Bright Futures in Florida is a statewide scholarship program that allows students who meet certain qualifications to get scholarships for in-state public or private universities. The program started in 1997 and is funded through the Florida Lottery program to distribute tuition through various different scholarships. 

The proposed changes, sponsored by Sen. Dennis Baxley, would drastically alter the current Bright Futures requirements. As of 2021, a high school senior would be eligible to get the highest amount of Bright Futures, which is 100% of tuition and fees covered plus extra money for other expenses such as textbooks, if they have a 3.5 weighted GPA, 100 community service hours, and a 29 on the ACT or 1330 on the SAT. 

Baxley’s proposal would take away scholarship funds from high schoolers who earned any college credits through dual enrollment, Advanced Placement courses, or other similar credit-earning courses. The bill would also outline who could get the scholarship based on what the student majors in. A specific list of eligible majors is not outlined in the bill, awaiting a vote from the Florida Board of Governors and the State Board of Education on the list by the end of the year. 

In the 2019-20 academic school year, Bright Futures distributed around $618 million in scholarships, according to the Tampa Bay Times. 

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the state’s budget has suffered, and some senators believe these changes to Bright Futures could save the state millions. 

The bill was supposed to have its initial public hearing on the Senate floor in early March; however, due to the backlash the bill received from students and parents alike, it was postponed. The new date for the bill to be introduced in a public hearing was March 16.

After the bill was introduced at the committee hearing, the entire committee will vote to change the bill, pass it as is, or fail it. If the bill passes in the committee hearing, it will then be passed to the rest of the Florida legislature, where they will vote to pass it to the governor who will sign it into law or veto the bill.  

If the bill is passed, it would take effect for students in the 2022-23 academic year, limiting their scholarship amount if they have completed credit-earning courses in high school, and would impact the students already enrolled in universities who receive Bright Futures. 

Many students across the state are upset and have created a website at savebrightfutures.org and a change.org petition with over 100,000 signatures. 

There is the possibility of the bill being amended, so be on the lookout for news on what the new proposal could change for Bright Futures.