1 | A bill to be entitled |
2 | An act relating to the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship |
3 | Program; amending s. 1009.53, F.S.; revising the Florida |
4 | Bright Futures Scholarship Program beginning with initial |
5 | awards to students for the 2011 fall term; amending s. |
6 | 1009.531, F.S., relating to student eligibility |
7 | requirements for initial awards, to conform to changes |
8 | made by the act; updating a cross-reference to high school |
9 | graduation requirements; creating s. 1009.5315, F.S.; |
10 | providing that, for students receiving initial awards |
11 | beginning with the 2011 fall term, the Florida Bright |
12 | Futures Scholarship Program shall consist of five levels |
13 | of awards; specifying student eligibility requirements and |
14 | award amounts for each level of award; defining the term |
15 | "tuition and fees" for purposes of award amounts; |
16 | providing requirements for renewal of awards; amending s. |
17 | 1009.532, F.S., relating to student eligibility |
18 | requirements for renewal awards, to conform to changes |
19 | made by the act; amending s. 1009.538, F.S., relating to |
20 | the calculation of awards for students attending nonpublic |
21 | institutions, to conform to changes made by the act; |
22 | amending s. 1009.24, F.S., relating to state university |
23 | student fees, to conform to changes made by the act; |
24 | providing that the tuition differential shall be included |
25 | in the calculation of Florida Bright Futures Scholarship |
26 | Program award amounts beginning with initial awards to |
27 | students for the 2011 fall term; providing an effective |
28 | date. |
29 |
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30 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
31 |
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32 | Section 1. Subsections (2) and (3), paragraph (a) of |
33 | subsection (4), and subsection (7) of section 1009.53, Florida |
34 | Statutes, are amended to read: |
35 | 1009.53 Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program.- |
36 | (2) The Bright Futures Scholarship Program consists of |
37 | three types of awards: the Florida Academic Scholarship, the |
38 | Florida Medallion Scholarship, and the Florida Gold Seal |
39 | Vocational Scholarship. Beginning with initial awards for the |
40 | 2011 fall term, the Bright Futures Scholarship Program consists |
41 | of five levels of Florida Bright Futures Scholarships. |
42 | (3) The Department of Education shall administer the |
43 | Bright Futures Scholarship Program according to rules and |
44 | procedures established by the State Board of Education. A single |
45 | application must be sufficient for a student to apply for any of |
46 | the three types of awards or for any of the five levels of |
47 | awards beginning with initial awards for the 2011 fall term. The |
48 | department must advertise the availability of the scholarship |
49 | program and must notify students, teachers, parents, guidance |
50 | counselors, and principals or other relevant school |
51 | administrators of the criteria and application procedures. The |
52 | department must begin this process of notification no later than |
53 | January 1 of each year. |
54 | (4) Funding for the Bright Futures Scholarship Program |
55 | must be allocated from the Education Enhancement Trust Fund and |
56 | must be provided before allocations from that fund are |
57 | calculated for disbursement to other educational entities. |
58 | (a) If funds appropriated are not adequate to provide the |
59 | maximum allowable award to each eligible applicant, awards in |
60 | all three components of the program or in all five levels of the |
61 | program beginning with initial awards for the 2011 fall term |
62 | must be prorated using the same percentage reduction. |
63 | (7) A student may receive only one type or level of award |
64 | from the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program at a time, |
65 | but may transfer from one type or level of award to another |
66 | through the renewal application process, if the student's |
67 | eligibility status changes. However, a student is not eligible |
68 | to transfer from a Florida Medallion Scholarship or a Florida |
69 | Gold Seal Vocational Scholarship to a Florida Academic |
70 | Scholarship. A student who receives an award from the program |
71 | may also receive a federal family education loan or a federal |
72 | direct loan, and the value of the award must be considered in |
73 | the certification or calculation of the student's loan |
74 | eligibility. |
75 | Section 2. Subsections (1), (4), and (5) of section |
76 | 1009.531, Florida Statutes, are amended to read: |
77 | 1009.531 Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program; |
78 | student eligibility requirements for initial awards.- |
79 | (1) Effective January 1, 2008, In order to be eligible for |
80 | an initial award from any of the three types of scholarships or |
81 | for an initial award beginning with the 2011 fall term from any |
