment away from Florida.
4 (c) Have achieved a cumulative grade point average of
5 at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale or its equivalent in high school
6 courses designated by the Department of Education, unless the
7 student has attended a home education program according to s.
8 1002.41 during grades 11 and 12, in which case the student
9 must have attained at least the score identified by rules of
10 the Department of Education on the combined verbal and
11 quantitative parts of the Scholastic Aptitude Test, the
12 Scholastic Assessment Test, or the recentered Scholastic
13 Assessment Test of the College Entrance Examination, or an
14 equivalent score on the ACT Assessment Program.
15 (d) Be accepted by and enroll in a Florida public or
16 independent postsecondary educational institution identified
17 by the Department of Education.
18 (e) Be enrolled for at least 6 semester credit hours
19 or the equivalent in quarter hours or clock hours.
20 (f) Have not been convicted of a felony offense,
21 unless the student's civil rights have been restored by the
22 Governor and Cabinet sitting as the Board of Executive
23 Clemency. This paragraph does not apply to an offense for
24 which adjudication of guilt is withheld.
25 (g) Apply for a scholarship from the program by the
26 time of high school graduation.
27 (9) A student is eligible to accept an initial award
28 for 3 years following high school graduation and to accept a
29 renewal award for 7 years following high school graduation. A
30 student who applies for an award by the time of high school
31 graduation and who meets all other eligibility requirements,
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1 but who does not accept his or her award, may reapply during
2 subsequent application periods for 3 years after high school
3 graduation.
4 (10) Eligibility for renewal awards shall be based on
5 continued academic achievement of a cumulative grade point
6 average of at least 2.75 on a 4.0 scale or its equivalent by
7 the student at the eligible institution, continued eligibility
8 for financial assistance pursuant to this section, and
9 participation of the student for at least one summer during
10 the course of the student's postsecondary education in an
11 internship program that is relevant to at least one of the
12 areas of targeted employment as defined in this section. A
13 student must work a minimum of 160 hours during the summer
14 internship.
15 (11) A postsecondary educational institution with a
16 certified degree program may provide a grant to an employer
17 that hires a student in the certified degree program to work
18 in an area of targeted employment as part of a summer
19 internship program approved by the institution for wages paid
20 to the student, not to exceed $500 per student per summer. An
21 employer that receives a grant under this subsection must pay
22 each student in the internship program wages at a rate that is
23 at least 120 percent of the federal minimum wage.
24 (12) The State Board of Education shall adopt rules
25 under ss. 120.536(1) and 120.54 to administer this section.
26 Section 2. There is appropriated from the General
27 Revenue Fund to the Department of Education for fiscal year
28 2003-2004 the sum of $30 million to implement the provisions
29 of this act.
30 Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2004.
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Florida Senate - 2004 SB 1580
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2 SENATE SUMMARY
3 Creates the Innovation Florida Scholarships for
Developing High-Tech Jobs Program within the Department
4 of Education. Provides for need-based scholarships to be
awarded to high school graduates who enroll in degree
5 programs that support employment in areas of
high-technology. Provides requirements for educational
6 institutions that participate in the program. Provides
for the program to fund grants to employers that hire
7 students to work in internships in areas of targeted
employment. Requires the State Board of Education to
8 adopt rules to administer the program. (See bill for
details.)
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