Florida Senate - 2022                                    SB 1438
       
       
        
       By Senator Jones
       
       
       
       
       
       35-00341A-22                                          20221438__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to the Florida’s Potential Grant
    3         Program; creating s. 445.11, F.S.; establishing the
    4         Florida’s Potential Grant Program within the
    5         Department of Education; providing purposes for the
    6         program; authorizing Florida College System
    7         institutions to apply to the department to receive a
    8         grant under the program for certain purposes;
    9         authorizing the department to award grants to
   10         applicants; requiring the Department of Economic
   11         Opportunity to partner with each institution receiving
   12         a grant under the program to provide specified
   13         insight; requiring the State Board of Education to
   14         adopt rules; providing an effective date.
   15          
   16  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   17  
   18         Section 1. Section 445.11, Florida Statutes, is created to
   19  read:
   20         445.11 Florida’s Potential Grant Program.—
   21         (1) Florida’s Potential Grant Program is established within
   22  the Department of Education for the purpose of providing grants
   23  to Florida College System institutions to assist the
   24  institutions with providing workforce education and training to
   25  the residents of zip codes that have low levels of postsecondary
   26  educational attainment, compared to the level of postsecondary
   27  educational attainment in this state, in combination with a
   28  higher unemployment rate than this state’s unemployment rate and
   29  to promote local job growth and economic development.
   30         (2) A Florida College System institution may apply to the
   31  Department of Education for a grant under the program to provide
   32  educational opportunities to the residents in at least one zip
   33  code that the institution serves but does not currently have a
   34  campus or a center in that area. Subject to appropriation of
   35  funds by the Legislature, the department may award grants to
   36  institutions that apply for grants pursuant to this subsection.
   37  The Department of Economic Opportunity shall partner with each
   38  Florida College System institution receiving a grant under this
   39  section to provide insight into serving the needs of the
   40  residents of the zip codes being provided educational
   41  opportunities under the program.
   42         (3) The State Board of Education shall adopt rules to
   43  implement this section.
   44         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2022.