82 | of the five levels of scholarships under the Florida Bright |
83 | Futures Scholarship Program, a student must: |
84 | (a) Be a Florida resident as defined in s. 1009.40 and |
85 | rules of the State Board of Education. |
86 | (b) Earn a standard Florida high school diploma or its |
87 | equivalent as described in s. 1003.428, s. 1003.429, s. 1003.43, |
88 | or s. 1003.435 unless: |
89 | 1. The student completes a home education program |
90 | according to s. 1002.41; or |
91 | 2. The student earns a high school diploma from a non- |
92 | Florida school while living with a parent or guardian who is on |
93 | military or public service assignment away from Florida. |
94 | (c) Be accepted by and enroll in an eligible Florida |
95 | public or independent postsecondary education institution. |
96 | (d) Be enrolled for at least 6 semester credit hours or |
97 | the equivalent in quarter hours or clock hours. |
98 | (e) Not have been found guilty of, or entered a plea of |
99 | nolo contendere to, a felony charge, unless the student has been |
100 | granted clemency by the Governor and Cabinet sitting as the |
101 | Executive Office of Clemency. |
102 | (f) Apply for a scholarship from the program by high |
103 | school graduation. |
104 | (4) Each school district shall annually provide to each |
105 | high school student a complete and accurate Florida Bright |
106 | Futures Scholarship Evaluation Report and Key. The report shall |
107 | be disseminated at the beginning of each school year. The report |
108 | must include all high school coursework attempted, the number of |
109 | credits earned toward each type or level of award, and the |
110 | calculation of the grade point average for each type or level of |
111 | award. The report must also identify all requirements not met |
112 | per type or level of award, including the grade point average |
113 | requirement, as well as identify the types or levels of awards |
114 | for which the student has met the academic requirements. The |
115 | student report cards must contain a disclosure that the grade |
116 | point average calculated for purposes of the Florida Bright |
117 | Futures Scholarship Program may differ from the grade point |
118 | average on the report card. |
119 | (5) A student who wishes to qualify for a particular type |
120 | or level of award within the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship |
121 | Program, but who does not meet all of the requirements for that |
122 | type or level of award, may, nevertheless, receive the award for |
123 | that type or level if the principal of the student's school or |
124 | the district superintendent verifies that the deficiency is |
125 | caused by the fact that school district personnel provided |
126 | inaccurate or incomplete information to the student. The school |
127 | district must provide a means for the student to correct the |
128 | deficiencies and the student must correct them, either by |
129 | completing comparable work at the postsecondary institution or |
130 | by completing a directed individualized study program developed |
131 | and administered by the school district. If the student does not |
132 | complete the requirements by December 31 immediately following |
133 | high school graduation, the student is ineligible to participate |
134 | in the program. |
135 | Section 3. Section 1009.5315, Florida Statutes, is created |
136 | to read: |
137 | 1009.5315 Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program |
138 | awards.- |
139 | (1) For students receiving initial awards beginning with |
140 | the 2011 fall term, the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship |
141 | Program shall consist of five levels of awards. A student is |
142 | eligible for one of the five levels of awards if the student |
143 | meets the general eligibility requirements for the program under |
144 | s. 1009.531 and the requirements for one of the five levels as |
145 | follows: |
146 | (a) A Level I award requires that the student: |
147 | 1.a. Has achieved at least a 3.0 weighted grade point |
148 | average as calculated pursuant to s. 1009.531, or its |
149 | equivalent, in high school courses that are designated by the |
150 | State Board of Education as college preparatory academic courses |
151 | and has attained a score of at least 970 on the combined reading |
152 | and mathematics sections of the SAT Reasoning Test or an |
153 | equivalent score on the ACT Assessment Program; or |
154 | b. Has completed a college preparatory curriculum in a |
155 | home education program pursuant to s. 1002.41 during grades 11 |
156 | and 12 that has been documented through a transcript approved by |
157 | the Department of Education, has completed the International |
158 | Baccalaureate curriculum but failed to earn the International |
159 | Baccalaureate Diploma, or has completed the Advanced |
160 | International Certificate of Education curriculum but failed to |
161 | earn the Advanced International Certificate of Education |
