| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to the First Generation Matching Grant |
| 3 | Program; amending s. 1009.701, F.S.; authorizing certain |
| 4 | independent colleges and universities to participate in |
| 5 | the program; requiring the institutions to raise specified |
| 6 | funds before the Office of Student Financial Assistance |
| 7 | may reserve a proportionate allocation for the |
| 8 | institutions; providing for implementation; providing an |
| 9 | effective date. |
| 10 |
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| 11 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 12 |
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| 13 | Section 1. Subsections (1), (2), and (4), paragraph (c) of |
| 14 | subsection (5), and subsection (9) of section 1009.701, Florida |
| 15 | Statutes, are amended to read: |
| 16 | 1009.701 First Generation Matching Grant Program.- |
| 17 | (1) The First Generation Matching Grant Program is created |
| 18 | to enable each state university and each independent college or |
| 19 | university accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the |
| 20 | Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to provide donors |
| 21 | with a matching grant incentive for contributions that will |
| 22 | create grant-based student financial aid for undergraduate |
| 23 | students who demonstrate financial need and whose parents, as |
| 24 | defined in s. 1009.21(1), have not earned a baccalaureate |
| 25 | degree. In the case of any individual who regularly resided with |
| 26 | and received support from only one parent, an individual whose |
| 27 | only such parent did not complete a baccalaureate degree would |
| 28 | also be eligible. |
| 29 | (2) Funds appropriated by the Legislature for the program |
| 30 | shall be allocated by the Office of Student Financial Assistance |
| 31 | to match private contributions on a dollar-for-dollar basis. |
| 32 | Contributions made to a state university or an independent |
| 33 | college or university qualified under this section and pledged |
| 34 | for the purposes of this section are eligible for state matching |
| 35 | funds appropriated for this program and are not eligible for any |
| 36 | other state matching grant program. Pledged contributions are |
| 37 | not eligible for matching prior to the actual collection of the |
| 38 | total funds. The Office of Student Financial Assistance shall |
| 39 | reserve a proportionate allocation of the total appropriated |
| 40 | funds for each state university or independent college or |
| 41 | university qualified under this section on the basis of full- |
| 42 | time equivalent enrollment; however, the office may not reserve |
| 43 | a proportionate allocation for an independent college or |
| 44 | university qualified under this section unless the institution |
| 45 | has raised $200,000 in matching funds. Funds that remain |
| 46 | unmatched as of December 1 shall be reallocated to state |
| 47 | universities or independent colleges or universities qualified |
| 48 | under this section that have remaining unmatched private |
| 49 | contributions for the program on the basis of full-time |
| 50 | equivalent enrollment. |
| 51 | (4) Each participating state university or independent |
| 52 | college or university qualified under this section shall |
| 53 | establish an application process, determine student eligibility |
| 54 | for initial and renewal awards in conformance with subsection |
| 55 | (5), identify the amount awarded to each recipient, and notify |
| 56 | recipients of the amount of their awards. |
| 57 | (5) In order to be eligible to receive a grant pursuant to |
| 58 | this section, an applicant must: |
| 59 | (c) Be accepted at a state university or an independent |
| 60 | college or university qualified under this section. |
| 61 | (9) This section shall be implemented only as specifically |
| 62 | funded. Funds shall be allocated by the Office of Student |
| 63 | Financial Assistance for independent colleges or universities |
| 64 | qualified under this section beginning with the 2011-2012 fiscal |
| 65 | year. |
| 66 | Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2010. |