HB 569

1	A bill to be entitled
2	An act relating to the Construction Education Scholarship
3	Program; creating s. 1009.5383, F.S.; creating the
4	scholarship program to award scholarships to eligible
5	students who enroll in construction-related postsecondary
6	education programs; requiring the Department of Education
7	to administer the scholarship program; creating the
8	Construction Education Scholarship Board to assist in the
9	establishment and implementation of the scholarship
10	program; providing student eligibility criteria; providing
11	requirements for issuance and disbursement of awards;
12	requiring annual financial audits; providing for
13	legislative appropriation and deposit in the State Student
14	Financial Assistance Trust Fund; providing an effective
15	date.
16
17	Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
18
19	Section 1.  Section 1009.5383, Florida Statutes, is created
20	to read:
21	1009.5383  Construction Education Scholarship Program;
22	Construction Education Scholarship Board.--
23	(1)  The Construction Education Scholarship Program is
24	created to establish a scholarship program to reward any
25	eligible Florida high school graduate who enrolls in a
26	construction-related degree program, certificate program, or
27	applied technology program at an eligible Florida public or
28	private postsecondary educational institution.
29	(2)  The Department of Education shall administer the
30	Construction Education Scholarship Program according to rules
31	and procedures established by the Construction Education
32	Scholarship Board. The department must advertise the
33	availability of the scholarship program and notify students,
34	teachers, parents, guidance counselors, and principals or other
35	relevant school administrators of the student eligibility
36	criteria and application procedures. The department must begin
37	the process of notification no later than January 1 annually.
38	(3)(a)  The Construction Education Scholarship Board is
39	created as a 12-member board to assist the department in the
40	establishment and implementation of the scholarship program.
41	(b)  The Commissioner of Education shall appoint four
42	members to the board. Each member appointed by the commissioner
43	must be an educator from a union or nonunion construction
44	apprenticeship program or vocational, community college,
45	college, or university construction program and shall represent
46	the construction education industry.
47	(c)  The President of the Senate shall appoint three
48	members who represent the construction industry and one member
49	who represents the general public.
50	(d)  The Speaker of the House of Representatives shall
51	appoint three members who represent the construction industry
52	and one member who represents the general public.
53	(e)  Board members shall serve 4-year terms. However, for
54	the purpose of providing staggered terms, of the initial
55	appointments, the Commissioner of Education, the President of
56	the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives
57	shall each appoint two members for 2-year terms, one member for
58	a 3-year term, and one member for a 4-year term. Any vacancy on
59	the board shall be filled by the original appointing authority.
60	(f)  Any member who fails to attend three consecutive board
61	meetings without good cause may be removed from the board by the
62	board secretary.
63	(4)  Student eligibility criteria established by the board
64	shall include, but not be limited to:
65	(a)  An interest in developing a career in the construction
66	industry.
67	(b)  Current or previous membership in one or more high
68	school sponsored clubs that promote construction, leadership, or
69	good citizenship.
70	(c)  A clearly demonstrated record of acceptable student
71	behavior as defined by the board.
72	(5)  The program shall provide scholarships to students for
73	the following types of construction education or training and
74	related activities through an application process administered
75	by the department:
76	(a)  Union and nonunion apprenticeship programs.
77	(b)  Vocational programs.
78	(c)  Community college programs.
79	(d)  College programs.
80	(e)  University programs.
81	(f)  Other education or training programs deemed
82	appropriate by the board.
83	(6)(a)  The department shall annually issue awards through
84	the scholarship program. Annual awards may be for up to 45
85	semester credit hours or the equivalent per term. Before the
86	registration period each semester or term, the department shall
87	transmit payment for each award to the president or director of
88	the educational institution, or his or her representative,
89	except that the department may withhold payment if the receiving
90	institution fails to report or to make refunds to the department
91	as required in this section.
92	(b)  Within 30 days after the end of regular registration
93	each semester or term, the educational institution shall certify
94	to the department the eligibility status of each student who
95	receives an award. After the end of the drop and add period, an
96	institution is not required to reevaluate or revise a student's
97	eligibility status but must make a refund to the department if a
98	student who receives an award disbursement terminates enrollment
99	for any reason during an academic term and a refund is permitted
100	by the institution's refund policy.
101	(c)  An institution that receives funds through the
102	scholarship program shall certify to the department the amount
103	of funds disbursed to each student and shall remit to the
104	department any undisbursed advances within 60 days after the end
105	of regular registration.
106	(d)  An institution that receives funds through the
107	scholarship program shall prepare an annual report that includes
108	an annual financial audit conducted by an independent certified
109	public accountant or the Auditor General. The report shall
110	include an audit of the institution's administration of the
111	scholarship program and a complete accounting of the funds for
112	the program. The report must be submitted to the department and
113	the board by March 1. The department may conduct its own annual
114	audit of an institution's administration of the scholarship
115	program. The department may request a refund of any funds
116	overpaid to the institution for the scholarship program, which
117	amount must be remitted within 60 days after such request. The
118	department may suspend or revoke an institution's eligibility to
119	receive future funds for the scholarship program if the
120	department finds that an institution has not complied with this
121	section.
122	(7)  Awards shall be in an amount determined by the board,
123	not to exceed $1,500 per semester or the equivalent per term.
124	(8)  If a recipient transfers from one eligible institution
125	to another and continues to meet eligibility requirements, the
126	award must be transferred with the student.
127	(9)  Funds appropriated by the Legislature for the
128	Construction Education Scholarship Program shall be deposited in
129	the State Student Financial Assistance Trust Fund, which funds
130	shall be expended annually by the department in implementing the
131	scholarship program. The department may recover only its direct
132	expenses incurred in administering the scholarship program.
133	Notwithstanding s. 216.301 and pursuant to s. 216.351, any
134	balance in the trust fund at the end of any fiscal year that has
135	been allocated to the Construction Education Scholarship Program
136	shall remain therein and be available for carrying out the
137	purposes of this section.
138	Section 2.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2007.

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.