Florida Senate - 2014 PROPOSED COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE
Bill No. SB 1710
Ì112992;Î112992
576-04115-14
Proposed Committee Substitute by the Committee on Appropriations
(Appropriations Subcommittee on Education)
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to postsecondary education; repealing
3 s. 1004.32, F.S., relating to New College of Florida;
4 amending s. 1009.55, F.S.; increasing the annual
5 maximum number of scholarships that may be awarded;
6 increasing the annual maximum award amount per
7 student; creating s. 1009.893, F.S.; creating the
8 Florida National Merit Scholar Incentive Program;
9 defining terms; providing the purpose of the incentive
10 program; requiring the Department of Education to
11 administer the incentive program, advertise the
12 availability of the incentive program, and notify
13 students, teachers, parents, and school administrators
14 about the incentive program’s criteria and application
15 procedures; providing eligibility requirements for the
16 incentive program; requiring certain students who are
17 National Merit Scholars or National Achievement
18 Scholars to receive certain incentive awards;
19 providing eligibility requirements to renew an award;
20 authorizing a student to receive an incentive award
21 for certain maximum percentage amounts of the number
22 of credit hours required to complete an associate
23 degree, a baccalaureate degree, or a career
24 certificate; requiring the department to issue awards
25 from the incentive program and to transmit payment for
26 each award; authorizing the department to withhold
27 payment under certain circumstances; requiring
28 institutions to certify to the department the
29 eligibility status of each student to receive a
30 disbursement of an award during a specified time;
31 requiring the institution to certify to the department
32 the disbursement amounts to each student and remit to
33 the department undisbursed funds; providing for
34 proration of funds; prohibiting use of funds for
35 remedial coursework or developmental education;
36 authorizing a student to use funds during the summer
37 term under certain circumstances; authorizing
38 incentive program funds appropriated by the
39 Legislature to be deposited in the State Student
40 Financial Assistance Trust Fund; providing for use of
41 any remaining balance of appropriated funds in the
42 trust fund; requiring the department to allocate funds
43 to appropriate institutions and collect and maintain
44 certain data regarding the incentive program;
45 requiring the State Board of Education to adopt rules;
46 providing an effective date.
47
48 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
49
50 Section 1. Section 1004.32, Florida Statutes, is repealed.
51 Section 2. Subsection (1) and paragraph (a) of subsection
52 (2) of section 1009.55, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
53 1009.55 Rosewood Family Scholarship Program.—
54 (1) There is created a Rosewood Family Scholarship Program
55 for the direct descendants of the Rosewood families, not to
56 exceed 50 25 scholarships per year.
57 (2) The Rosewood Family Scholarship Program shall be
58 administered by the Department of Education. The State Board of
59 Education shall adopt rules for administering this program which
60 shall at a minimum provide for the following:
61 (a) The annual award to a student shall be up to $6,100
62 $4,000 but should not exceed an amount in excess of tuition and
63 registration fees.
64 Section 3. Section 1009.893, Florida Statutes, is created
65 to read:
66 1009.893 Florida National Merit Scholar Incentive Program.—
67 (1) As used in this section, the term:
68 (a) “Department” means the Department of Education.
69 (b) “Incentive program” means the Florida National Merit
70 Scholar Incentive Program.
71 (2) The Florida National Merit Scholar Incentive Program is
72 created to reward any Florida high school graduate who receives
73 recognition as a National Merit Scholar or National Achievement
74 Scholar and who initially enrolls in the 2014-2015 academic
75 year, or later, in a degree program, certificate program, or
76 applied technology program at an eligible Florida public or
77 independent postsecondary educational institution.
78 (3) The department shall administer the incentive program
79 according to rules and procedures established by the State Board
80 of Education. The department shall advertise the availability of
81 the incentive program and notify students, teachers, parents,
82 certified school counselors, and principals or other relevant
83 school administrators of the criteria and application
84 procedures.
