Florida Senate - 2019 SB 1354
By Senator Rodriguez
37-00200A-19 20191354__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to the Sunshine Scholarship Program;
3 creating s. 1009.895, F.S.; establishing the Sunshine
4 Scholarship Program for specified purposes; requiring
5 the Department of Education to administer the program;
6 defining the term “eligible postsecondary
7 institution”; requiring certain financial aid to be
8 credited to a student’s tuition and fees before award
9 of a Sunshine Scholarship; providing student
10 eligibility requirements; defining the term “full-time
11 student”; requiring a student to repay the scholarship
12 amount under certain circumstances; providing that the
13 program applies only to a student’s tuition and fees;
14 providing that the award of such scholarship is
15 contingent on the appropriation of funds by the
16 Legislature; requiring the department to adopt rules;
17 providing an effective date.
18
19 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
20
21 Section 1. Section 1009.895, Florida Statutes, is created
22 to read:
23 1009.895 Sunshine Scholarship Program.—
24 (1) There is established the Sunshine Scholarship Program
25 to be administered by the Department of Education. The Sunshine
26 Scholarship Program shall provide funding for 100 percent of
27 tuition and fees for Florida residents pursuing an associate
28 degree or career certificate from an eligible postsecondary
29 institution. For purposes of this section, “eligible
30 postsecondary institution” means a Florida College System
31 institution, a career center operated by a school district, or a
32 charter technical career center. Financial aid received from the
33 Pell Grant, the Florida Public Student Assistance Grant Program,
34 and the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program shall be
35 credited first to the student’s tuition and fees.
36 (2) To be eligible to receive a scholarship pursuant to
37 this section, a student must:
38 (a) Be a resident for tuition purposes, as defined in s.
39 1009.21.
40 (b) Meet the general requirements for student eligibility
41 as provided in s. 1009.40, except as otherwise provided in this
42 section.
43 (c) Have a total annual household income equal to or less
44 than $50,000.
45 (d) Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid
46 (FAFSA) for each academic year in which the scholarship is
47 sought.
48 (e) Be accepted by and enroll in an eligible postsecondary
49 institution.
50 (f) Maintain continuous enrollment as a full-time student
51 while receiving the scholarship. For purposes of this section,
52 “full-time student” means a student enrolled in a minimum of 12
53 semester hours or the clock-hour equivalent.
54 (3) Upon completion of his or her program of study, or upon
55 disenrollment from an eligible postsecondary institution, the
56 student must reside and work within the state for the same
57 period of time he or she received funds from the program. If the
58 student does not reside and work within the state for the
59 specified period, the student must repay the total amount
60 awarded, plus an annual interest rate equal to the federal
61 student loan interest rate in effect when the student entered
62 the program. The requirements of this subsection do not apply:
63 (a) When a student enlists in the United States Armed
64 Forces; or
65 (b) While a student is continuously enrolled in a
66 baccalaureate degree program or higher at a Florida
67 postsecondary institution. Once the student graduates or
68 disenrolls from a Florida postsecondary institution, the
69 requirements of this subsection apply.
70 (4) To remain eligible for the program, a student must
71 maintain the equivalent of a cumulative grade point average of
72 2.5 on a 4.0 scale while enrolled at an eligible postsecondary
73 institution.
74 (5) The Sunshine Scholarship Program applies only to
75 tuition and fees. Each student is responsible for additional
76 user fees, textbooks, and other college-related expenses.
77 (6) Funding for the program shall be as provided in the
78 General Appropriations Act.
79 (7) The State Board of Education shall adopt rules to
80 administer this section.
81 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2019.