Bill Text: FL S1524 | 2023 | Regular Session | Introduced


Bill Title: Florida Medical School Scholarship and Grant Program

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Failed) 2023-05-05 - Died in Education Postsecondary [S1524 Detail]

Download: Florida-2023-S1524-Introduced.html
       Florida Senate - 2023                                    SB 1524
       
       
        
       By Senator Davis
       
       
       
       
       
       5-01600A-23                                           20231524__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to the Florida Medical School
    3         Scholarship and Grant Program; amending s. 1009.70,
    4         F.S.; revising the authorized use of funds from the
    5         Florida Education Fund; revising the responsibilities
    6         of the Board of Directors of the Florida Education
    7         Fund; establishing the Florida Medical School
    8         Scholarship and Grant Program within the fund for
    9         specified purposes; requiring the fund to award
   10         scholarships to certain minority students enrolled in
   11         specified schools or programs; providing requirements
   12         for such scholarships; authorizing the fund to provide
   13         grants to certain postsecondary educational
   14         institutions or nonprofit organizations to create and
   15         implement nontraditional mentoring services or support
   16         programs for specified purposes; providing an
   17         appropriation; providing an effective date.
   18          
   19  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   20  
   21         Section 1. Present subsections (6) and (7) of section
   22  1009.70, Florida Statutes, are redesignated as subsections (7)
   23  and (8), respectively, a new subsection (6) is added to that
   24  section, and paragraph (b) of subsection (2), paragraph (c) of
   25  subsection (3), and subsection (5) are amended, to read:
   26         1009.70 Florida Education Fund.—
   27         (2)
   28         (b) The Legislature may appropriate funds to the Florida
   29  Education Fund to be used for scholarships and grants under
   30  subsections (5) and (6) subsection (5). Funds appropriated to
   31  the Florida Education Fund shall be matched on a dollar-for
   32  dollar basis by funds contributed from private sources,
   33  including, but not limited to, income earned from investment
   34  returns on the Florida Education Fund Endowment, the value of
   35  monetary and in-kind contributions to the McKnight Doctoral
   36  Fellowship Program, the value of services provided by McKnight
   37  Doctoral Fellows to Florida not-for-profit corporations and
   38  public and nonpublic colleges and universities, and the value of
   39  tuition and fees paid on behalf of McKnight Doctoral Fellows
   40  from funds not appropriated to the Florida Education Fund. The
   41  Florida Education Fund shall certify to the Department of
   42  Education’s Office of Student Financial Assistance the estimated
   43  value of such matching amounts before prior to the disbursement
   44  of the appropriation and shall certify to the Legislature the
   45  actual value of such matching amounts as of June 30 each year.
   46  Only new donations above the certified prior year base shall be
   47  calculated for state matching funds. The department shall
   48  provide the format for which the Florida Education Fund shall
   49  comply with the reporting requirements of this paragraph.
   50         (3) The Florida Education Fund shall use the income of the
   51  fund to provide for programs which seek to:
   52         (c) Increase the representation of minorities in faculty
   53  and administrative positions in higher education and medical
   54  fields in this state and to provide more highly educated
   55  minority leadership in business and professional enterprises in
   56  this state.
   57         (5) The Board of Directors of the Florida Education Fund
   58  shall review and evaluate initial programs created by the
   59  McKnight Foundation and continue funding the McKnight Doctoral
   60  Fellowship Program and the McKnight Junior Faculty Fellowship
   61  Program if the evaluations are positive, shall fund the Florida
   62  Medical School Scholarship and Grant Program under subsection
   63  (6), and the board shall identify, initiate, and fund new and
   64  creative programs and monitor, review, and evaluate those
   65  programs. The purpose of this commitment is to broaden the
   66  participation and funding potential for further significant
   67  support of higher education in this state. In addition, the
   68  board shall:
   69         (a) Hold such meetings as are necessary to implement this
   70  section.
   71         (b) Select a chairperson annually.
   72         (c) Adopt and use an official seal in the authentication of
   73  its acts.
   74         (d) Make rules for its own government.
   75         (e) Administer this section, including creating a budget
   76  for the administration of the Florida Medical School Scholarship
   77  and Grant Program.
   78         (f) Appoint an executive director to serve at its pleasure
   79  and perform all duties assigned by the board. The executive
   80  director shall be the chief administrative officer and agent of
   81  the board.
   82         (g) Maintain a record of its proceedings.
   83         (h) Delegate to the chairperson of the board the
   84  responsibility for signing final orders.
   85         (i) Utilize existing higher education organizations,
   86  associations, and agencies to carry out its educational programs
   87  and purposes with minimal staff employment.
   88         (j) Be empowered to enter into contracts with the Federal
   89  Government, state agencies, or individuals.
   90         (k) Receive bequests, gifts, grants, donations, and other
   91  valued goods and services. Such bequests and gifts shall be used
   92  only for the purpose or purposes stated by the donor.
   93         (6)(a)There is established the Florida Medical School
   94  Scholarship and Grant Program to be administered by the Florida
   95  Education Fund to provide scholarships to black and Hispanic
   96  students enrolled in an accredited medical school or an approved
   97  physician assistant program in this state and to create
   98  nontraditional mentoring services or support programs for such
   99  students.
  100         (b)The Florida Education Fund shall award scholarships to
  101  black and Hispanic students who are United States citizens and
  102  are currently enrolled in an accredited medical school or an
  103  approved physician assistant program in this state which will
  104  lead to licensure under chapter 458 or chapter 459. The
  105  scholarship amount shall be determined by the fund. Priority
  106  must be given to students who are enrolled in an accredited
  107  medical school in this state and who graduated from a high
  108  school in this state within the last 10 years or graduated from
  109  a public or private postsecondary educational institution within
  110  the state in the last 5 years. The fund may establish additional
  111  eligibility criteria.
  112         (c)The Florida Education Fund may award grants to public
  113  or private postsecondary educational institutions or nonprofit
  114  organizations under s. 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code to
  115  create and implement nontraditional mentoring services or
  116  support programs to assist minority students and students of
  117  underrepresented racial and ethnic groups who are interested in
  118  pursuing careers that require a professional degree.
  119         Section 2. For the 2023-2024 fiscal year, and each fiscal
  120  year thereafter, the sum of $500,000 in recurring funds is
  121  appropriated from the General Revenue Fund to the Florida
  122  Education Fund for the purpose of implementing the Florida
  123  Medical School Scholarship and Grant Program.
  124         Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2023.

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