Florida Senate - 2007 SENATOR AMENDMENT
Bill No. CS for CS for SB 918
Barcode 715002
CHAMBER ACTION
Senate House
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04/26/2007 05:43 PM .
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11 Senator Wise moved the following amendment:
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13 Senate Amendment (with title amendment)
14 On page 1, between lines 20 and 21,
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16 insert:
17 Section 1. Subsection (1) of section 1009.40, Florida
18 Statutes, is amended to read:
19 1009.40 General requirements for student eligibility
20 for state financial aid.--
21 (1)(a) The general requirements for eligibility of
22 students for state financial aid awards consist of the
23 following:
24 1. Achievement of the academic requirements of and
25 acceptance at a state university or community college; a
26 nursing diploma school approved by the Florida Board of
27 Nursing; a Florida college, university, or community college
28 which is accredited by an accrediting agency recognized by the
29 State Board of Education; any Florida institution the credits
30 of which are acceptable for transfer to state universities;
31 any career center; or any private career institution
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Florida Senate - 2007 SENATOR AMENDMENT
Bill No. CS for CS for SB 918
Barcode 715002
1 accredited by an accrediting agency recognized by the State
2 Board of Education.
3 2. Residency in this state for no less than 1 year
4 preceding the award of aid for a program established pursuant
5 to s. 1009.50, s. 1009.505, s. 1009.51, s. 1009.52, s.
6 1009.53, s. 1009.54, s. 1009.56, s. 1009.57, s. 1009.60, s.
7 1009.62, s. 1009.63, s. 1009.68, s. 1009.72, s. 1009.73, s.
8 1009.76, s. 1009.77, or s. 1009.89. Residency in this state
9 must be for purposes other than to obtain an education.
10 Resident status for purposes of receiving state financial aid
11 awards shall be determined in the same manner as resident
12 status for tuition purposes pursuant to s. 1009.21 and rules
13 of the State Board of Education.
14 3. Submission of certification attesting to the
15 accuracy, completeness, and correctness of information
16 provided to demonstrate a student's eligibility to receive
17 state financial aid awards. Falsification of such information
18 shall result in the denial of any pending application and
19 revocation of any award currently held to the extent that no
20 further payments shall be made. Additionally, students who
21 knowingly make false statements in order to receive state
22 financial aid awards shall be guilty of a misdemeanor of the
23 second degree subject to the provisions of s. 837.06 and shall
24 be required to return all state financial aid awards
25 wrongfully obtained.
26 (b)1. Eligibility for the renewal of undergraduate or
27 career certificate financial aid awards shall be evaluated at
28 the end of the second semester or third quarter of each
29 academic year. As a condition for renewal, a student shall:
30 a. Have earned a minimum cumulative grade point
31 average of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale; and
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Florida Senate - 2007 SENATOR AMENDMENT
Bill No. CS for CS for SB 918
Barcode 715002
1 b. Have earned, for undergraduate full-time study, 12
2 credits per term or the equivalent for the number of terms for
3 which aid was received or have earned, for career certificate
4 study, at least the equivalent in clock hours of 6 semester
5 credit hours per term or the equivalent for the number of
6 terms for which aid was received.
7 2. A student who earns the minimum number of credits
8 required for renewal, but who fails to meet the minimum 2.0
9 cumulative grade point average, may be granted a probationary
10 award for up to the equivalent of 1 academic year and shall be
11 required to earn a cumulative grade point average of 2.0 on a
12 4.0 scale by the end of the probationary period to be eligible
13 for subsequent renewal. A student who receives a probationary
14 award and who fails to meet the conditions for renewal by the
15 end of his or her probationary period shall be ineligible to
16 receive additional awards for the equivalent of 1 academic
17 year following his or her probationary period. Each such
18 student may, however, reapply for assistance during a
19 subsequent application period and may be eligible for an award
20 if he or she has earned a cumulative grade point average of
21 2.0 on a 4.0 scale.
22 3. A student who fails to earn the minimum number of
23 credits required for renewal shall lose his or her eligibility
24 for renewal for a period equivalent to 1 academic year.
25 However, the student may reapply during a subsequent
26 application period and may be eligible for an award if he or
27 she has earned a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.0
28 on a 4.0 scale.
29 4. Students who receive state student aid and
30 subsequently fail to meet state academic progress requirements
31 due to verifiable illness or other emergencies may be granted
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Florida Senate - 2007 SENATOR AMENDMENT
Bill No. CS for CS for SB 918
Barcode 715002
1 an exception from the academic requirements. Such students
2 shall make a written appeal to the institution. The appeal
3 shall include a description and verification of the
4 circumstances. Verification of illness or other emergencies
5 may include but not be limited to a physician's statement or
6 written statement of a parent or college official. The
7 institution shall recommend exceptions with necessary
8 documentation to the department. The department may accept or
9 deny such recommendations for exception from the institution.
