Florida Senate - 2021                                    SB 1406
       
       
        
       By Senator Jones
       
       
       
       
       
       35-01706-21                                           20211406__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to the Postsecondary Graduation
    3         Achievement Housing Scholarship Program; creating s.
    4         1009.895, F.S.; establishing the Postsecondary
    5         Graduation Achievement Housing Scholarship Program;
    6         requiring the Department of Education to administer
    7         the program; providing for funding; providing
    8         department duties; providing eligibility requirements;
    9         providing scholarship amounts; authorizing
   10         scholarships to be prorated under certain
   11         circumstances; providing requirements for the use of
   12         scholarship funds; authorizing the State Board of
   13         Education to adopt rules; providing an effective date.
   14          
   15  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   16  
   17         Section 1. Section 1009.895, Florida Statutes, is created
   18  to read:
   19         1009.895 Postsecondary Graduation Achievement Housing
   20  Scholarship Program.—
   21         (1) To help high-achieving postsecondary graduates who have
   22  significant financial need become productive residents of this
   23  state and join the workforce, there is established the
   24  Postsecondary Graduation Achievement Housing Scholarship
   25  Program, a lottery-funded program to be administered by the
   26  Department of Education. Funding for the program must be
   27  annually allocated from the Education Enhancement Trust Fund.
   28         (2) The department shall establish an application process
   29  for eligible individuals and criteria for, at a minimum, the
   30  determination of significant financial need. Scholarships must
   31  be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis, subject to
   32  available funding.
   33         (3) To be eligible for a scholarship under this program, an
   34  individual must:
   35         (a) Have been a resident for tuition purposes pursuant to
   36  s. 1009.21 during his or her postsecondary education.
   37         (b) Have been a recipient of a state-funded scholarship or
   38  grant award under chapter 1009 for at least 1 year of his or her
   39  postsecondary education.
   40         (c) Have a significant financial need as determined
   41  pursuant to subsection (2).
   42         (d) Have graduated from a postsecondary education
   43  institution in this state with at least a cumulative grade point
   44  average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale in the last 2 years.
   45         (4) Scholarships must be awarded to individuals for a
   46  period of 2 years as follows:
   47         (a) For the first year, each individual must receive $400
   48  per month.
   49         (b) For the second year, each individual must receive $300
   50  per month.
   51         (c) Subject to available funds, each individual awarded a
   52  scholarship may receive a one-time award of up to $1,500 for his
   53  or her first year in the program.
   54  
   55  If appropriated funds are not sufficient, funds for each
   56  scholarship must be prorated.
   57         (5) Scholarship funds must be used to pay for housing and
   58  security deposits for housing in this state.
   59         (6) The State Board of Education may adopt rules to
   60  administer this section.
   61         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2021.