Bill > S7030

Introduced Session

An act relating to educational scholarship programs; creating s. 1011.687, F.S.; creating an operating categorical fund for implementing the Family Empowerment Scholarship Program; providing requirements for the use and disbursement of funds; defining the term “full-time equivalent student”; requiring the Department of Education to release funds if certain criteria are met; providing requirements for the release of each payment; providing requirements for excess funds; creating s. 1011.689, F.S.; creating the educational enrollment stabilization program to provide supplemental state funds to address changes in full-time equivalent student enrollment; requiring the department to use funds to ensure that a school district’s funds are not lower than a specified calculation; requiring the department to use funds to provide a supplements payment to school districts that have a decline in enrollment; providing for the calculation of the supplemental payment; requiring the department to ensure funding is available for certain scholarship programs; requiring the department to appropriate funds from the General Appropriations Act to keep the educational enrollment stabilization program at a minimum balance; amending s. 1011.65, F.S.; requiring that specified data include a verification that certain full-time equivalent student membership survey data has been cross-checked by the department; amending s. 1002.40, F.S.; renaming the Hope Scholarship Program as the Hope Program; repealing s. 1002.411, F.S., relating to New Worlds Scholarship Accounts; amending s. 1002.421, F.S.; defining terms; requiring an eligible nonprofit scholarship-funding organization to provide a parent with certain information on scholarship programs; requiring an eligible nonprofit scholarship-funding organization to create a single application for all educational scholarship programs; providing requirements for such application; prohibiting an eligible nonprofit scholarship-funding organization from charging a fee for the application; requiring an eligible nonprofit scholarship-funding organization to establish two application approval windows; providing deadlines for such application approval windows; requiring an eligible nonprofit scholarship-funding organization to review applications and award scholarships in a specified order of priority; requiring an eligible nonprofit scholarship-funding organization to award scholarships to newly eligible students on a first come, first-served basis; requiring a parent to notify the eligible nonprofit scholarship-funding organization within a specified timeframe if a scholarship offer is accepted or declined within a specified timeframe; prohibiting a parent from applying for multiple scholarships for an individual student at the same time; authorizing specified students to apply for a scholarship at any time but only receive payments prospectively; prohibiting an eligible nonprofit scholarship-funding organization from restricting or reserving scholarships for use at a particular school; requiring such organization to notify each parent of a scholarship applicant that participation in the program does not guarantee enrollment at an eligible private school; providing that a parent who submitted an application by a specified date need not submit a new application; authorizing a parent to withdraw their application and reapply; prohibiting an eligible nonprofit scholarship-funding organization from requiring documentation beyond the requirements of the scholarship program; requiring an eligible nonprofit scholarship-funding organization to verify a student’s eligibility upon receipt of an application; requiring an eligible nonprofit scholarship-funding organization to send a list of verified eligible students to the department by specified dates; requiring the department to assign each verified eligible student a Florida student identification number; requiring the department to use such number for tracking and reporting scholarship data; requiring the department to cross-check each list of verified eligible students with certain other lists; requiring the department to send the cross-checked list to the eligible nonprofit scholarship-funding organization; requiring the department to notify an eligible nonprofit scholarship-funding organization of specified information; requiring an eligible nonprofit scholarship-funding organization to verify a student’s continued eligibility before disbursing each payment; providing criteria for verifying continued eligibility; requiring parents of students receiving scholarship payments to verify specified information; providing criteria for verifying continued eligibility; requiring parents of students receiving scholarship payments to verify specified information; providing that the scholarship program award amounts are the amounts provided in the General Appropriations Act; providing parameters for the calculation of the scholarship amounts for certain students; requiring an eligible nonprofit scholarship-funding organization to establish and maintain a scholarship account for each student; providing methods for the transfer of funds; providing requirements for such accounts; providing that accrued interest is in addition to and not part of a student’s account; providing that program funds include awarded funds and accrued interest and are available only for authorized expenditures; requiring eligible nonprofit scholarship-funding organizations to make payments by funds transfer; providing requirements for such funds transfer; prohibiting a student’s scholarship award from being reduced to cover certain fees; requiring that commodities or services related to the funds transfer system be procured by a specified method; providing an exception; prohibiting an eligible nonprofit scholarship-funding organization from transferring funds to an account that has a balance in excess of a