Senate Bill sb1810
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Florida Senate - 2003 SB 1810
By Senator Aronberg
43-1232-03 See HB
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to student financial
3 assistance; creating s. 1009.892, F.S.;
4 creating the Innovation Florida Scholarships
5 for Developing High-Tech Jobs Program;
6 authorizing need-based scholarships for
7 students enrolled in certified degree programs
8 in targeted employment areas at Florida
9 postsecondary educational institutions;
10 providing for administration and funding of the
11 program; providing student eligibility
12 requirements for initial and renewal awards;
13 providing an appropriation; providing an
14 effective date.
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16 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
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18 Section 1. Section 1009.892, Florida Statutes, is
19 created to read:
20 1009.892 Innovation Florida Scholarships for
21 Developing High-Tech Jobs Program.--
22 (1) This section shall be known by the popular name
23 "Innovation Florida Scholarships for Developing High-Tech Jobs
24 Act."
25 (2) The Innovation Florida Scholarships for Developing
26 High-Tech Jobs Program is created to provide need-based
27 financial assistance to any Florida high school graduate who
28 merits recognition of high academic achievement and who
29 enrolls in a certified degree program at an eligible Florida
30 postsecondary educational institution within 3 years after
31 graduation from high school.
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Florida Senate - 2003 SB 1810
43-1232-03 See HB
1 (3) As used in this section, the term:
2 (a) "Certified degree program" means a degree program
3 that:
4 1. Is certified by the Department of Education.
5 2. Addresses the need for support of degree programs
6 in targeted employment areas.
7 3. Includes an internship component as described in
8 this section.
9 (b) "Targeted employment" means employment in any of
10 the following business areas:
11 1. Advanced manufacturing, including the following:
12 a. Automotive and electronics.
13 b. Aerospace technology.
14 c. Robotics.
15 d. Engineering design technology.
16 2. Life sciences, including the following:
17 a. Orthopedics or medical devices.
18 b. Biomedical research or development.
19 c. Pharmaceutical manufacturing.
20 d. Agribusiness.
21 e. Nanotechnology or molecular manufacturing.
22 3. Information technology, including the following:
23 a. Informatics.
24 b. Certified network administration.
25 c. Software development.
26 d. Fiber optics.
27 4. High-technology logistics, including the following:
28 a. High-technology distribution.
29 b. Efficient and effective flow and storage of goods,
30 services, or information.
31 c. Intermodal ports.
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Florida Senate - 2003 SB 1810
43-1232-03 See HB
1 (4) The Department of Education shall administer the
2 Innovation Florida Scholarships for Developing High-Tech Jobs
3 Program according to rules and procedures established by the
4 State Board of Education. The department must advertise the
5 availability of the scholarship program and must notify
6 students, teachers, parents, guidance counselors, and
7 principals or other relevant school administrators of the
8 criteria and application procedures. The department must begin
9 this process of notification no later than January 1 of each
10 year.
11 (5) Funds for the Innovation Florida Scholarships for
12 Developing High-Tech Jobs Program shall be appropriated
13 annually in the General Appropriations Act.
14 (a) If funds appropriated are not adequate to provide
15 the maximum allowable award to each eligible applicant, awards
16 must be prorated to each eligible applicant using the same
17 percentage reduction.
18 (b) Notwithstanding s. 216.301, if all funds allocated
19 to the Innovative Florida Scholarships for Developing
20 High-Tech Jobs Program are not used in any fiscal year, up to
21 20 percent of the total allocation may be carried forward and
22 used for awards in the following year.
23 (6) The department shall issue awards from the
24 scholarship program annually. Annual awards may be for up to
25 45 semester credit hours or the equivalent for the amount of
26 demonstrated unmet need not to exceed an amount equal to the
27 average prior academic year cost of tuition, fees, and
28 assigned books and supplies at state universities or such
29 other amount as specified in the General Appropriations Act. A
30 demonstrated unmet need of less than $100 shall render the
31 applicant ineligible for a scholarship. Before the
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Florida Senate - 2003 SB 1810
43-1232-03 See HB
1 registration period each semester, the department shall
2 transmit payment for each award to the president or director
3 of the postsecondary educational institution, or his or her
4 representative, except that the department may withhold
5 payment if the receiving institution fails to report or to
6 make refunds to the department as required in this section.
