The new Bright Futures bill that was filed last month is not the solution Florida needs. In the past few years, state legislators have been desperately seeking a way to successfully curb the cost of Bright Futures while not tanking their political careers.
The bill filed by Rep. Stephen Precourt R-41 has not made much progress in the Florida House of Representatives because many representatives are aware of its disastrous effects on your economic lives after college.
If the bill were to pass, graduates who don’t work in the state of Florida for at least a year after graduation would be responsible to pay back their entire scholarship plus interest.
The obvious economic distress prevalent in the United States makes this bill look like political poison. Any legislators looking at the bill can expect a backlash, especially since unemployment has reached 10.6 percent as of last month, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Finding a job after graduation is not guaranteed. Your chances of doing so are even slimmer if you must stay in the state. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics unemployment in Florida reached 11.6 percent as of December 2009.
Floridians are forced to flee the state to find jobs as it is; expecting freshly minted college graduates to have better luck is naïve. Plus, keeping graduates in the state for only a year isn’t really helping anyone.
A year isn’t enough time to make a significant impact on your career or the state’s economy. It will also cost employers to train new employees since they don’t have an incentive to stay longer. If the only benefit of being here is to avoid a bill, then many graduates would leave for greener pastures as soon as their year is up.
It would make more sense to create an incentive-based program that would keep recent college graduates in the state for more than a year. Since so many jobs have been lost, perhaps a tax credit for entrepreneurial endeavors could work.
The bill has not made much progress since it was introduced but that should not stop you from getting involved. Write to your elected representatives and inform them that they should be finding real solutions for Bright Futures issues, not attempting to hobble future graduates.
You can search for your representative at myfloridahouse.gov.
You can get involved on campus, too. SGA spends much of their time fighting for the futures of students. SGA officials work with representatives and lobbyists to fights things like House Bill 699.
Make sure that during the upcoming elections you make yourself knowledgeable on the candidates experience with politicians. You should elect students that are willing to work hard for your future.
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