162 | Diploma, and has attained a score of at least 970 on the |
163 | combined reading and mathematics sections of the SAT Reasoning |
164 | Test or an equivalent score on the ACT Assessment Program. |
165 | 2. Has completed a program of community service work, as |
166 | approved by the district school board or the administrators of a |
167 | nonpublic school, which shall include a minimum of 75 hours of |
168 | service work and require the student to identify a social |
169 | problem that interests him or her, develop a plan for his or her |
170 | personal involvement in addressing the problem, and, through |
171 | papers or other presentations, evaluate and reflect upon his or |
172 | her experience. |
173 | (b) A Level II award requires that the student: |
174 | 1.a. Has achieved at least a 3.5 weighted grade point |
175 | average as calculated pursuant to s. 1009.531, or its |
176 | equivalent, in high school courses that are designated by the |
177 | State Board of Education as college preparatory academic courses |
178 | and has attained a score of at least 1100 on the combined |
179 | reading and mathematics sections of the SAT Reasoning Test or an |
180 | equivalent score on the ACT Assessment Program; or |
181 | b. Has completed a college preparatory curriculum in a |
182 | home education program pursuant to s. 1002.41 during grades 11 |
183 | and 12 that has been documented through a transcript approved by |
184 | the Department of Education, has completed the International |
185 | Baccalaureate curriculum but failed to earn the International |
186 | Baccalaureate Diploma, or has completed the Advanced |
187 | International Certificate of Education curriculum but failed to |
188 | earn the Advanced International Certificate of Education |
189 | Diploma, and has attained a score of at least 1100 on the |
190 | combined reading and mathematics sections of the SAT Reasoning |
191 | Test or an equivalent score on the ACT Assessment Program. |
192 | 2. Has completed a program of community service work, as |
193 | approved by the district school board or the administrators of a |
194 | nonpublic school, which shall include a minimum of 75 hours of |
195 | service work and require the student to identify a social |
196 | problem that interests him or her, develop a plan for his or her |
197 | personal involvement in addressing the problem, and, through |
198 | papers or other presentations, evaluate and reflect upon his or |
199 | her experience. |
200 | (c) A Level III award requires that the student: |
201 | 1.a. Has achieved at least a 3.5 weighted grade point |
202 | average as calculated pursuant to s. 1009.531, or its |
203 | equivalent, in high school courses that are designated by the |
204 | State Board of Education as college preparatory academic courses |
205 | and has attained a score of at least 1200 on the combined |
206 | reading and mathematics sections of the SAT Reasoning Test or an |
207 | equivalent score on the ACT Assessment Program; or |
208 | b. Has completed a college preparatory curriculum in a |
209 | home education program pursuant to s. 1002.41 during grades 11 |
210 | and 12 that has been documented through a transcript approved by |
211 | the Department of Education, has completed the International |
212 | Baccalaureate curriculum but failed to earn the International |
213 | Baccalaureate Diploma, or has completed the Advanced |
214 | International Certificate of Education curriculum but failed to |
215 | earn the Advanced International Certificate of Education |
216 | Diploma, and has attained a score of at least 1200 on the |
217 | combined reading and mathematics sections of the SAT Reasoning |
218 | Test or an equivalent score on the ACT Assessment Program. |
219 | 2. Has completed a program of community service work, as |
220 | approved by the district school board or the administrators of a |
221 | nonpublic school, which shall include a minimum of 75 hours of |
222 | service work and require the student to identify a social |
223 | problem that interests him or her, develop a plan for his or her |
224 | personal involvement in addressing the problem, and, through |
225 | papers or other presentations, evaluate and reflect upon his or |
226 | her experience. |
227 | (d) A Level IV award requires that the student: |
228 | 1.a. Has achieved at least a 3.5 weighted grade point |
229 | average as calculated pursuant to s. 1009.531, or its |
230 | equivalent, in high school courses that are designated by the |
231 | State Board of Education as college preparatory academic courses |
232 | and has attained a score of at least 1300 on the combined |
233 | reading and mathematics sections of the SAT Reasoning Test or an |
234 | equivalent score on the ACT Assessment Program; |
235 | b. Has completed a college preparatory curriculum in a |
236 | home education program pursuant to s. 1002.41 during grades 11 |
237 | and 12 that has been documented through a transcript approved by |
