Florida Senate - 2009 COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
Bill No. CS for SB 1696
Barcode 218526
LEGISLATIVE ACTION
Senate . House
Comm: RCS .
04/07/2009 .
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The Policy and Steering Committee on Ways and Means (Lynn)
recommended the following:
1 Senate Amendment (with title amendment)
2
3 Delete lines 453 - 490
4 and insert:
5 semester of any funds received for courses dropped by a student
6 or courses from which a student has withdrawn after the end of
7 the drop and add period, unless the student has been granted an
8 exception by the department pursuant to subsection (11) if a
9 student who receives an award disbursement terminates enrollment
10 for any reason during an academic term and a refund is permitted
11 by the institution’s refund policy.
12 (11) Funds for any scholarship within the Florida Bright
13 Futures Scholarship Program may not be used to pay for courses
14 dropped after the end of the drop and add period. However, a
15 student who receives an award under this program and
16 subsequently drops one or more courses or withdraws from all
17 courses after the end of the drop and add period due to a
18 verifiable illness or other emergency may be granted an
19 exception, unless the institution’s policy is to refund the cost
20 of the courses. The student must make a written appeal for such
21 exception to the institution. The appeal must include a
22 description and verification of the circumstances. Verification
23 of illness or other emergency may include, but not be limited
24 to, a physician’s statement or the written statement of a parent
25 or institution official. The institution shall recommend the
26 exceptions and necessary documentation to the department. The
27 department may accept or reject the institution’s
28 recommendations. The department shall notify eligible recipients
29 of the provisions of this subsection. Each institution shall
30 notify award recipients of the provisions of this subsection
31 during the registration process.
32 Section 10. Paragraph (a) of subsection (1) of section
33 1009.532, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
34 1009.532 Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program;
35 student eligibility requirements for renewal awards.—
36 (1) To be eligible to renew a scholarship from any of the
37 three types of scholarships under the Florida Bright Futures
38 Scholarship Program, a student must:
39 (a) Complete at least 24 12 semester credit hours or the
40 equivalent in the last academic year in which the student earned
41 a scholarship if the student was enrolled full time, or a
42 prorated number of credit hours as determined by the Department
43 of Education if the student was enrolled less than full time for
44 any part of the academic year. If a student fails to earn the
45 minimum number of hours required to renew the scholarship, the
46 student shall lose his or her eligibility for renewal for a
47 period equivalent to 1 academic year. Such student is eligible
48 to restore the award the following academic year if the student
49 earns the hours for which he or she was enrolled at the level
50 defined by the department and meets the grade point average for
51 renewal. A student is eligible for such restoration one time.
52 This paragraph also applies to students who were enrolled and
53 funded in the 2008-2009 academic year. The department shall
54 notify eligible recipients of the provisions of this paragraph.
55 Each institution shall notify award recipients of the provisions
56 of this paragraph during the registration process.
57
58 ================= T I T L E A M E N D M E N T ================
59 And the title is amended as follows:
60 Delete lines 55 - 59
61 and insert:
62 courses dropped by a student or courses from which a
63 student has withdrawn after the end of the drop and
64 add period; providing exceptions; prohibiting the use
65 of funds for any scholarship within the program for
66 courses dropped after the end of the drop and add
67 period; providing an exception for verifiable illness
68 or other emergency, unless the institution has a
69 refund policy; requiring a written appeal for such
70 exception; providing requirements for such appeal;
71 requiring that the Department of Education notify
72 eligible recipients of such policies; requiring that
73 each institution notify award recipients of such
74 policies during the registration process; amending s.
75 1009.532, F.S.; revising the requirements for student
76 eligibility to renew a scholarship under the Florida
77 Bright Futures Scholarship Program; providing that a
78 student will lose his or her eligibility for renewal
79 of the scholarship for 1 academic year if such student
80 fails to earn the minimum number of hours required to
81 renew; providing eligibility criteria for such student
82 to restore the award; requiring that the department
83 notify eligible recipients of such policies; requiring
84 that each institution notify award recipients of such
85 policies during the registration process; amending s.