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ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Fifty-Fifth Legislature, Second Regular Session
empowerment scholarship accounts; qualified students
Purpose
Expands eligibility for an Arizona Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) to include a child of a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces, a first responder and a full-time employed health professional who provides direct patient care.
Background
A student with
an ESA account may use ESA monies for permissible expenses including: 1)
qualifying tuition or fees; 2) textbooks, curricula and supplementary
materials; and
3) outlined goods and services. A qualified student for an ESA account
includes a: 1) child with a disability; 2) student attending a D or F
school or school district; 3) previous ESA and Arizona Scholarships for Pupils
with Disabilities Program recipient; 4) child of a parent in the U.S. Armed
Forces who is on active duty or was killed in the line of duty; 5) child who is
or was a ward of the court with a permanent guardian or prospective permanent
guardian; 6) sibling of a current or previous ESA recipient; 7) resident of an
Indian reservation in Arizona; and 8) child of a parent who is legally blind,
deaf or hard of hearing (A.R.S.
§ 15-2401).
An ESA is funded at 90 percent of the Base Support Level and additional assistance that a student would have been allocated if the student was attending a school district or charter school (A.R.S. § 15-2402). If expanding eligibility for the ESA Program results in a change in ESA funding costs, there may be a fiscal impact to the state General Fund.
Provisions
1. Expands the definition of a qualified student for an ESA, to include a child of a:
a) first responder;
b) health professional who is employed full time and provides direct patient care; and
c) veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces.
2. Defines first responder as:
a) a peace officer;
b) a firefighter of a city, town, fire district or volunteer fire department; or
c) an emergency medical technician or paramedic.
3. Makes technical changes.
4. Becomes effective on the general effective date.
Prepared by Senate Research
February 4, 2022
LB/MS/slp