HB 2250 Summary

• Expands eligibility for empowerment scholarship accounts to include siblings of current or previous recipients and children eligible for kindergarten or preschool programs for children with disabilities who attended such programs for fewer than 100 days.

• Modifies allowed uses of scholarship funds to include vocational and life skills education tuition, associated services (educational/psychological evaluations, assistive technology, braille translation), and specific school fees (registration, library, transfer, laboratory, late enrollment).

• Changes the percentage of base support level funding transferred to scholarship accounts from 90 percent to maintain at 90 percent, adjusts the department's administrative retention from 5 percent to retain 2 percent for the state treasurer fund instead of 1 percent.

• Requires the department to accept applications between July 1 and May 1 annually and issue award letters within 45 days of receiving completed applications; establishes online approval process for providers and monthly website updates of approved vendors.

• Establishes a special education study committee to review empowerment scholarship account funding, services delivery, and special education needs through December 31, 2015; directs auditor general to issue triennial reports beginning in 2019 on account management and spending.