238 | the Department of Education, has completed the International |
239 | Baccalaureate curriculum but failed to earn the International |
240 | Baccalaureate Diploma, or has completed the Advanced |
241 | International Certificate of Education curriculum but failed to |
242 | earn the Advanced International Certificate of Education |
243 | Diploma, and has attained a score of at least 1300 on the |
244 | combined reading and mathematics sections of the SAT Reasoning |
245 | Test or an equivalent score on the ACT Assessment Program; |
246 | c. Has been awarded an International Baccalaureate Diploma |
247 | from the International Baccalaureate Office or an Advanced |
248 | International Certificate of Education Diploma from the |
249 | University of Cambridge International Examinations Office; |
250 | d. Has been recognized by the merit or achievement |
251 | programs of the National Merit Scholarship Corporation as a |
252 | scholar or finalist; or |
253 | e. Has been recognized by the National Hispanic |
254 | Recognition Program as a scholar recipient. |
255 | 2. Has completed a program of community service work, as |
256 | approved by the district school board or the administrators of a |
257 | nonpublic school, which shall include a minimum of 75 hours of |
258 | service work and require the student to identify a social |
259 | problem that interests him or her, develop a plan for his or her |
260 | personal involvement in addressing the problem, and, through |
261 | papers or other presentations, evaluate and reflect upon his or |
262 | her experience. |
263 | (e) A Level V award requires that the student: |
264 | 1.a. Has achieved at least a 3.5 weighted grade point |
265 | average as calculated pursuant to s. 1009.531, or its |
266 | equivalent, in high school courses that are designated by the |
267 | State Board of Education as college preparatory academic courses |
268 | and has attained a score of at least 1400 on the combined |
269 | reading and mathematics sections of the SAT Reasoning Test or an |
270 | equivalent score on the ACT Assessment Program; |
271 | b. Has completed a college preparatory curriculum in a |
272 | home education program pursuant to s. 1002.41 during grades 11 |
273 | and 12 that has been documented through a transcript approved by |
274 | the Department of Education, has completed the International |
275 | Baccalaureate curriculum but failed to earn the International |
276 | Baccalaureate Diploma, or has completed the Advanced |
277 | International Certificate of Education curriculum but failed to |
278 | earn the Advanced International Certificate of Education |
279 | Diploma, and has attained a score of at least 1400 on the |
280 | combined reading and mathematics sections of the SAT Reasoning |
281 | Test or an equivalent score on the ACT Assessment Program; |
282 | c. Has been awarded an International Baccalaureate Diploma |
283 | from the International Baccalaureate Office or an Advanced |
284 | International Certificate of Education Diploma from the |
285 | University of Cambridge International Examinations Office and |
286 | has attained a score of at least 1400 on the combined reading |
287 | and mathematics sections of the SAT Reasoning Test or an |
288 | equivalent score on the ACT Assessment Program; |
289 | d. Has been recognized by the merit or achievement |
290 | programs of the National Merit Scholarship Corporation as a |
291 | scholar or finalist and has attained a score of at least 1400 on |
292 | the combined reading and mathematics sections of the SAT |
293 | Reasoning Test or an equivalent score on the ACT Assessment |
294 | Program; or |
295 | e. Has been recognized by the National Hispanic |
296 | Recognition Program as a scholar recipient and has attained a |
297 | score of at least 1400 on the combined reading and mathematics |
298 | sections of the SAT Reasoning Test or an equivalent score on the |
299 | ACT Assessment Program. |
300 | 2. Has completed a program of community service work, as |
301 | approved by the district school board or the administrators of a |
302 | nonpublic school, which shall include a minimum of 75 hours of |
303 | service work and require the student to identify a social |
304 | problem that interests him or her, develop a plan for his or her |
305 | personal involvement in addressing the problem, and, through |
306 | papers or other presentations, evaluate and reflect upon his or |
307 | her experience. |
308 | (2)(a) For purposes of this section, the term "tuition and |
309 | fees" includes the following fees to the extent assessed by a |
310 | community college or state university: |
311 | 1. Tuition. |
312 | 2. Financial aid fee. |
313 | 3. Activity and service fee. |
314 | 4. Health fee. |
315 | 5. Athletic fee. |
316 | 6. Capital improvement fee. |
317 | 7. Building fee. |
318 | 8. Transportation access fee. |
319 | 9. Student affairs facility use fee. |
320 | 10. Tuition differential fee. |
321 | (b) Beginning with Florida Bright Futures Scholarships |
322 | initially awarded for the 2011 fall term, the amount of awards |
