Florida Senate - 2023 SB 1272
By Senator Simon
3-01157A-23 20231272__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to educational grants; creating s.
3 1009.521, F.S.; providing education grants under the
4 William L. Boyd, IV, Effective Access to Student
5 Education Grant Program to certain students who were
6 eligible as of a specified date to receive grants
7 under the former Access to Better Learning and
8 Education Grant Program; providing education grants to
9 students at for-profit colleges or universities under
10 certain conditions; prescribing criteria for
11 participating institutions; requiring that
12 institutions that wish to participate provide notice
13 to the Department of Education by a certain date;
14 requiring that such institutions comply with specified
15 provision; providing that participation in the grant
16 program does not subject institutions to certain
17 licensure requirements or the jurisdiction of a
18 specified organization; providing an effective date.
19
20 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
21
22 Section 1. Section 1009.521, Florida Statutes, is created
23 to read:
24 1009.521 Educational grants to former eligible tuition
25 assistance grant students.—
26 (1)(a) The department shall issue a grant pursuant to s.
27 1009.89 to any full-time degree-seeking undergraduate student
28 registered at an independent nonprofit university who, as of
29 January 1, 2021, was eligible for the Access to Better Learning
30 and Education Grant Program, as created by former s. 1009.891,
31 if such university has been located in this state for more than
32 20 years; offers nursing programs at its Florida campus which
33 include licensed practical nurse (LPN), registered nurse (RN),
34 including associate of science in nursing (ASN) and bachelor of
35 science in nursing (BSN), accelerated BSN, practical nurse
36 bridge to ASN, and practical nurse bridge to BSN; and is
37 accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
38 (b) The department shall issue a grant pursuant to s.
39 1009.89 to any full-time degree-seeking undergraduate student
40 registered at an independent for-profit college or university
41 located in and chartered by this state, accredited by an
42 accrediting agency or association recognized by the database
43 created and maintained by the United States Department of
44 Education, was licensed by the department on or before October
45 1, 2021, and has Level 6 accreditation from the Commission on
46 Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
47 (c) An institution that meets the criteria specified in
48 paragraph (a) or paragraph (b) may not be a state university or
49 Florida College System institution. In addition, the institution
50 must have a secular purpose, and the receipt of state aid by
51 students at the institution may not have the primary effect of
52 advancing or impeding religion or result in an excessive
53 entanglement between the state and any religious sect.
54 (d) To qualify for funding under this section, an
55 institution must exercise a one-time option to participate by
56 notifying the department, in writing, of its decision to
57 participate on or before September 1, 2023, and must comply with
58 s. 1009.89(5)(a) and (c).
59 (2) Notwithstanding any other law, an institution
60 participating in the grant program under this section is not
61 subject to the jurisdiction or purview of the Commission for
62 Independent Education and is not required to obtain licensure as
63 provided in part III of chapter 1005.
64 Section 2. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law.