| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to student financial assistance; creating |
| 3 | s. 1009.705, F.S.; creating the Innovation Florida |
| 4 | Scholarships for Developing High-Tech Jobs Program; |
| 5 | providing a matching grant program to award need-based |
| 6 | scholarships to students enrolled in certified degree |
| 7 | programs in targeted employment areas at Florida |
| 8 | postsecondary educational institutions; providing |
| 9 | definitions; providing for administration and funding of |
| 10 | the program; requiring annual reports and financial audits |
| 11 | of institutions receiving program funds; providing for |
| 12 | issuance of awards; providing student eligibility |
| 13 | requirements for initial and renewal awards; requiring a |
| 14 | paid internship program; providing an appropriation; |
| 15 | providing an effective date. |
| 16 |
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| 17 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 18 |
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| 19 | Section 1. Section 1009.705, Florida Statutes, is created |
| 20 | to read: |
| 21 | 1009.705 Innovation Florida Scholarships for Developing |
| 22 | High-Tech Jobs Program.-- |
| 23 | (1) This section may be cited as the "Innovation Florida |
| 24 | Scholarships for Developing High-Tech Jobs Act." |
| 25 | (2) The Innovation Florida Scholarships for Developing |
| 26 | High-Tech Jobs Program is created to provide need-based financial |
| 27 | assistance, beginning with the 2008-2009 academic year, to any |
| 28 | Florida high school graduate who merits recognition of high |
| 29 | academic achievement and who enrolls in a certified degree |
| 30 | program at an eligible Florida postsecondary educational |
| 31 | institution within 3 years after graduation from high school. The |
| 32 | program shall provide donors with a matching grant incentive for |
| 33 | contributions for scholarships to be awarded to students who |
| 34 | participate in the program. |
| 35 | (3) As used in this section: |
| 36 | (a) "Certified degree program" means a degree program that: |
| 37 | 1. Is certified by the Department of Education. |
| 38 | 2. Addresses the need for support of degree programs in |
| 39 | targeted employment areas. |
| 40 | 3. Includes an internship component as described in this |
| 41 | section. |
| 42 | (b) "Targeted employment" means employment in any of the |
| 43 | following business areas: |
| 44 | 1. Advanced manufacturing, including the following: |
| 45 | a. Automotive and electronics. |
| 46 | b. Aerospace technology. |
| 47 | c. Robotics. |
| 48 | d. Engineering design technology. |
| 49 | 2. Life sciences, including the following: |
| 50 | a. Orthopedics or medical devices. |
| 51 | b. Biomedical research or development. |
| 52 | c. Pharmaceutical manufacturing. |
| 53 | d. Agribusiness. |
| 54 | e. Nanotechnology or molecular manufacturing. |
| 55 | 3. Information technology, including the following: |
| 56 | a. Informatics. |
| 57 | b. Certified network administration. |
| 58 | c. Software development. |
| 59 | d. Fiber optics. |
| 60 | 4. High-technology logistics, including the following: |
| 61 | a. High-technology distribution. |
| 62 | b. Efficient and effective flow and storage of goods, |
| 63 | services, or information. |
| 64 | c. Intermodal ports. |
| 65 | (4) The Department of Education shall administer the |
| 66 | Innovation Florida Scholarships for Developing High-Tech Jobs |
| 67 | Program according to rules and procedures established by the |
| 68 | State Board of Education. The department must advertise the |
| 69 | availability of the program and notify students, teachers, |
| 70 | parents, guidance counselors, and principals or other relevant |
| 71 | school administrators of the criteria and application procedures. |
| 72 | The department must begin this process of notification no later |
| 73 | than January 1 annually. |
| 74 | (5)(a) Funds for the Innovation Florida Scholarships for |
| 75 | Developing High-Tech Jobs Program, appropriated annually by the |
| 76 | Legislature, shall be deposited in the State Student Financial |
| 77 | Assistance Trust Fund to match private contributions on a dollar- |
| 78 | for-dollar basis. Pledged contributions are not eligible for |
| 79 | matching prior to the actual collection of the total funds. The |
| 80 | department shall receive all funds collected from private sources |
| 81 | for the purposes of this section and deposit such funds in the |
| 82 | trust fund. The Chief Financial Officer shall authorize |
| 83 | expenditures from the trust fund upon receipt of vouchers |
| 84 | approved by the department. |
| 85 | (b) Notwithstanding s. 216.301 and pursuant to s. 216.351, |
| 86 | any balance in the trust fund at the end of any fiscal year that |
| 87 | has been allocated to the Innovation Florida Scholarships for |
| 88 | Developing High-Tech Jobs Program shall remain in the trust fund |
| 89 | and shall be available for carrying out the purposes of the |
| 90 | program. |
| 91 | (c) If funds are not adequate to provide the maximum |
| 92 | allowable award to each eligible applicant, awards must be |
| 93 | prorated to each eligible applicant using the same percentage |
| 94 | reduction. |
| 95 | (6) The department shall annually issue awards through the |
| 96 | program. Annual awards may be for up to 45 semester credit hours |
| 97 | or the equivalent per term for the amount of demonstrated unmet |
| 98 | need not to exceed an amount equal to the average prior academic |
| 99 | year cost of tuition, fees, and assigned books and supplies at |
| 100 | the postsecondary educational institution or such other amount as |
| 101 | specified in the General Appropriations Act. A demonstrated unmet |
| 102 | need of less than $100 shall render the applicant ineligible for |
| 103 | a scholarship. Before the registration period each semester or |
| 104 | term, the department shall transmit payment for each award to the |
| 105 | president or director of the postsecondary educational |
| 106 | institution, or his or her representative, except that the |
