This bill proposes significant updates to the Arizona Revised Statutes concerning Arizona empowerment scholarship accounts. It introduces new sections 15-2407 and 15-2408 that establish requirements for fingerprint clearance cards for school personnel and outline the responsibilities of qualified schools regarding financial performance and compliance. The bill modifies existing provisions by changing the frequency of transfers to the Arizona empowerment scholarship accounts from quarterly to monthly and clarifying the conditions under which a qualified student must withdraw from a school district or charter school before enrolling in the program. Additionally, it mandates annual audits by the auditor general and emphasizes financial transparency through a required financial performance report and a financial transparency portal. Moreover, the bill enhances compliance measures for qualified schools by requiring all personnel to have valid fingerprint clearance cards and meet specific educational qualifications. It introduces new compliance measures, including performance audits by the auditor general and public hearings by committees of reference to assess the program's performance. The bill also expands the scope of entities that can provide information regarding fingerprint checks and requires schools to notify the auditor general of their compliance with audit findings. Current school personnel must meet fingerprint clearance card requirements within six months of the act's effective date, ensuring adherence to updated safety protocols. Overall, these changes aim to improve accountability and transparency in the management of educational programs and personnel.

Statutes affected:
Introduced Version: 15-106, 15-2402, 15-2403, 15-2407, 15-2408, 23-1361, 41-619.51, 41-1279.03, 41-1750, 41-1758, 41-1758.01, 41-1758.08, 15-183, 15-512, 15-766, 15-2401, 15-505, 15-534.04, 28-9551, 15-802, 15-185, 15-943, 35-190, 2020-2021, 35-113, 15-2401.01, 15-2404, 93-380, 15-241, 15-914, 13-2310, 15-161, 41-2954, 41-2952, 41-619.57, 8-804, 41-619.55, 3-314, 8-105, 8-322, 8-463, 8-509, 8-802, 15-503, 15-534, 15-763.01, 15-782.02, 15-1330, 15-1881, 17-215, 28-3228, 28-3413, 32-122.02, 32-122.05, 32-122.06, 32-823, 32-1232, 32-1276.01, 32-1284, 32-1297.01, 32-1904, 32-1941, 32-1982, 32-2022, 32-2063, 32-2108.01, 32-2123, 32-2371, 32-3430, 32-3620, 32-3668, 32-3669, 32-3922, 32-3924, 32-4222, 32-4128, 36-113, 36-207, 36-411, 36-425.03, 36-446.04, 36-594.01, 36-594.02, 36-766.01, 36-882, 36-883.02, 36-897.01, 36-897.03, 36-3008, 41-619.53, 41-1964, 41-1967.01, 41-1968, 41-1969, 41-2814, 41-4025, 46-141, 46-321, 42-6106, 42-6107, 28-6392, 28-6533, 13-3601, 32-2422, 32-2441, 32-2612, 32-2622, 41-1758.03, 41-1758.07, 41-2411, 14-5303, 14-5407, 14-5206, 14-5304, 14-5401, 14-5651, 13-3827, 15-550, 8-453, 99-169, 13-3825, 8-341, 41-619.52, 13-3623, 35-146, 35-147, 41-1758.04, 92-544