323 | pursuant to subsection (1) shall be as follows: |
324 | 1. A Level I award shall pay 100 percent of the cost of |
325 | tuition and fees that a student incurs while enrolled in a |
326 | certificate, diploma, or associate degree program at a community |
327 | college or career center. A student who completes an associate |
328 | degree program is eligible for a Level II award for the cost of |
329 | tuition and fees for a baccalaureate degree program at a |
330 | community college, a state university, or a comparable eligible |
331 | independent postsecondary education institution pursuant to s. |
332 | 1009.533. |
333 | 2. A Level II award shall pay 25 percent of the cost of |
334 | tuition and fees that a student incurs while enrolled in a |
335 | baccalaureate degree program at a state university or a fixed |
336 | amount calculated according to s. 1009.538 at a comparable |
337 | eligible independent postsecondary education institution |
338 | pursuant to s. 1009.533. A student who is eligible for a Level |
339 | II award is eligible for a Level I award if the student enrolls |
340 | at a community college or career center. |
341 | 3. A Level III award shall pay 50 percent of the cost of |
342 | tuition and fees that a student incurs while enrolled in a |
343 | baccalaureate degree program at a state university or a fixed |
344 | amount calculated according to s. 1009.538 at a comparable |
345 | eligible independent postsecondary education institution |
346 | pursuant to s. 1009.533. A student who is eligible for a Level |
347 | III award is eligible for a Level I award if the student enrolls |
348 | at a community college or career center. |
349 | 4. A Level IV award shall pay 75 percent of the cost of |
350 | tuition and fees that a student incurs while enrolled in a |
351 | baccalaureate degree program at a state university or a fixed |
352 | amount calculated according to s. 1009.538 at a comparable |
353 | eligible independent postsecondary education institution |
354 | pursuant to s. 1009.533. A student who is eligible for a Level |
355 | IV award is eligible for a Level I award if the student enrolls |
356 | at a community college or career center. |
357 | 5. A Level V award shall pay 100 percent of the cost of |
358 | tuition and fees that a student incurs while enrolled in a |
359 | baccalaureate degree program at a state university or a fixed |
360 | amount calculated according to s. 1009.538 at a comparable |
361 | eligible independent postsecondary education institution |
362 | pursuant to s. 1009.533. A student who is eligible for a Level V |
363 | award is eligible for a Level I award if the student enrolls at |
364 | a community college or career center. |
365 | (3) To be eligible to renew any of the five levels of |
366 | awards, a student must maintain the equivalent of a cumulative |
367 | grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale and meet the |
368 | eligibility requirements for renewal under s. 1009.532. |
369 | Section 4. Subsection (1) of section 1009.532, Florida |
370 | Statutes, is amended to read: |
371 | 1009.532 Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program; |
372 | student eligibility requirements for renewal awards.- |
373 | (1) To be eligible to renew a scholarship from any of the |
374 | three types of scholarships or, beginning with initial awards |
375 | for the 2011 fall term, from any of the five levels of |
376 | scholarships under the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship |
377 | Program, a student must: |
378 | (a) Effective for students funded in the 2009-2010 |
379 | academic year and thereafter, earn at least 24 semester credit |
380 | hours or the equivalent in the last academic year in which the |
381 | student earned a scholarship if the student was enrolled full |
382 | time, or a prorated number of credit hours as determined by the |
383 | Department of Education if the student was enrolled less than |
384 | full time for any part of the academic year. If a student fails |
385 | to earn the minimum number of hours required to renew the |
386 | scholarship, the student shall lose his or her eligibility for |
387 | renewal for a period equivalent to 1 academic year. Such student |
388 | is eligible to restore the award the following academic year if |
389 | the student earns the hours for which he or she was enrolled at |
390 | the level defined by the department and meets the grade point |
391 | average for renewal. A student is eligible for such restoration |
392 | one time. The department shall notify eligible recipients of the |
393 | provisions of this paragraph. Each institution shall notify |
394 | award recipients of the provisions of this paragraph during the |
395 | registration process. |
396 | (b) Maintain the cumulative grade point average required |
397 | by the scholarship program, except that: |
398 | 1. If a recipient's grades fall beneath the average |
399 | required to renew a Florida Academic Scholarship, but are |