| 107 | department may withhold payment if the receiving institution |
| 108 | fails to report or to make refunds to the department as required |
| 109 | in this section. |
| 110 | (a) Within 30 days after the end of regular registration |
| 111 | each semester or term, the educational institution shall certify |
| 112 | to the department the eligibility status of each student who |
| 113 | receives an award. After the end of the drop and add period, an |
| 114 | institution is not required to reevaluate or revise a student's |
| 115 | eligibility status, but shall make a refund to the department if |
| 116 | a student who receives an award disbursement terminates |
| 117 | enrollment for any reason during an academic term and a refund is |
| 118 | permitted by the institution's refund policy. |
| 119 | (b) An institution that receives funds through the program |
| 120 | shall certify to the department the amount of funds disbursed to |
| 121 | each student and shall remit to the department any undisbursed |
| 122 | advances within 60 days after the end of regular registration. |
| 123 | (c) An institution that receives funds through this program |
| 124 | shall prepare an annual report that includes an annual financial |
| 125 | audit conducted by an independent certified public accountant or |
| 126 | the Auditor General. The report shall include an audit of the |
| 127 | institution's administration of the program and a complete |
| 128 | accounting of the funds for the program. The report must be |
| 129 | submitted to the department annually by March 1. The department |
| 130 | may conduct its own annual audit of an institution's |
| 131 | administration of the program. The department may request a |
| 132 | refund of any funds overpaid to the institution for the program |
| 133 | which must be remitted within 60 days after such request. The |
| 134 | department may suspend or revoke an institution's eligibility to |
| 135 | receive future funds for the program if the department finds that |
| 136 | an institution has not complied with this section. |
| 137 | (7)(a) A student enrolled in 6 to 8 semester credit hours |
| 138 | or the equivalent may receive up to one-half of the maximum |
| 139 | award; a student enrolled in 9 to 11 semester credit hours or the |
| 140 | equivalent may receive up to three-fourths of the maximum award; |
| 141 | and a student enrolled in 12 or more semester credit hours or the |
| 142 | equivalent may receive up to the full award. |
| 143 | (b) If a recipient transfers from one eligible institution |
| 144 | to another and continues to meet eligibility requirements, the |
| 145 | award must be transferred with the student. |
| 146 | (c) A student may use an award for summer-term enrollment |
| 147 | if funds are available. |
| 148 | (d) Funds from a scholarship may not be used to pay for |
| 149 | remedial or college-preparatory coursework. |
| 150 | (8) To be eligible for an initial award, a student must: |
| 151 | (a) Be a Florida resident as defined in s. 1009.40 and |
| 152 | rules of the State Board of Education. |
| 153 | (b) Earn a standard Florida high school diploma or its |
| 154 | equivalent as described in s. 1003.429, s. 1003.43, or s. |
| 155 | 1003.435 unless: |
| 156 | 1. The student is enrolled full-time in the early admission |
| 157 | program of an eligible postsecondary educational institution or |
| 158 | completes a home education program according to s. 1002.41; or |
| 159 | 2. The student earns a high school diploma from a non- |
| 160 | Florida school while living with a parent who is on military or |
| 161 | public service assignment away from Florida. |
| 162 | (c) Have achieved a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 |
| 163 | on a 4.0 scale or its equivalent in high school courses |
| 164 | designated by the Department of Education. |
| 165 | (d) Be accepted by and enroll in a Florida public or |
| 166 | independent postsecondary educational institution identified by |
| 167 | the Department of Education. |
| 168 | (e) Be enrolled for at least 6 semester credit hours or the |
| 169 | equivalent. |
| 170 | (f) Not have been found guilty of, or pled nolo contendere |
| 171 | to, a felony charge, unless the student has been granted clemency |
| 172 | by the Governor and Cabinet sitting as the Executive Office of |
| 173 | Clemency. |
| 174 | (g) Apply for a scholarship from the program by high school |
| 175 | graduation. |
| 176 | (9) A student is eligible to accept an initial award for 3 |
| 177 | years following high school graduation and to accept a renewal |
| 178 | award for 7 years following high school graduation. A student who |
| 179 | applies for an award by high school graduation and who meets all |
| 180 | other eligibility requirements, but who does not accept his or |
| 181 | her award, may reapply during subsequent application periods up |
| 182 | to 3 years after high school graduation. |
| 183 | (10) Eligibility for renewal awards shall be based on |
| 184 | continued academic achievement of a cumulative grade point |
| 185 | average of 2.75 on a 4.0 scale or its equivalent by the student |
| 186 | at the eligible institution, continued eligibility for financial |
| 187 | assistance pursuant to this section, and participation of the |
| 188 | student for at least one summer during the course of the |
| 189 | student's postsecondary education in an internship program that |
| 190 | is relevant to at least one of the targeted employment areas as |
| 191 | defined in this section. A student must work a minimum of 160 |
| 192 | hours during the summer internship. |
| 193 | (11) Employers must pay students in an internship program |
| 194 | the federal minimum wage. Employers with whom interns are placed |
| 195 | may receive $500 per student per summer. |
| 196 | Section 2. There is hereby appropriated from the General |
| 197 | Revenue Fund to the Department of Education for fiscal year 2008- |
| 198 | 2009 the sum of $30 million to implement the provisions of s. |
| 199 | 1009.705, Florida Statutes, as created by this act. |
| 200 | Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2007. |