Florida legislation · 2026 Regular Session
Florida S318: Educational Scholarship Programs
Status: Failed, March 13, 2026
Creating a categorical fund for implementing the Family Empowerment Scholarship Program; creating the educational enrollment stabilization program to provide supplemental state funds to address changes in full-time equivalent student enrollment; renaming the Hope Scholarship Program as the Hope Program; 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, etc.
What the bill says
An act relating to educational scholarship programs; creating s. 1011.687, F.S.; creating a categorical fund for implementing the Family Empowerment Scholarship Program; providing requirements for the use and disbursement of funds; defining the term âfull-time equivalent studentâ; 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; providing that the department has access to certain records; creating s. 1011.689, F.S.…
From the engrossed text, January 14, 2026:
A bill to be entitled An act relating to educational scholarship programs; creating s. 1011.687, F.S.; creating a categorical fund for implementing the Family Empowerment Scholarship Program; providing requirements for the use and disbursement of funds; defining the term âfull-time equivalent studentâ; 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; providing that the department has access to certain records; 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; authorizing the department to distribute funds to school districts under specified conditions; authorizing the department to provide supplemental payments to school districts; 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. 1002.40, F.S.; renaming the Hope Scholarship Program as the Hope Program; 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 …