85 (4) In order to be eligible for an award under the
86 incentive program, a student must:
87 (a) Be a state resident as defined in s. 1009.40 and rules
88 of the State Board of Education.
89 (b) Earn a standard Florida high school diploma or its
90 equivalent pursuant to s. 1003.428, s. 1003.4281, s. 1003.4282,
91 or s. 1003.435 unless:
92 1. The student completes a home education program according
93 to s. 1002.41; or
94 2. The student earns a high school diploma from a non
95 Florida school while living with a parent or guardian who is on
96 military or public service assignment away from this state.
97 (c) Be accepted by and enroll in a Florida public or
98 independent postsecondary educational institution that meets the
99 eligibility requirements specified in s. 1009.533.
100 (d) Be enrolled for at least 6 semester credit hours or the
101 equivalent in quarter hours or clock hours.
102 (5)(a) An eligible student who is a National Merit Scholar
103 or National Achievement Scholar and who attends a public
104 postsecondary educational institution must receive an incentive
105 award equal to the institutional cost of attendance minus the
106 sum of the student’s Florida Bright Futures Scholarship and
107 National Merit Scholarship or National Achievement Scholarship.
108 (b) An eligible student who is a National Merit Scholar or
109 National Achievement Scholar and who attends an independent
110 postsecondary educational institution must receive an incentive
111 award equal to the highest cost of attendance at a Florida
112 public university, as reported by the Board of Governors of the
113 State University System, minus the sum of the student’s Florida
114 Bright Futures Scholarship and National Merit Scholarship or
115 National Achievement Scholarship.
116 (6)(a) To be eligible for a renewal award, a student must
117 meet the renewal requirements for the Florida Bright Futures
118 Scholarship Program set forth in s. 1009.532(1)(a) and for the
119 Florida Academic Scholars award set forth in s. 1009.534(3).
120 (b) A student may receive the incentive award for a maximum
121 of 100 percent of the number of credit hours required to
122 complete an associate degree program or a baccalaureate degree
123 program or receive an award for a maximum of 100 percent of the
124 credit hours or clock hours required to complete up to 90 credit
125 hours of a program that terminates in a career certificate.
126 (7) The department shall annually issue awards from the
127 incentive program. Before the registration period each semester,
128 the department shall transmit payment for each award to the
129 president or director of the postsecondary educational
130 institution, or his or her representative, except that the
131 department may withhold payment if the receiving institution
132 fails to report or to make refunds to the department as required
133 in this section.
134 (a) Each institution shall certify to the department the
135 eligibility status of each student to receive a disbursement
136 within 30 days before the end of its regular registration
137 period, inclusive of a drop and add period. An institution is
138 not required to reevaluate the student eligibility after the end
139 of the drop and add period.
140 (b) An institution that receives funds from the incentive
141 program must certify to the department the amount of funds
142 disbursed to each student and remit to the department any
143 undisbursed advances within 60 days after the end of regular
144 registration.
145 (c) If funds appropriated are not adequate to provide the
146 maximum allowable award to each eligible student, awards must be
147 prorated using the same percentage reduction.
148 (8) Funds from any award within the incentive program may
149 not be used to pay for remedial coursework or developmental
150 education.
151 (9) A student may use an award for a summer term if funds
152 are available and appropriated by the Legislature.
153 (10) Funds appropriated by the Legislature for the
154 incentive program awards may be deposited into the State Student
155 Financial Assistance Trust Fund. Notwithstanding s. 216.301 and
156 pursuant to s. 216.351, any balance in the trust fund at the end
157 of any fiscal year which has been allocated to the incentive
158 program must remain in the incentive program and shall be
159 available for carrying out the purposes of this section. The
160 department shall allocate funds to the appropriate institutions
161 and collect and maintain data regarding the incentive program
162 within the student financial assistance database as specified in
163 s. 1009.94.
164 (11) The State Board of Education shall adopt rules
165 necessary to administer this section.
166 Section 4. This act shall take effect July 1, 2014.