This bill proposes significant updates to the Arizona Revised Statutes concerning Arizona empowerment scholarship accounts. Key changes include new requirements for applicants and qualified schools, such as the necessity for all school personnel to possess a valid fingerprint clearance card and meet specific educational qualifications. Additionally, qualified schools must report their graduation rates and excessive absences to the department annually, and new financial performance requirements for schools receiving funds from the scholarship accounts are introduced. The bill also mandates that the department provide clear notifications regarding the rights waived by parents when enrolling in the program. Furthermore, it changes the frequency of fund transfers from quarterly to monthly and establishes stricter guidelines for allowable expenses, prohibiting the use of funds for luxury goods or services. Moreover, the bill enhances accountability measures by requiring annual audits of qualified schools and establishing a financial transparency portal. It introduces new requirements for program performance audits, including the need for the auditor general to assess whether the program's objectives are being met and to submit findings to various legislative bodies. The bill also mandates that committees of reference hold public hearings to gather testimony regarding the program and consider audit findings when deciding on the program's continuation or termination. Additionally, it adds definitions for terms such as "qualified school" and "program review," expands the scope of information shared between school districts and qualified schools regarding fingerprint checks, and clarifies the responsibilities of the auditor general and legislative committees in overseeing the program. Overall, these updates aim to improve oversight, ensure compliance, and enhance educational outcomes for students utilizing the scholarship accounts.

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