HB2095

THE CONTEXT: An STO is a nonprofit organization certified by the Arizona Department of Revenue that receives income tax contributions to fund scholarships for students to attend qualified private schools in Arizona ( A. R.

WHAT THE BILL DID: The final vetoed version would add students placed in foster care who have not graduated from high school or obtained a general equivalency diploma to those who are eligible to receive a scholarship from an STO that receives switcher credit or low-income credit contributions if the students: a) are unable to attend a governmental school as a full-time student; b) have not attended a governmental school as a full-time student for at least 90 days of the prior fiscal year or one full semester before enrolling in a qualified school; c) only consider the qualified school in which the students are enrolling because a governmental school cannot meet the students' unique needs; and d) are unable to receive other STO scholarships in an amount equal to the cost of tuition to attend the qualified school and define unable to attend to mean the student has been expelled or asked not to return due to their behavior or the school is not able to provide the necessary services to the student.

WHY IT MATTERED: The practical reason for this bill was to give students, families, and schools a clearer statewide rule for scholarships. It would add students placed in foster care who have not graduated from high school or obtained a general equivalency diploma to those who are eligible to receive a scholarship from an STO that receives switcher credit or low-income credit contributions if the students: a) are unable to attend a governmental school as a full-time student; b) have not attended a governmental school as a full-time student for at least 90 days of the prior fiscal year or one full semester before enrolling in a qualified school; c) only consider the qualified school in which the students are enrolling because a governmental school cannot meet the students' unique needs; and d) are unable to receive other STO scholarships in an amount equal to the cost of tuition to attend the qualified school, and would also define unable to attend to mean the student has been expelled or asked not to return due to their behavior or the school is not able to provide the necessary services to the student, rather than leave the current rule unchanged.