Senate Bill sb0918c1

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    Florida Senate - 2007                            CS for SB 918

    By the Committee on Higher Education; and Senator Wise





    589-2247-07

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to public postsecondary

  3         need-based student financial assistance;

  4         amending s. 1009.50, F.S.; providing that the

  5         Florida Public Student Assistance Grant Program

  6         is available to specified students in

  7         postsecondary career certificate programs;

  8         providing eligibility criteria for career

  9         certificate students; providing for transmittal

10         of grant payments to the district school

11         superintendent; amending s. 1009.77, F.S.;

12         providing that the Florida Work Experience

13         Program is available to students in specified

14         career education programs and educator

15         preparation institutes; lowering the percentage

16         of student wages that must be reimbursed to

17         employers; providing that participating

18         postsecondary educational institutions must pay

19         for specified preemployment expenses for

20         students employed with public schools;

21         prescribing student eligibility requirements;

22         providing an appropriation; providing an

23         effective date.

24  

25  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

26  

27         Section 1.  Subsection (2) and paragraph (b) of

28  subsection (4) of section 1009.50, Florida Statutes, are

29  amended to read:

30         1009.50  Florida Public Student Assistance Grant

31  Program; eligibility for grants.--

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    Florida Senate - 2007                            CS for SB 918
    589-2247-07




 1         (2)(a)1.  State student assistance grants through the

 2  program may be made only to:

 3         a.  Degree-seeking students who enroll in at least 6

 4  semester hours, or the equivalent per term, and who meet the

 5  general requirements for student eligibility as provided in s.

 6  1009.40, except as otherwise provided in this section.

 7         b.  Students enrolled in a public postsecondary career

 8  certificate program of 450 or more clock hours who meet the

 9  general requirements for student eligibility as provided in s.

10  1009.40, except as otherwise provided in this section.

11         2.  The grants shall be awarded annually for the amount

12  of demonstrated unmet need for the cost of education and may

13  not exceed an amount equal to the average prior academic year

14  cost of tuition fees and other registration fees for 30 credit

15  hours at state universities or such other amount as specified

16  in the General Appropriations Act, to any recipient. A

17  demonstrated unmet need of less than $200 renders shall render

18  the applicant ineligible for a state student assistance grant.

19  Recipients of the grants must have been accepted at a state

20  university or community college authorized by Florida law or a

21  career center operated by a district school board under s.

22  1001.44. A student is eligible for the award for 110 percent

23  of the number of credit hours required to complete the program

24  in which enrolled, except as otherwise provided in s.

25  1009.40(3).

26         (b)  Except as provided in paragraph (c), a student

27  applying for a Florida public student assistance grant is

28  shall be required to apply for the Pell Grant. The Pell Grant

29  entitlement shall be considered when conducting an assessment

30  of the financial resources available to each student.

31  

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    Florida Senate - 2007                            CS for SB 918
    589-2247-07




 1         (c)  A student under sub-subparagraph (a)1.b. applying

 2  for a Florida public student assistance grant is required to

 3  apply for the Pell Grant. A Pell Grant entitlement shall be

 4  considered when conducting an assessment of the financial

 5  resources available to the student; however, a Pell Grant

 6  entitlement is not required as a condition of receiving a

 7  grant under this section.

 8         (d)(c)  Priority in the distribution of grant moneys

 9  shall be given to students with the lowest total family

10  resources, in accordance with a nationally recognized system

11  of need analysis. Using the system of need analysis, the

12  department shall establish a maximum expected family

13  contribution. An institution may not make a grant from this

14  program to a student whose expected family contribution

15  exceeds the level established by the department.  An

16  institution may not impose additional criteria to determine a

17  student's eligibility to receive a grant award.

18         (e)(d)  Each participating institution shall report, to

19  the department by the established date, the eligible students

20  to whom grant moneys are disbursed each academic term. Each

21  institution shall also report to the department necessary

22  demographic and eligibility data for such students.

23         (4)

24         (b)  Payment of Florida public student assistance

25  grants shall be transmitted to the president of the state

26  university or community college or to the district school

27  superintendent, or to the designee thereof his or her

28  representative, in advance of the registration period.

29  Institutions shall notify students of the amount of their

30  awards.

31  

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    Florida Senate - 2007                            CS for SB 918
    589-2247-07




 1         Section 2.  Section 1009.77, Florida Statutes, is

 2  amended to read:

 3         1009.77  Florida Work Experience Program.--

 4         (1)  There is established the Florida Work Experience

 5  Program to be administered by the Department of Education. The

 6  purpose of the program is to introduce eligible students to

 7  work experience that will complement and reinforce their

 8  educational program and career goals and provide a self-help

 9  student aid program. The Such program shall be available to:

10         (a)  Any student attending a state university or

11  community college authorized by Florida law; or

12         (b)  Any student attending a nonprofit Florida

13  postsecondary education institution that is eligible to

14  participate in either of the student assistance grant programs

15  established in ss. 1009.51 and 1009.52;.

16         (c)  Any postsecondary student attending a career

17  center operated by a district school board under s. 1001.44;

18  or

19         (d)  Any student attending an educator preparation

20  institute established under s. 1004.85. The student may

21  participate in this program despite having previously earned a

22  baccalaureate degree.

