| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to the First Generation Matching Grant |
| 3 | Program; amending s. 1009.701, F.S.; including |
| 4 | participation in the program by certain independent |
| 5 | colleges and universities; providing student eligibility |
| 6 | requirements; providing an appropriation; providing an |
| 7 | effective date. |
| 8 |
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| 9 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 10 |
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| 11 | Section 1. Subsections (1), (2), and (4) and paragraphs |
| 12 | (a) and (c) of subsection (5) of section 1009.701, Florida |
| 13 | Statutes, are amended to read: |
| 14 | 1009.701 First Generation Matching Grant Program.-- |
| 15 | (1) The First Generation Matching Grant Program is created |
| 16 | to enable each state university and each independent nonprofit |
| 17 | college or university eligible to participate in the William L. |
| 18 | Boyd, IV, Florida Resident Access Grant Program under s. 1009.89 |
| 19 | to provide donors with a matching grant incentive for |
| 20 | contributions that will create grant-based student financial aid |
| 21 | for undergraduate students who demonstrate financial need and |
| 22 | whose parents, as defined in s. 1009.21(1), have not earned a |
| 23 | baccalaureate degree. In the case of any individual who |
| 24 | regularly resided with and received support from only one |
| 25 | parent, an individual whose only such parent did not complete a |
| 26 | baccalaureate degree would also be eligible. |
| 27 | (2) Funds appropriated by the Legislature for the program |
| 28 | shall be allocated by the Office of Student Financial Assistance |
| 29 | to match private contributions on a dollar-for-dollar basis. |
| 30 | Contributions made to a state university or independent college |
| 31 | or university qualified under this section and pledged for the |
| 32 | purposes of this section are eligible for state matching funds |
| 33 | appropriated for this program and are not eligible for any other |
| 34 | state matching grant program. Pledged contributions are not |
| 35 | eligible for matching prior to the actual collection of the |
| 36 | total funds. The Office of Student Financial Assistance shall |
| 37 | reserve a proportionate allocation of the total appropriated |
| 38 | funds for each state university or qualified independent college |
| 39 | or university on the basis of full-time equivalent enrollment. |
| 40 | Funds that remain unmatched as of December 1 shall be |
| 41 | reallocated to state universities or qualified independent |
| 42 | colleges or universities that have remaining unmatched private |
| 43 | contributions for the program on the basis of full-time |
| 44 | equivalent enrollment. |
| 45 | (4) Each participating state university or qualified |
| 46 | independent college or university shall establish an application |
| 47 | process, determine student eligibility for initial and renewal |
| 48 | awards in conformance with subsection (5), identify the amount |
| 49 | awarded to each recipient, and notify recipients of the amount |
| 50 | of their awards. |
| 51 | (5) In order to be eligible to receive a grant pursuant to |
| 52 | this section, an applicant must: |
| 53 | (a) Be a resident for tuition purposes pursuant to s. |
| 54 | 1009.21 or meet the eligibility requirements of s. 1009.89(4). |
| 55 | (c) Be accepted at a state university or independent |
| 56 | college or university qualified under this section. |
| 57 | Section 2. There is appropriated from the General Revenue |
| 58 | Fund to the Department of Education for the First Generation |
| 59 | Matching Grant Program for fiscal year 2007-2008 and each fiscal |
| 60 | year thereafter the sum of $3 million to provide state matching |
| 61 | funds to independent colleges and universities qualified to |
| 62 | participate in the program under s. 1009.701, Florida Statutes, |
| 63 | as amended by this act. |
| 64 | Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2007. |