1 | A bill to be entitled |
2 | An act relating to Bright Futures Scholarships; amending |
3 | s. 1009.53, F.S.; authorizing a student to use an award |
4 | from the Bright Futures Scholarship Program for enrollment |
5 | in a summer term; amending s. 1009.532, F.S.; authorizing |
6 | the Department of Education to reserve a student's award |
7 | if it is possible for the student to raise his or her |
8 | grade point average during the summer term; providing an |
9 | effective date. |
10 |
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11 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
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13 | Section 1. Subsection (9) of section 1009.53, Florida |
14 | Statutes, is amended to read: |
15 | 1009.53 Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program.-- |
16 | (9) A student may use an award for enrollment in a summer |
17 | term enrollment if funds are available. |
18 | Section 2. Paragraph (b) of subsection (1) of section |
19 | 1009.532, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: |
20 | 1009.532 Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program; |
21 | student eligibility requirements for renewal awards.-- |
22 | (1) To be eligible to renew a scholarship from any of the |
23 | three types of scholarships under the Florida Bright Futures |
24 | Scholarship Program, a student must: |
25 | (b) Maintain the cumulative grade point average required |
26 | by the scholarship program, except that: |
27 | 1. If a recipient's grades fall beneath the average |
28 | required to renew a Florida Academic Scholarship, but are |
29 | sufficient to renew a Florida Medallion Scholarship or a Florida |
30 | Gold Seal Vocational Scholarship, the Department of Education |
31 | may grant a renewal from one of those other scholarship |
32 | programs, if the student meets the renewal eligibility |
33 | requirements; |
34 | 2. If, at any time during the eligibility period, a |
35 | student's grades are insufficient to renew the scholarship, the |
36 | student may restore eligibility by improving the grade point |
37 | average to the required level. A student is eligible for such a |
38 | restoration one time. The Legislature encourages education |
39 | institutions to assist students to calculate whether or not it |
40 | is possible to raise the grade point average during the summer |
41 | term. If the institution determines that it is possible, the |
42 | education institution may so inform the department, which may |
43 | reserve the student's award if funds are available. The renewal, |
44 | however, must not be granted until the student achieves the |
45 | required cumulative grade point average. If the summer term is |
46 | not sufficient to raise the grade point average to the required |
47 | renewal level, the student's next opportunity for renewal is the |
48 | fall semester of the following academic year; or |
49 | 3. If a student is receiving a Florida Bright Futures |
50 | Scholarship, is a servicemember of the Florida National Guard or |
51 | United States Reserves while attending a postsecondary |
52 | institution, is called to active duty or state active duty, as |
53 | defined in s. 250.01, prior to completing his or her degree, and |
54 | meets all other requirements for the scholarship, the student |
55 | shall be eligible to continue the scholarship for 2 years after |
56 | completing active duty or state active duty. |
57 | Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2007. |