HB 1539 Summary

• Creates the "Educational Choice Tax Credit Scholarship Program" allowing taxpayers to claim income tax credits for contributions to scholarship granting organizations that provide educational scholarships to eligible students.

• Individual taxpayers may claim credits up to 50% of tax liability with a 3-year carry-forward; corporate taxpayers are capped at $300,000 per year with total annual credits limited to $10 million.

• Establishes the "Parent Empowerment and Choice Act" enabling parents to petition for school interventions when more than 50% of parents at a school sign a petition requesting reform.

• Provides three intervention options for struggling schools: restart model (conversion to charter or management organization operation), school closure (transfer to higher-achieving schools), or educational choice (implementation of the tax credit scholarship program).

• Requires scholarship granting organizations to be tax-exempt, spend at least 90% of donations on scholarships, conduct background checks, maintain financial accountability, and ensure scholarships are portable across qualified schools; program sunsets December 31, six years after enactment unless reauthorized.