400 | sufficient to renew a Florida Medallion Scholarship or a Florida |
401 | Gold Seal Vocational Scholarship, the Department of Education |
402 | may grant a renewal from one of those other scholarship |
403 | programs, if the student meets the renewal eligibility |
404 | requirements; |
405 | 2. If, at any time during the eligibility period, a |
406 | student's grades are insufficient to renew the scholarship, the |
407 | student may restore eligibility by improving the grade point |
408 | average to the required level. A student is eligible for such a |
409 | restoration one time. The Legislature encourages education |
410 | institutions to assist students to calculate whether or not it |
411 | is possible to raise the grade point average during the summer |
412 | term. If the institution determines that it is possible, the |
413 | education institution may so inform the department, which may |
414 | reserve the student's award if funds are available. The renewal, |
415 | however, must not be granted until the student achieves the |
416 | required cumulative grade point average. If the summer term is |
417 | not sufficient to raise the grade point average to the required |
418 | renewal level, the student's next opportunity for renewal is the |
419 | fall semester of the following academic year; or |
420 | 3. If a student is receiving a Florida Bright Futures |
421 | Scholarship, is a servicemember of the Florida National Guard or |
422 | United States Reserves while attending a postsecondary |
423 | institution, is called to active duty or state active duty, as |
424 | defined in s. 250.01, prior to completing his or her degree, and |
425 | meets all other requirements for the scholarship, the student |
426 | shall be eligible to continue the scholarship for 2 years after |
427 | completing active duty or state active duty. |
428 | (c) Reimburse or make satisfactory arrangements to |
429 | reimburse the institution for the award amount received for |
430 | courses dropped after the end of the drop and add period or |
431 | courses from which the student withdraws after the end of the |
432 | drop and add period unless the student has received an exception |
433 | pursuant to s. 1009.53(11). |
434 | Section 5. Section 1009.538, Florida Statutes, is amended |
435 | to read: |
436 | 1009.538 Bright Futures Scholarship recipients attending |
437 | nonpublic institutions; calculation of awards.- |
438 | (1) Notwithstanding ss. 1009.53, 1009.534, 1009.535, and |
439 | 1009.536, a student who receives any award under the Florida |
440 | Bright Futures Scholarship Program, who is enrolled in a |
441 | nonpublic postsecondary education institution, and who is |
442 | assessed tuition and fees that are the same as those of a full- |
443 | time student at that institution, shall receive a fixed award |
444 | calculated by using the average tuition and fee calculation as |
445 | prescribed by the Department of Education for full-time |
446 | attendance at a public postsecondary education institution at |
447 | the comparable level. If the student is enrolled part-time and |
448 | is assessed tuition and fees at a reduced level, the award shall |
449 | be either one-half of the maximum award or three-fourths of the |
450 | maximum award, depending on the level of fees assessed. |
451 | (2) Notwithstanding ss. 1009.53 and 1009.5315, a student |
452 | who receives an initial award under the Florida Bright Futures |
453 | Scholarship Program beginning with the 2011 fall term, who is |
454 | enrolled in a nonpublic postsecondary education institution, and |
455 | who is assessed tuition and fees that are the same as those of a |
456 | full-time student at that institution shall receive a fixed |
457 | award calculated by using the average tuition and fee |
458 | calculation pursuant to s. 1009.5315 as prescribed by the |
459 | Department of Education for full-time attendance at a public |
460 | postsecondary education institution at the comparable level. If |
461 | the student is enrolled part-time and is assessed tuition and |
462 | fees at a reduced level, the award shall be either one-half of |
463 | the maximum award or three-fourths of the maximum award, |
464 | depending on the level of fees assessed. |
465 | Section 6. Paragraph (d) of subsection (4) and paragraph |
466 | (b) of subsection (16) of section 1009.24, Florida Statutes, are |
467 | amended to read: |
468 | 1009.24 State university student fees.- |
469 | (4) |
470 | (d) The sum of the activity and service, health, and |
471 | athletic fees a student is required to pay to register for a |
472 | course shall not exceed 40 percent of the tuition established in |
473 | law or in the General Appropriations Act. No university shall be |
474 | required to lower any fee in effect on the effective date of |
475 | this act in order to comply with this subsection. Within the 40 |
476 | percent cap, universities may not increase the aggregate sum of |
477 | activity and service, health, and athletic fees more than 5 |
