postsecondary student assistance grants may be deposited in the State Student Financial Assistance Trust Fund. Notwithstanding s. 216.301 and pursuant to s. 216.351, any balance in the trust fund at the end of any fiscal year which has been allocated to the Florida Postsecondary Student Assistance Grant Program shall remain therein and shall be available for carrying out the purposes of this section and as otherwise provided by law.
Section 9. Subsections (3), (4), and (7) of section 1009.53, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
1009.53 Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program.—
(3) The Department of Education shall administer the Bright Futures Scholarship Program according to rules and procedures established by the State Board of Education. A single application must be sufficient for a student to apply for any of the awards. The department shall advertise the availability of the scholarship program and shall notify students, teachers, parents, certified school counselors, and principals or other relevant school administrators of the criteria and application procedures. The department must begin this process of notification no later than September January 1 of each year.
(4) Funding for the Bright Futures Scholarship Program must be allocated from the Education Enhancement Trust Fund and must be provided before allocations from that fund are calculated for disbursement to other educational entities.
(a) If funds appropriated are not adequate to provide the maximum allowable award to each eligible applicant, awards in all components of the program must be prorated using the same percentage reduction.
(b) Notwithstanding s. 216.301, if all funds allocated to
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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