10 Section 2. Section 1009.505, Florida Statutes, is
11 created to read:
12 1009.505 Florida Public Postsecondary Career Education
13 Student Assistance Grant Program.--
14 (1) There is created a Florida Public Postsecondary
15 Career Education Student Assistance Grant Program. The program
16 shall be administered by the participating institutions in
17 accordance with rules of the State Board of Education.
18 (2) For purposes of this section, the term:
19 (a) "Average annual cost of tuition and registration
20 fees" means the average cost for the prior academic year of
21 tuition and registration fees for the equivalent in clock
22 hours at a public postsecondary career certificate program of
23 30 semester credit hours at a state university.
24 (b) "Half-time" means the equivalent in clock hours at
25 a public postsecondary career certificate program of 6
26 semester credit hours at a community college.
27 (c) "Public postsecondary career certificate program"
28 means a postsecondary program that consists of 450 or more
29 clock hours, is offered by a community college authorized by
30 Florida law or by a career center operated by a district
31 school board under s. 1001.44, and terminates in a career
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Florida Senate - 2007 SENATOR AMENDMENT
Bill No. CS for CS for SB 918
Barcode 715002
1 certificate.
2 (3)(a) Student assistance grants through the program
3 may be made only to certificate-seeking students enrolled at
4 least half-time in a public postsecondary career certificate
5 program who meet the general requirements for student
6 eligibility as provided in s. 1009.40, except as otherwise
7 provided in this section. The grants shall be awarded annually
8 to any recipient for the amount of demonstrated unmet need for
9 the cost of education and may not exceed the average annual
10 cost of tuition and registration fees or such other amount as
11 specified in the General Appropriations Act. A demonstrated
12 unmet need of less than $200 shall render the applicant
13 ineligible for a grant under this section. Recipients of the
14 grants must have been accepted at a community college
15 authorized by Florida law or a career center operated by a
16 district school board under s. 1001.44. A student is eligible
17 for the award for 110 percent of the number of clock hours
18 required to complete the program in which enrolled.
19 (b) A student applying for a Florida public
20 postsecondary career education student assistance grant shall
21 be required to apply for the Pell Grant. A Pell Grant
22 entitlement shall be considered when conducting an assessment
23 of the financial resources available to each student; however,
24 a Pell Grant entitlement shall not be required as a condition
25 of receiving a grant under this section.
26 (c) Each participating institution shall report, to
27 the department by the established date, the eligible students
28 to whom grant moneys are disbursed each academic term. Each
29 institution shall also report to the department necessary
30 demographic and eligibility data for such students.
31 (4)(a) The funds appropriated for the Florida Public
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Florida Senate - 2007 SENATOR AMENDMENT
Bill No. CS for CS for SB 918
Barcode 715002
1 Postsecondary Career Education Student Assistance Grant
2 Program shall be distributed to eligible community colleges
3 and district school boards in accordance with a formula
4 approved by the department.
5 (b) Payment of Florida public postsecondary career
6 education student assistance grants shall be transmitted to
7 the president of the community college or to the district
8 school superintendent, or to the designee thereof, in advance
9 of the registration period. Institutions shall notify students
10 of the amount of their awards.
11 (c) The eligibility status of each student to receive
12 a disbursement shall be determined by each institution as of
13 the end of its regular registration period, inclusive of a
14 drop-add period. Institutions shall not be required to
15 reevaluate a student's eligibility status after this date for
16 purposes of changing eligibility determinations previously
17 made.
18 (d) Participating institutions shall certify to the
19 department the amount of funds disbursed to each student and
20 shall remit to the department any undisbursed advances by June
21 1 of each year.
22 (5) The State Board of Education shall establish rules
23 necessary to implement this section.
24 (6) This section shall be implemented only to the
25 extent specifically funded and authorized by law.
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27 (Redesignate subsequent sections.)
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30 ================ T I T L E A M E N D M E N T ===============
31 And the title is amended as follows:
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Florida Senate - 2007 SENATOR AMENDMENT
Bill No. CS for CS for SB 918
Barcode 715002
1 On page 1, line 3, after the semicolon,
2
3 insert:
4 amending s. 1009.40, F.S.; requiring state
5 residency for a public postsecondary career
6 education student assistance grant; revising
7 eligibility criteria for the renewal of
8 specified financial aid awards; creating s.
9 1009.505 F.S.; creating the Florida Public
10 Postsecondary Career Education Student
11 Assistance Grant Program; providing for program
12 administration; defining terms; providing that
13 grants are available to specified students in
14 specified postsecondary career certificate
15 programs; providing for annual grant amounts;
16 providing eligibility criteria for career
17 certificate students; requiring reporting by
18 participating institutions; providing for
19 distribution of appropriated funds; providing
20 for transmittal of grant payments to community
21 college presidents or district school
22 superintendents; providing for period of
23 eligibility; requiring participating
24 institutions to certify amounts disbursed to
25 students; requiring the State Board of
26 Education to adopt rules; providing that the
27 program shall only be implemented to the extent
28 funded and authorized by law;
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