HB 158 Summary

• Authorizes nonrefundable tax credits for taxpayers who make donations to educational scholarship organizations that provide scholarships to low-income students attending nonpublic schools.

• Establishes annual total credit limit of $20 million for fiscal year 2014, with automatic increases of 20% each year if 80% of prior year limit was reached.

• Allows individual taxpayers to claim up to $1,000 in credits per tax period; married couples filing jointly up to $2,500; and other entities up to $300,000 or their proportionate share.

• Requires educational scholarship organizations to be certified nonprofit entities (501(c)(3)) that spend at least 90% of donations on scholarships, award at least 50% of new scholarships to students new to nonpublic schools, and conduct criminal background checks on employees.

• Creates criminal records check requirements for educational scholarship organization employees under section 109.572, using the same disqualifying offenses as other school and childcare workers.