| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship |
| 3 | Program; amending s. 1009.53, F.S.; providing that the |
| 4 | program shall serve as an incentive to recipients of |
| 5 | awards to remain and work in the state; requiring |
| 6 | repayment of an award unless a student receives credit for |
| 7 | repayment by meeting an employment obligation; specifying |
| 8 | employment obligations and conditions for repayment; |
| 9 | providing for deposit of moneys repaid and use of such |
| 10 | moneys; amending s. 1009.531, F.S.; requiring intent to |
| 11 | work in the state for receipt of an initial award; |
| 12 | providing an effective date. |
| 13 |
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| 14 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 15 |
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| 16 | Section 1. Subsection (1) of section 1009.53, Florida |
| 17 | Statutes, is amended to read: |
| 18 | 1009.53 Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program.- |
| 19 | (1)(a) The Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program is |
| 20 | created to establish a lottery-funded scholarship program to |
| 21 | reward any Florida high school graduate who merits recognition |
| 22 | of high academic achievement and who enrolls in a degree |
| 23 | program, certificate program, or applied technology program at |
| 24 | an eligible Florida public or private postsecondary education |
| 25 | institution within 3 years of graduation from high school. |
| 26 | (b)1. Beginning with the 2011-2012 school year, the |
| 27 | Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program shall serve as an |
| 28 | incentive for students receiving an initial award to remain and |
| 29 | work in the state by requiring repayment of each award received |
| 30 | unless the student receives credit for repayment. To receive |
| 31 | credit for repayment of a full-year award, a student must be |
| 32 | employed in the state for a period of 12 months. To receive |
| 33 | credit for repayment of less than a full-year award, the student |
| 34 | must be employed in the state for a prorated period, as |
| 35 | determined by the Department of Education, based on the number |
| 36 | of terms for which the award was received. |
| 37 | 2. The scholarship employment obligation period shall |
| 38 | begin after completion of the program for which an award is |
| 39 | received or completion of the eligibility period for receipt of |
| 40 | an award. |
| 41 | 3. A student who does not complete his or her employment |
| 42 | obligation shall repay, on a schedule determined by the |
| 43 | Department of Education, the total amount awarded plus annual |
| 44 | interest of 8 percent. The department may allow additional time |
| 45 | for repayment if the department finds that circumstances beyond |
| 46 | the control of the award recipient caused or contributed to the |
| 47 | default. The employment obligation period may be postponed |
| 48 | according to a schedule determined by the department for a |
| 49 | student seeking a graduate degree or entering military service. |
| 50 | 4. Moneys repaid shall be deposited in the Educational |
| 51 | Enhancement Trust Fund and used for awards in the following |
| 52 | year. The department may recover from such funds its costs for |
| 53 | administering the program. |
| 54 | Section 2. Subsection (1) of section 1009.531, Florida |
| 55 | Statutes, is amended to read: |
| 56 | 1009.531 Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program; |
| 57 | student eligibility requirements for initial awards.- |
| 58 | (1) Effective January 1, 2008, in order to be eligible for |
| 59 | an initial award from any of the three types of scholarships |
| 60 | under the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program, a student |
| 61 | must: |
| 62 | (a) Be a Florida resident as defined in s. 1009.40 and |
| 63 | rules of the State Board of Education. |
| 64 | (b) Earn a standard Florida high school diploma or its |
| 65 | equivalent as described in s. 1003.429, s. 1003.43, or s. |
| 66 | 1003.435 unless: |
| 67 | 1. The student completes a home education program |
| 68 | according to s. 1002.41; or |
| 69 | 2. The student earns a high school diploma from a non- |
| 70 | Florida school while living with a parent or guardian who is on |
| 71 | military or public service assignment away from Florida. |
| 72 | (c) Be accepted by and enroll in an eligible Florida |
| 73 | public or independent postsecondary education institution. |
| 74 | (d) Be enrolled for at least 6 semester credit hours or |
| 75 | the equivalent in quarter hours or clock hours. |
| 76 | (e) Not have been found guilty of, or entered a plea of |
| 77 | nolo contendere to, a felony charge, unless the student has been |
| 78 | granted clemency by the Governor and Cabinet sitting as the |
| 79 | Executive Office of Clemency. |
| 80 | (f) Apply for a scholarship from the program by high |
| 81 | school graduation. |
| 82 | (g) Beginning with the 2011-2012 school year, declare the |
| 83 | intention to be employed in the state after completion of the |
| 84 | program for which an award is received or completion of the |
| 85 | eligibility period for receipt of an award under the program. |
| 86 | Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2010. |