Florida Senate - 2014 SB 1710
By the Committee on Education
581-03212-14 20141710__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to postsecondary education; repealing
3 s. 1004.32, F.S., relating to New College of Florida;
4 amending s. 1004.65, F.S.; revising a Florida College
5 System institution’s primary responsibilities and
6 secondary role as they relate to providing upper-level
7 instruction and awarding baccalaureate degrees;
8 amending s. 1009.55, F.S.; increasing the annual
9 maximum number of scholarships that may be awarded;
10 increasing the annual maximum award amount per
11 student; creating s. 1009.893, F.S.; creating the
12 Florida National Merit Scholar Incentive Program;
13 defining terms; providing the purpose of the incentive
14 program; requiring the Department of Education to
15 administer the incentive program, advertise the
16 availability of the incentive program, and notify
17 students, teachers, parents, and school administrators
18 about the incentive program’s criteria and application
19 procedures; providing eligibility requirements for the
20 incentive program; requiring certain students who are
21 National Merit Scholars or National Achievement
22 Scholars to receive certain incentive awards;
23 providing eligibility requirements to renew an award;
24 authorizing a student to receive an incentive award
25 for certain maximum percentage amounts of the number
26 of credit hours required to complete an associate
27 degree, a baccalaureate degree, or a career
28 certificate; requiring the department to issue awards
29 from the incentive program and to transmit payment for
30 each award; authorizing the department to withhold
31 payment under certain circumstances; requiring
32 institutions to certify to the department the
33 eligibility status of each student to receive a
34 disbursement of an award during a specified time;
35 requiring the institution to certify to the department
36 the disbursement amounts to each student and remit to
37 the department undisbursed funds; providing for
38 proration of funds; prohibiting use of funds for
39 remedial coursework or developmental education;
40 authorizing a student to use funds during the summer
41 term under certain circumstances; authorizing
42 incentive program funds appropriated by the
43 Legislature to be deposited in the State Student
44 Financial Assistance Trust Fund; providing for use of
45 any remaining balance of appropriated funds in the
46 trust fund; requiring the department to allocate funds
47 to appropriate institutions and collect and maintain
48 certain data regarding the incentive program;
49 requiring the State Board of Education to adopt rules;
50 providing an effective date.
51
52 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
53
54 Section 1. Section 1004.32, Florida Statutes, is repealed.
55 Section 2. Paragraph (f) of subsection (5), subsection (6),
56 and paragraph (d) of subsection (8) of section 1004.65, Florida
57 Statutes, are amended to read:
58 1004.65 Florida College System institutions; governance,
59 mission, and responsibilities.—
60 (5) The primary mission and responsibility of Florida
61 College System institutions is responding to community needs for
62 postsecondary academic education and career degree education.
63 This mission and responsibility includes being responsible for:
64 (f) Providing upper level instruction and awarding
65 baccalaureate degrees as specifically authorized by law.
66 (6) A separate and secondary role for Florida College
67 System institutions includes the providing of upper level
68 instruction, the awarding of baccalaureate degrees specifically
69 authorized by law, and the offering of programs in:
70 (a) Community services that are not directly related to
71 academic or occupational advancement.
72 (b) Adult education services, including adult basic
73 education, adult general education, adult secondary education,
74 and General Educational Development test instruction.
75 (c) Recreational and leisure services.
76 (8) Florida College System institutions are authorized to:
77 (d) Provide access to and award baccalaureate degrees for
78 the completion of baccalaureate degree programs that are
79 approved by the State Board of Education on or before March 31,
80 2014 in accordance with law.
81
82 Authority to offer one or more baccalaureate degree programs
83 does not alter the governance relationship of the Florida
84 College System institution with its district board of trustees
85 or the State Board of Education.
86 Section 3. Subsection (1) and paragraph (a) of subsection
87 (2) of section 1009.55, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
88 1009.55 Rosewood Family Scholarship Program.—
89 (1) There is created a Rosewood Family Scholarship Program
90 for the direct descendants of the Rosewood families, not to
91 exceed 50 25 scholarships per year.
92 (2) The Rosewood Family Scholarship Program shall be
93 administered by the Department of Education. The State Board of
94 Education shall adopt rules for administering this program which
95 shall at a minimum provide for the following:
96 (a) The annual award to a student shall be up to $6,100
97 $4,000 but should not exceed an amount in excess of tuition and
98 registration fees.
99 Section 4. Section 1009.893, Florida Statutes, is created
100 to read:
101 1009.893 Florida National Merit Scholar Incentive Program.—
102 (1) As used in this section, the term:
103 (a) “Department” means the Department of Education.
