PA HB1489

Establishes the Lifeline Scholarship Program beginning with the 2026-2027 school year, providing state-funded scholarships for eligible students to attend participating nonprofit nonpublic schools in Pennsylvania

Eligible students must be PA residents without a high school diploma who either reside in a low-achieving school's attendance boundary or have household income below 350% of federal poverty guidelines, and must have attended PA public school the prior year, received the scholarship previously, or be entering kindergarten

Scholarship amounts for 2026-2027 are $2,500 for half-day kindergarten, $5,000 for full-day kindergarten through grade 8, $10,000 for grades 9-12, and $15,000 for students with special needs, with annual inflation adjustments thereafter

Creates the Lifeline Scholarship Fund with $350,000,000 transferred from the General Fund within 15 days of enactment and each August 1 thereafter, administered by the State Treasury

Participating nonpublic schools must be nonprofit 501(c)(3) entities, comply with federal nondiscrimination laws, and report on scholarship recipient enrollment, attendance, academic progress, and graduation to the State Treasury