Bright Futures Bill Passes Senate Education Committee, SGA Publicly Opposes

Lara Coiro / Contributing Writer

On Monday, FIU’s Student Government Association took to social media to post an executive order showing their opposition to Senate Bill 86. The controversial bill proposes reducing Florida Bright Future grant scholarships for students majoring in careers less likely to have a secure job opening after graduation.

The bill would reevaluate the eligibility of state financial aid awards to students and would also calculate Florida Public Student Assistance Grant Programs, such as Bright Futures. The decision on which careers will be eligible for full funding are still being debated on.

“This is impacting our students in Florida and we want to make sure that we’re not sending students or deterring them to study in Florida,” SGA President Alexandra Valdes told senators at Monday’s SGA senate meeting. “I’m very passionate about this.”

The state’s Senate Education Committee approved SB86 to proceed to the Senate floor with a 5-4 vote this last Tuesday, March 16. 

The bill, proposed by Republican Sen. Dennis Baxley, was headed over to the Education Committee, to be voted on Tuesday, March 9. After significant backlash from students and a concerned public, the bill was pulled from the committee’s agenda for amending. After being revised, it was sent back to the Education Committee to be voted on again. Now that it has passed, it must be voted on by the Florida Senate. 

Florida Bright Futures is primarily funded by the Florida Lottery. The program was started in 1997 and since, has helped more than 800,000 Florida students attend college.

Florida Bright Futures offers four different scholarships dependent on a student’s GPA, test scores, community service, and their plans for college. Bright Futures’ Florida Academic Scholar scholarship is the most competitive and provides 100% funding for public high school students attending college in Florida. 

The newly proposed bill would require lawmakers to produce a list of marketable majors for students to be eligible for state grants. Students majoring in fields not listed would receive funding for 60 credits from Florida Bright Futures. 

Baxley stated that the bill was meant to “redesign the program to connect the world of work and the world of education,” according to a report from the Tampa Bay Times. Baxley also called Florida Bright Futures an “entitlement program” in the same report. 

For many students, Bright Futures scholarships are a lifeline for funding their college education.

FIU SGA’s Executive order 01-01 signed by Valdes, states “the Student Body at Florida International University does hereby stand opposed to the current amended Senate Bill 86” and urges the Florida State Legislature to vote the bill down. 

“The current amended Florida Senate Bill 86 stands in contrary to the principles of academic success, and the continued success of the students of the State of Florida in its attempt to limit the Bright Futures Scholarship,”  a follow-up Tweet by SGA  reads.