23         (2)(a)  A participating institution may use up to 25

24  percent of its program allocation for student employment

25  within the institution.

26         (b)  A participating institution may use up to 10

27  percent of its program allocation for program administration.

28         (3)  Each participating institution is authorized to

29  enter into contractual agreements with private or public

30  employers for the purpose of establishing a Florida work

31  experience program.

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    Florida Senate - 2007                            CS for SB 918
    589-2247-07




 1         (4)  The participating postsecondary educational

 2  institution shall be responsible for reimbursing employers for

 3  student wages from moneys it receives from the trust fund

 4  under pursuant to subsection (9) (8).  Public elementary or

 5  secondary school employers shall be reimbursed for 100 percent

 6  of the student's wages by the participating institution.  All

 7  other employers shall be reimbursed for up to 70 percent of

 8  the student's wages.  When a college or university employs a

 9  student on campus through this program, other student

10  financial aid funds may not be used to fund the institution's

11  30-percent portion of the student's wages.

12         (5)  The employer is responsible for furnishing the

13  full cost of any mandatory benefits.  Such benefits may not be

14  considered part of the 30-percent wage requirement total for

15  matching purposes.

16         (6)  Each participating postsecondary educational

17  institution is responsible for furnishing the full cost of all

18  preemployment requirements, including, but not limited to,

19  background screenings and tuberculosis testing, which are

20  necessary for a student to be employed by a public elementary

21  or secondary school employer. Expenditures under this

22  subsection shall be paid from the funds received by the

23  participating postsecondary educational institution from the

24  trust fund under subsection (9).

25         (7)(6)  A student is eligible to participate in the

26  Florida Work Experience Program if the student:

27         (a)  Is enrolled:

28         1.  At an eligible college or university as no less

29  than a half-time undergraduate student in good standing;.

30         2.  In an eligible postsecondary career education

31  program as no less than a half-time student in good standing.

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    Florida Senate - 2007                            CS for SB 918
    589-2247-07




 1  Eligible programs must be approved by the Department of

 2  Education and must consist of no less than 450 clock hours of

 3  instruction. Such programs must be offered by a career center

 4  operated by a district school board under s. 1001.44 or a

 5  community college; or

 6         3.  At an educator preparation institute established

 7  under s. 1004.85 as no less than a half-time student in good

 8  standing.

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10  However, a student may be employed during the break between

11  two consecutive terms or employed, although not enrolled,

12  during a term if the student was enrolled at least half time

13  during the preceding term and preregisters as no less than a

14  half-time student for the subsequent academic term.  A student

15  who attends an institution that does not provide

16  preregistration shall provide documentation of intent to

17  enroll as no less than a half-time student for the subsequent

18  academic term.

19         (b)  Meets the general requirements for student

20  eligibility as provided in s. 1009.40, except as otherwise

21  provided in this section.

22         (c)  Demonstrates financial need.

23         (d)  Maintains a 2.0 cumulative grade point average on

24  a 4.0 scale for all postsecondary college work.

25         (8)(7)  The State Board of Education shall adopt

26  prescribe such rules for the program as are necessary for its

27  administration, for the determination of eligibility and

28  selection of institutions to receive funds for students, to

29  ensure the proper expenditure of funds, and to provide an

30  equitable distribution of funds between students at public and

31  independent colleges and universities.

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    Florida Senate - 2007                            CS for SB 918
    589-2247-07




 1         (9)(8)  Funds appropriated by the Legislature for the

 2  Florida Work Experience Program must shall be deposited in the

 3  State Student Financial Assistance Trust Fund. The Chief

 4  Financial Officer shall authorize expenditures from the trust

 5  fund upon receipt of vouchers approved by the Department of

 6  Education. Any balance remaining therein at the end of any

 7  fiscal year that has been allocated to the program shall

 8  remain therein and shall be available for carrying out the

 9  purposes of the program.

10         Section 3.  For the 2007-2008 fiscal year, the sum of

11  $500,000 in recurring funds is appropriated from the General

12  Revenue Fund to the Florida Work Experience Program to fund

13  participation by postsecondary career education students

14  enrolled at a community college or career center operated by a

15  district school board under s. 1001.44, Florida Statutes, and

16  by students enrolled in an educator preparation institute

17  under s. 1004.85, Florida Statutes.

18         Section 4.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2007.

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    Florida Senate - 2007                            CS for SB 918
    589-2247-07




 1          STATEMENT OF SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES CONTAINED IN
                       COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
 2                         Senate Bill 918

 3                                 

 4  The Committee Substitute:

 5  Amends the eligibility criteria for the Florida Public Student
    Assistance Grant Program to include students enrolled in a
 6  public postsecondary career certificate program of 450 or more
    clock hours at a community college or a career center operated
 7  by a district school board;

 8  Requires students participating in the public postsecondary
    career certificate program who apply for the Florida Public
 9  Student Assistance Grant Program to apply for a Pell grant;
    and
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    Requires each participating postsecondary educational
11  institution in the Florida Work Experience Program to furnish
    the full cost of all pre-employment requirements such as
12  background screening and tuberculosis testing and specifies
    that the funds for these services will come from the State
13  Student Financial Aid Trust Fund.

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