specified amount; authorizing students in a scholarship program to take specified tests and certain assessments; providing an exception; requiring a participating private school to administer or provide for students to take specified tests and assessments; requiring a participating private school to submit a certain written request to the department by a specified date; requiring a school district to administer tests and assessments at a participating private school; requiring an owner or operator to undergo a background screening; providing requirements for the submission of fingerprints; requiring the Department of Law Enforcement to retain such fingerprints in a specified manner and to enter such fingerprints into the statewide automated biometric identification system; requiring that such fingerprints be available for certain purposes and uses; requiring the Department of Law Enforcement to run a certain search of such fingerprints; prohibiting an owner or operator who fails the background screening from participating in a scholarship program; prohibiting such owner or operator from transferring ownership or management authority to a relative; defining the term “relative”; requiring an eligible nonprofit scholarship-funding organization to report the annual audit of background screening results to the Department of Education; providing that a participating private school may be sectarian or nonsectarian; revising information required to be provided to the department by an eligible private school; deleting obsolete language; providing construction; requiring the department to publish and update information on its website relating to scholarship programs; requiring the department to investigate complaints; requiring the department to maintain and annually publish a list of tests that satisfy a specified requirement; requiring the department to develop a standard withdrawal form for parents withdrawing a student from public school; providing requirements for such form; requiring the department to develop a uniform reimbursement process; requiring an organization, by a specified date, to approve, deny, or request more information relating to a reimbursement request; requiring the department to coordinate with each organization to provide a participating private school with statewide assessments; deleting the definition of the term “owner or operator”; requiring a school district, by a specified date, to inform certain households of eligibility to apply for a scholarship program; requiring the school district to coordinate with the department to provide a participating private school with statewide assessments; requiring a school district to publish information about a scholarship program on its website; requiring a school district to provide a parent with the withdrawal form upon request; deleting obsolete language; amending s. 1002.394, F.S.; deleting obsolete language; providing that authorized uses of program funds include digital devices; providing a title for a scholarship granted to a student who meets specified eligibility requirements; providing that authorized uses of program funds include membership dues and activity fees for Career and Technical Student Organizations; providing that tuition and fees that meet certain requirements are eligible for program funds; revising conditions under which a student is no longer eligible for scholarship funding; requiring an eligible nonprofit scholarship-funding organization to notify a parent before closing a student’s account; requiring an eligible nonprofit scholarship-funding organization to report certain information to the Department of Education regarding scholarship accounts closed under certain circumstances; requiring an eligible nonprofit scholarship-funding organization to notify a parent if, upon a student reaching a specified age, a balance exists in the student’s account, the amount of the balance, and how the funds may be used; deleting a provision allowing a public school student to receive a scholarship for transportation; deleting obsolete language; amending s. 1002.395, F.S.; deleting obsolete language; deleting provisions related to scholarship priority; deleting a provision allowing a public school student to receive a scholarship for transportation; revising a provision requiring eligible nonprofit scholarship-funding organizations to verify that scholarship funds are used for specified purposes; requiring an eligible nonprofit scholarship-funding organization to report to the department the total number of scholarship accounts closed due to certain reasons; amending s. 1003.485, F.S.; deleting language relating to the purpose of the New Worlds Reading Initiative; conforming a cross reference; amending s. 1008.25, F.S.; making a conforming change; amending s. 1010.305, F.S.; requiring the Auditor General to periodically examine the records of eligible nonprofit scholarship-funding organizations; providing for appropriate adjustments to be made and excess funds to be deducted if criteria and procedures have not been followed by an eligible nonprofit scholarship-funding organization; amending s. 1011.61, F.S.; conforming a cross-reference; amending s. 1011.62, F.S.; deleting obsolete language relating to the state-funded discretionary supplement; amending ss. 11.45, 212.099, and 1002.45, F.S.; conforming cross-references; requiring the Department of Education to work with eligible nonprofit scholarship-funding organizations to resolve discrepancies in certain student funding; providing requirements for such resolution; requiring the department to provide a report of certain discrepancies and their resolutions to specified officials or entities by a specified date; providing an effective date.

AI Summary

No sponsors listed

Other Sponsors (2)

Died in Conference Committee, companion bill(s) passed, see CS/CS/HB 1255 (Ch. 2025-110), SB 2500 (Ch. 2025-198) (on 06/16/2025)

Official Document