HB 1409

1	A bill to be entitled
2	An act relating to the Talent and Economic Advancement
3	Matching Grant Program; creating s. 1009.705, F.S.;
4	establishing the Talent and Economic Advancement Matching
5	Grant Program for certain purposes; providing for
6	administration of the program by the Department of
7	Education; providing definitions; authorizing businesses
8	to partner with certain institutions to provide grants to
9	students who enroll in certain educational programs;
10	authorizing the department to match certain private
11	contributions; requiring participating institutions to
12	certify to the department contributions received by
13	businesses for grant purposes; providing eligibility and
14	certification requirements; requiring the department to
15	allocate contributions to eligible institutions; providing
16	allocation requirements; providing requirements for
17	unallocated funds; providing duties of the Chief Financial
18	Officer; providing match criteria; providing eligibility
19	criteria for grant recipients; providing criteria for
20	award amounts; providing limitations; providing
21	certification requirements for participating institutions;
22	requiring the return of undisbursed amounts to the Office
23	of Student Financial Assistance; providing reporting
24	requirements for participating institutions; specifying
25	institution participation ineligibility criteria;
26	requiring the State Board of Education to adopt rules;
27	providing an effective date.
28
29	Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
30
31	Section 1.  Section 1009.705, Florida Statutes, is created
32	to read:
33	1009.705  Talent and Economic Advancement Matching Grant
34	Program.-
35	(1)(a)  The Talent and Economic Advancement Matching Grant
36	Program is established to provide businesses in this state with
37	incentives to partner with eligible postsecondary educational
38	institutions to expand access to higher education for residents
39	of the state by providing grants to students who enroll in the
40	certificate or degree programs described in subsection (2). The
41	matching grant program shall be administered by the Department
42	of Education.
43	(b)  For purposes of this section, the term "department"
44	means the Department of Education and the term "office" means
45	the Office of Student Financial Assistance.
46	(2)  An institution that is licensed by the Commission for
47	Independent Education and accredited by a national or regional
48	accrediting agency or association recognized by the United
49	States Department of Education may partner with a business in
50	this state to provide grants to students who enroll in
51	postsecondary certificate or undergraduate degree programs
52	identified annually by the State Board of Education that prepare
53	students for careers in science, technology, engineering,
54	mathematics, allied health, or other high-skill, high-wage
55	occupations as identified on the final targeted occupations
56	lists published by Workforce Florida, Inc., and the Agency for
57	Workforce Innovation.
58	(3)(a)  To the extent matching funds are provided in the
59	General Appropriations Act for credit to the State Student
60	Financial Assistance Trust Fund as provided in s. 1010.73,
61	contributions by a business to an eligible postsecondary
62	institution to support the grants described in subsection (2)
63	may be eligible to be matched by the department on a dollar-for-
64	dollar basis.
65	(b)  Participating institutions shall certify to the
66	department any contributions received from businesses to support
67	the grants described in subsection (2). Pledged contributions
68	are not eligible for matching prior to the actual collection of
69	total funds. The institution shall certify the name of each
70	business that donates funds to the matching grant program, the
71	amount collected from the business, and the certificate or
72	degree program or programs for which the donated funds are
73	provided.
74	(4)(a)  The department shall allocate to each eligible
75	institution an amount equal to the amount of private
76	contributions certified by that institution, not to exceed 25
77	percent of the total funds appropriated for the matching grant
78	program. Such funds shall be released to qualifying educational
79	institutions on a first-come, first-served basis upon receipt by
80	the department of the appropriated funds and the information
81	required by paragraph (3)(b). Funds that remain unallocated on
82	December 1 of each year shall be available for allocation to
83	eligible institutions with remaining certified private
84	contributions that have not been matched.
85	(b)  Notwithstanding s. 216.301 and pursuant to s. 216.351,
86	any balance in the trust fund at the end of any fiscal year that
87	has been allocated to the matching grant program shall remain in
88	the trust fund and shall be available for carrying out the
89	purposes of the matching grant program.
90	(c)  The Chief Financial Officer shall authorize
91	expenditures from the trust fund upon receipt of vouchers
92	approved by the department.
93	(5)  In order to be eligible to receive a grant pursuant to
94	this section, an applicant must:
95	(a)  Meet the general eligibility requirements set forth in
96	s. 1009.40.
97	(b)  Enroll for a minimum of six credit hours per term, or
98	the equivalent, in an eligible institution in an undergraduate
99	degree or postsecondary certificate program that prepares
100	students for careers in science, technology, engineering,
101	mathematics, allied health, or other high-skill, high-wage
102	occupations as identified annually by the State Board of
103	Education pursuant to subsection (2).
104	(6)  The award amount for a grant provided under this
105	section shall not exceed $4,000 per year. If a participating
106	student is a veteran or the spouse or child of military
107	personnel on active duty, institutions participating in the
108	matching grant program must agree to provide additional support
109	to the student in the form of reduced tuition or fees or with
110	scholarships in addition to the amount the student is provided
111	by the grant. The award amount for the grant may not exceed the
112	institution's estimated annual cost of attendance for the
113	student.
114	(7)  Each participating institution shall certify to the
115	office by the date established by the office the eligible
116	students to whom grant moneys are disbursed each academic term,
117	the eligible certificate or degree program in which each student
118	is enrolled, and the amount of funds disbursed to the student.
119	The institution shall remit to the office any undisbursed
120	amounts by June 1 of each year.
121	(8)  Each participating institution shall report annually
122	to the office by the date specified by the department and in the
123	manner prescribed by the department the businesses participating
124	in the matching grant program, the eligible certificate or
125	degree programs for which each business provided contributions,
126	the amount contributed, and any reductions in tuition and fees
127	granted to participating students by the institution. The office
128	shall provide a summary of the institutional reports to the
129	Executive Office of the Governor, the President of the Senate,
130	and the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
131	(9)  If an institution fails to comply with the
132	requirements of subsection (7), the institution is no longer
133	eligible to participate in the matching grant program.
134	(10)  The State Board of Education shall adopt any rules
135	necessary to implement the provisions of this section.
136	Section 2.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2010.

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