Florida Senate - 2018                                     SB 794
       
       
        
       By Senator Braynon
       
       
       
       
       
       35-00883-18                                            2018794__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to the Sunshine Scholarship Program;
    3         creating s. 1009.894, F.S.; establishing the Sunshine
    4         Scholarship Program for specified purposes; requiring
    5         the Department of Education to administer the program;
    6         providing student eligibility requirements; requiring
    7         a student to repay the scholarship amount under
    8         certain circumstances; providing an exception;
    9         providing that the program applies only to a student’s
   10         tuition; providing for funding; requiring the State
   11         Board of Education to adopt rules; providing an
   12         effective date.
   13          
   14  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   15  
   16         Section 1. Section 1009.894, Florida Statutes, is created
   17  to read:
   18         1009.894 Sunshine Scholarship Program.—
   19         (1) There is established the Sunshine Scholarship Program
   20  to be administered by the Department of Education. The Sunshine
   21  Scholarship Program shall provide funding for 100 percent of an
   22  eligible student’s tuition at a Florida College System
   23  institution for up to 72 credit hours for an associate degree
   24  program and 120 credit hours for a baccalaureate degree program.
   25         (2) To be eligible to receive a scholarship pursuant to
   26  this section, a student must:
   27         (a) Be a resident for tuition purposes, as defined in s.
   28  1009.21.
   29         (b) Have a total annual household income equal to or less
   30  than $125,000.
   31         (c) Be accepted by and enroll in a Florida College System
   32  institution.
   33         (d) Enroll in at least 30 credit hours per academic year.
   34         (3) Upon completion of his or her program of study or upon
   35  disenrollment from the Florida College System institution, the
   36  student must reside and work within the state for the same
   37  period of time he or she received funds from the program. If the
   38  student does not reside and work within the state for the
   39  specified period, the student must repay the total amount
   40  awarded, plus an annual interest rate equal to the federal
   41  student loan interest rate in effect when the student entered
   42  the program. This subsection does not apply to a student who
   43  enlists in the United States Armed Forces.
   44         (4) To remain eligible for the program, a student must
   45  maintain the equivalent of a cumulative grade point average of
   46  2.5 on a 4.0 scale while enrolled at the Florida College System
   47  institution.
   48         (5) The Sunshine Scholarship Program applies only to
   49  tuition. Each student is responsible for additional student
   50  fees, textbooks, and other college-related expenses.
   51         (6) Funding for the program shall be as provided in the
   52  General Appropriations Act.
   53         (7) The State Board of Education shall adopt rules to
   54  administer this section.
   55         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2018.