| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to postsecondary student fees; amending s. |
| 3 | 1009.25, F.S.; clarifying an exemption from fee |
| 4 | requirements provided for a student who is or was at the |
| 5 | time he or she reached 18 years of age in the custody of a |
| 6 | relative under the Relative Caregiver Program or who was |
| 7 | adopted from the Department of Children and Family |
| 8 | Services after a specified date; providing that certain |
| 9 | exemptions include fees associated with enrollment in |
| 10 | career-preparatory instruction; deleting an exemption |
| 11 | associated with completion of the college-level |
| 12 | communication and computation skills testing program; |
| 13 | providing that the exemptions remain valid for a specified |
| 14 | time; providing an effective date. |
| 15 |
|
| 16 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 17 |
|
| 18 | Section 1. Subsection (2) of section 1009.25, Florida |
| 19 | Statutes, is amended to read: |
| 20 | 1009.25 Fee exemptions.- |
| 21 | (2) The following students are exempt from the payment of |
| 22 | tuition and fees, including lab fees, at a school district that |
| 23 | provides postsecondary career programs, community college, or |
| 24 | state university: |
| 25 | (a) A student enrolled in a dual enrollment or early |
| 26 | admission program pursuant to s. 1007.27 or s. 1007.271. |
| 27 | (b) A student enrolled in an approved apprenticeship |
| 28 | program, as defined in s. 446.021. |
| 29 | (c) A student who is or was at the time he or she reached |
| 30 | 18 years of age in the custody of the Department of Children and |
| 31 | Family Services or a relative under s. 39.5085, who is adopted |
| 32 | from the Department of Children and Family Services after May 5, |
| 33 | 1997, or who, after spending at least 6 months in the custody of |
| 34 | the department after reaching 16 years of age, was placed in a |
| 35 | guardianship by the court. Such exemption includes fees |
| 36 | associated with enrollment in career-preparatory instruction and |
| 37 | completion of the college-level communication and computation |
| 38 | skills testing program. Such an exemption is available to any |
| 39 | student who was in the custody of a relative under s. 39.5085 at |
| 40 | the time he or she reached 18 years of age or was adopted from |
| 41 | the Department of Children and Family Services after May 5, |
| 42 | 1997; however, The exemption remains valid until the student |
| 43 | reaches 28 years of age for no more than 4 years after the date |
| 44 | of graduation from high school. |
| 45 | (d) A student who is or was at the time he or she reached |
| 46 | 18 years of age in the custody of a relative under s. 39.5085 or |
| 47 | who was adopted from the Department of Children and Family |
| 48 | Services after May 5, 1997. Such exemption includes fees |
| 49 | associated with enrollment in career-preparatory instruction. |
| 50 | The exemption remains valid until the student reaches 28 years |
| 51 | of age. |
| 52 | (e)(d) A student enrolled in an employment and training |
| 53 | program under the welfare transition program. The regional |
| 54 | workforce board shall pay the state university, community |
| 55 | college, or school district for costs incurred for welfare |
| 56 | transition program participants. |
| 57 | (f)(e) A student who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate |
| 58 | nighttime residence or whose primary nighttime residence is a |
| 59 | public or private shelter designed to provide temporary |
| 60 | residence for individuals intended to be institutionalized, or a |
| 61 | public or private place not designed for, or ordinarily used as, |
| 62 | a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings. |
| 63 | (g)(f) A student who is a proprietor, owner, or worker of |
| 64 | a company whose business has been at least 50 percent negatively |
| 65 | financially impacted by the buy-out of property around Lake |
| 66 | Apopka by the State of Florida. Such a student may receive a fee |
| 67 | exemption only if the student has not received compensation |
| 68 | because of the buy-out, the student is designated a Florida |
| 69 | resident for tuition purposes, pursuant to s. 1009.21, and the |
| 70 | student has applied for and been denied financial aid, pursuant |
| 71 | to s. 1009.40, which would have provided, at a minimum, payment |
| 72 | of all student fees. The student is responsible for providing |
| 73 | evidence to the postsecondary education institution verifying |
| 74 | that the conditions of this paragraph have been met, including |
| 75 | supporting support documentation provided by the Department of |
| 76 | Revenue. The student must be currently enrolled in, or begin |
| 77 | coursework within, a program area by fall semester 2000. The |
| 78 | exemption is valid for a period of 4 years after from the date |
| 79 | that the postsecondary education institution confirms that the |
| 80 | conditions of this paragraph have been met. |
| 81 | Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2010. |