This bill proposes several updates to the Arizona Revised Statutes regarding Arizona empowerment scholarship accounts. It modifies the definition of "qualified student" to include specific criteria, such as attending a public school for the majority of the previous school year or demonstrating that the family does not have a high annual income, which is defined as $200,000 and subject to annual inflation adjustments. Additionally, the bill introduces new requirements for parents to provide satisfactory evidence of income and mandates that they submit a record of all expenditures from the scholarship account to the department for review.

The bill also makes various deletions and insertions related to the management and allowable uses of the scholarship funds. It specifies that a qualified student may not use more than $2,000 for certain services, curricula, and online learning programs in a single school year. Furthermore, it clarifies the process for account closure if a parent does not renew the account within one academic year and establishes that unexpended funds will be transferred to the classroom site fund under specific conditions. Overall, these changes aim to enhance the accountability and oversight of the Arizona empowerment scholarship accounts while providing clearer guidelines for eligibility and fund usage.

Statutes affected:
Introduced Version: 15-2401.01, 15-2402, 15-2403, 15-2401, 2022-2023, 15-901, 2027-2028, 15-766, 15-505, 15-534.04, 28-9551, 15-802, 15-1871, 15-185, 15-943, 35-190, 2020-2021, 35-113, 15-977