104 (b) “Incentive program” means the Florida National Merit
105 Scholar Incentive Program.
106 (2) The Florida National Merit Scholar Incentive Program is
107 created to reward any Florida high school graduate who receives
108 recognition as a National Merit Scholar or National Achievement
109 Scholar and who initially enrolls in the 2014-2015 academic
110 year, or later, in a degree program, certificate program, or
111 applied technology program at an eligible Florida public or
112 independent postsecondary educational institution.
113 (3) The department shall administer the incentive program
114 according to rules and procedures established by the State Board
115 of Education. The department shall advertise the availability of
116 the incentive program and notify students, teachers, parents,
117 certified school counselors, and principals or other relevant
118 school administrators of the criteria and application
119 procedures.
120 (4) In order to be eligible for an award under the
121 incentive program, a student must:
122 (a) Be a state resident as defined in s. 1009.40 and rules
123 of the State Board of Education.
124 (b) Earn a standard Florida high school diploma or its
125 equivalent pursuant to s. 1003.428, s. 1003.4281, s. 1003.4282,
126 or s. 1003.435 unless:
127 1. The student completes a home education program according
128 to s. 1002.41; or
129 2. The student earns a high school diploma from a non
130 Florida school while living with a parent or guardian who is on
131 military or public service assignment away from this state.
132 (c) Be accepted by and enroll in a Florida public or
133 independent postsecondary educational institution that meets the
134 eligibility requirements specified in s. 1009.533.
135 (d) Be enrolled for at least 6 semester credit hours or the
136 equivalent in quarter hours or clock hours.
137 (5)(a) An eligible student who is a National Merit Scholar
138 or National Achievement Scholar and who attends a public
139 postsecondary educational institution must receive an incentive
140 award equal to the institutional cost of attendance minus the
141 sum of the student’s Florida Bright Futures Scholarship and
142 National Merit Scholarship or National Achievement Scholarship.
143 (b) An eligible student who is a National Merit Scholar or
144 National Achievement Scholar and who attends an independent
145 postsecondary educational institution must receive an incentive
146 award equal to the highest cost of attendance at a Florida
147 public university, as reported by the Board of Governors of the
148 State University System, minus the sum of the student’s Florida
149 Bright Futures Scholarship and National Merit Scholarship or
150 National Achievement Scholarship.
151 (6)(a) To be eligible for a renewal award, a student must
152 meet the renewal requirements for the Florida Bright Futures
153 Scholarship Program set forth in s. 1009.532(1)(a) and for the
154 Florida Academic Scholars award set forth in s. 1009.534(3).
155 (b) A student may receive the incentive award for a maximum
156 of 100 percent of the number of credit hours required to
157 complete an associate degree program or a baccalaureate degree
158 program or receive an award for a maximum of 100 percent of the
159 credit hours or clock hours required to complete up to 90 credit
160 hours of a program that terminates in a career certificate.
161 (7) The department shall annually issue awards from the
162 incentive program. Before the registration period each semester,
163 the department shall transmit payment for each award to the
164 president or director of the postsecondary educational
165 institution, or his or her representative, except that the
166 department may withhold payment if the receiving institution
167 fails to report or to make refunds to the department as required
168 in this section.
169 (a) Each institution shall certify to the department the
170 eligibility status of each student to receive a disbursement
171 within 30 days before the end of its regular registration
172 period, inclusive of a drop and add period. An institution is
173 not required to reevaluate the student eligibility after the end
174 of the drop and add period.
175 (b) An institution that receives funds from the incentive
176 program must certify to the department the amount of funds
177 disbursed to each student and remit to the department any
178 undisbursed advances within 60 days after the end of regular
179 registration.
180 (c) If funds appropriated are not adequate to provide the
181 maximum allowable award to each eligible student, awards must be
182 prorated using the same percentage reduction.
183 (8) Funds from any award within the incentive program may
184 not be used to pay for remedial coursework or developmental
185 education.
186 (9) A student may use an award for a summer term if funds
187 are available and appropriated by the Legislature.
188 (10) Funds appropriated by the Legislature for the
189 incentive program awards may be deposited into the State Student
190 Financial Assistance Trust Fund. Notwithstanding s. 216.301 and
191 pursuant to s. 216.351, any balance in the trust fund at the end
192 of any fiscal year which has been allocated to the incentive
193 program must remain in the incentive program and shall be
194 available for carrying out the purposes of this section. The
195 department shall allocate funds to the appropriate institutions
196 and collect and maintain data regarding the incentive program
197 within the student financial assistance database as specified in
198 s. 1009.94.
199 (11) The State Board of Education shall adopt rules
200 necessary to administer this section.
201 Section 5. This act shall take effect July 1, 2014.