478 | percent per year unless specifically authorized in law or in the |
479 | General Appropriations Act. A university may increase its |
480 | athletic fee to defray the costs associated with changing |
481 | National Collegiate Athletic Association divisions. Any such |
482 | increase in the athletic fee may exceed both the 40 percent cap |
483 | and the 5 percent cap imposed by this subsection. Any such |
484 | increase must be approved by the athletic fee committee in the |
485 | process outlined in subsection (12) and cannot exceed $2 per |
486 | credit hour. Notwithstanding the provisions of ss. 1009.534, |
487 | 1009.535, and 1009.536, that portion of any increase in an |
488 | athletic fee pursuant to this subsection that causes the sum of |
489 | the activity and service, health, and athletic fees to exceed |
490 | the 40 percent cap or the annual increase in such fees to exceed |
491 | the 5 percent cap shall not be included in calculating the |
492 | amount a student receives for a Florida Academic Scholars award, |
493 | a Florida Medallion Scholars award, or a Florida Gold Seal |
494 | Vocational Scholars award. Notwithstanding the provisions of s. |
495 | 1009.5315, that portion of any increase in an athletic fee |
496 | pursuant to this subsection that causes the sum of the activity |
497 | and service, health, and athletic fees to exceed the 40 percent |
498 | cap or the annual increase in such fees to exceed the 5 percent |
499 | cap shall not be included in calculating the amount a student |
500 | receives for a Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program award. |
501 | (16) Each university board of trustees may establish a |
502 | tuition differential for undergraduate courses upon receipt of |
503 | approval from the Board of Governors. The tuition differential |
504 | shall promote improvements in the quality of undergraduate |
505 | education and shall provide financial aid to undergraduate |
506 | students who exhibit financial need. |
507 | (b) Each tuition differential is subject to the following |
508 | conditions: |
509 | 1. The tuition differential may be assessed on one or more |
510 | undergraduate courses or on all undergraduate courses at a state |
511 | university. |
512 | 2. The tuition differential may vary by course or courses, |
513 | campus or center location, and by institution. Each university |
514 | board of trustees shall strive to maintain and increase |
515 | enrollment in degree programs related to math, science, high |
516 | technology, and other state or regional high-need fields when |
517 | establishing tuition differentials by course. |
518 | 3. For each state university that has total research and |
519 | development expenditures for all fields of at least $100 million |
520 | per year as reported annually to the National Science |
521 | Foundation, the aggregate sum of tuition and the tuition |
522 | differential may not be increased by more than 15 percent of the |
523 | total charged for the aggregate sum of these fees in the |
524 | preceding fiscal year. For each state university that has total |
525 | research and development expenditures for all fields of less |
526 | than $100 million per year as reported annually to the National |
527 | Science Foundation, the aggregate sum of tuition and the tuition |
528 | differential may not be increased by more than 15 percent of the |
529 | total charged for the aggregate sum of these fees in the |
530 | preceding fiscal year. |
531 | 4. The aggregate sum of undergraduate tuition and fees per |
532 | credit hour, including the tuition differential, may not exceed |
533 | the national average of undergraduate tuition and fees at 4-year |
534 | degree-granting public postsecondary educational institutions. |
535 | 5. The tuition differential may not be calculated as a |
536 | part of the scholarship programs established in ss. 1009.53- |
537 | 1009.538. However, beginning with initial awards for the 2011 |
538 | fall term under the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program, |
539 | the tuition differential shall be included in the calculation |
540 | for an award pursuant to ss. 1009.5315 and 1009.538. |
541 | 6. Beneficiaries having prepaid tuition contracts pursuant |
542 | to s. 1009.98(2)(b) which were in effect on July 1, 2007, and |
543 | which remain in effect, are exempt from the payment of the |
544 | tuition differential. |
545 | 7. The tuition differential may not be charged to any |
546 | student who was in attendance at the university before July 1, |
547 | 2007, and who maintains continuous enrollment. |
548 | 8. The tuition differential may be waived by the |
549 | university for students who meet the eligibility requirements |
550 | for the Florida public student assistance grant established in |
551 | s. 1009.50. |
552 | 9. Subject to approval by the Board of Governors, the |
553 | tuition differential authorized pursuant to this subsection may |
554 | take effect with the 2009 fall term. |
555 | Section 7. This act shall take effect July 1, 2010. |