7 (a) Within 30 days after the end of regular
8 registration each semester, the educational institution shall
9 certify to the department the eligibility status of each
10 student who receives an award. After the end of the drop and
11 add period, an institution is not required to reevaluate or
12 revise a student's eligibility status, but must make a refund
13 to the department if a student who receives an award
14 disbursement terminates enrollment for any reason during an
15 academic term and a refund is permitted by the institution's
16 refund policy.
17 (b) An institution that receives funds from the
18 program shall certify to the department the amount of funds
19 disbursed to each student and shall remit to the department
20 any undisbursed advances within 60 days after the end of
21 regular registration.
22 (c) Each institution that receives moneys through this
23 program shall prepare an annual report that includes an annual
24 financial audit conducted by an independent certified public
25 accountant or the Auditor General. The report shall include an
26 audit of the institution's administration of the program and a
27 complete accounting of the moneys for the program. This report
28 must be submitted to the department annually by March 1. The
29 department may conduct its own annual audit of an
30 institution's administration of the program. The department
31 may request a refund of any moneys overpaid to the institution
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Florida Senate - 2003 SB 1810
43-1232-03 See HB
1 for the program. The department may suspend or revoke an
2 institution's eligibility to receive future moneys for the
3 program if the department finds that an institution has not
4 complied with this section. The institution must remit within
5 60 days any refund requested in accordance with this
6 subsection.
7 (7)(a) A student enrolled in 6 to 8 semester credit
8 hours may receive up to one-half of the maximum award; a
9 student enrolled in 9 to 11 credit hours may receive up to
10 three-fourths of the maximum award; and a student enrolled in
11 12 or more credit hours may receive up to the full award.
12 (b) If a recipient transfers from one eligible
13 institution to another and continues to meet eligibility
14 requirements, the award must be transferred with the student.
15 (c) A student may use an award for summer term
16 enrollment if funds are available.
17 (d) Funds from a scholarship may not be used to pay
18 for remedial or college-preparatory coursework.
19 (8) To be eligible for an initial award, a student
20 must:
21 (a) Be a Florida resident as defined in s. 1009.40 and
22 rules of the State Board of Education.
23 (b) Earn a standard Florida high school diploma or its
24 equivalent as described in s. 1003.43 or s. 1003.45 unless:
25 1. The student is enrolled full-time in the early
26 admission program of an eligible postsecondary educational
27 institution or completes a home education program according to
28 s. 1002.41; or
29 2. The student earns a high school diploma from a
30 non-Florida school while living with a parent who is on
31 military or public service assignment away from Florida.
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Florida Senate - 2003 SB 1810
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1 (c) Have achieved a cumulative grade point average of
2 3.0 on a 4.0 scale or its equivalent in high school courses
3 designated by the Department of Education.
4 (d) Be accepted by and enroll in a Florida public or
5 independent postsecondary educational institution identified
6 by the Department of Education.
7 (e) Be enrolled for at least 6 semester credit hours
8 or the equivalent in quarter hours or clock hours.
9 (f) Not have been found guilty of, or plead nolo
10 contendere to, a felony charge, unless the student has been
11 granted clemency by the Governor and Cabinet sitting as the
12 Executive Office of Clemency.
13 (g) Apply for a scholarship from the program by high
14 school graduation.
15 (9) A student is eligible to accept an initial award
16 for 3 years following high school graduation and to accept a
17 renewal award for 7 years following high school graduation. A
18 student who applies for an award by high school graduation and
19 who meets all other eligibility requirements, but who does not
20 accept his or her award, may reapply during subsequent
21 application periods up to 3 years after high school
22 graduation.
23 (10) Eligibility for renewal awards shall be based on
24 continued academic achievement of a cumulative grade point
25 average of 2.75 on a 4.0 scale or its equivalent by the
26 student at the eligible institution, continued eligibility for
27 financial assistance pursuant to this section, and
28 participation of the student for at least one summer during
29 the course of the student's postsecondary education in an
30 internship program that is relevant to at least one of the
31 targeted employment areas as defined in this section. A
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Florida Senate - 2003 SB 1810
43-1232-03 See HB
1 student must work a minimum of 160 hours during the summer
2 internship.
3 (11) Employers must pay students in an internship
4 program a wage at least 20 percent above the federal minimum
5 wage. Employers with whom interns are placed may receive $500
6 per student per summer.
7 Section 2. There is appropriated from the General
8 Revenue Fund to the Department of Education for fiscal year
9 2003-2004 the sum of $30 million to implement the provisions
10 of this act.
11 Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2003.
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