For income tax years commencing on or after January 1, 2021, the bill allows an individual or corporate taxpayer to subtract from the taxpayer's federal taxable income any amount contributed to an eligible scholarship granting organization, to the extent such amount is not claimed as a deduction on the taxpayer's federal tax return. An eligible scholarship granting organization is defined as a charitable nonprofit organization that provides scholarships to dependent children for tuition expenses for the child's enrollment in a private school so long as the child qualifies for free or reduced-cost lunch. An eligible scholarship organization is required to undergo an annual financial and compliance audit of its accounts and records conducted by an independent certified public accountant and is required to submit the audit to the department of education. The department of education is required to review each audit it receives and submit an annual list to the department of revenue of eligible nonprofit scholarship granting organizations that are in compliance with the requirements specified for the deduction. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
Sponsored bills
The bill prohibits an employer from requiring union membership or payment of union dues as a condition of employment. The bill creates civil and criminal penalties for employer violations regarding union membership and authorizes the attorney general and the district attorney in each judicial district to investigate alleged violations and take action against a person believed to be in violation. The bill states that all-union agreements are unfair labor practices.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)
General fund transfer to highway users tax fund for state fiscal year 2019-20. The act requires the state treasurer to transfer $100 million from the general fund to the highway users tax fund on July 1, 2019, for allocation to the state highway fund, counties, and municipalities in accordance with the existing "second stream" allocation formula, which allocates the money as follows: 60% to the state highway fund; 22% to counties; and 18% to municipalities.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
Nursing home penalty cash fund - reserve - grant cap - repeal related program sunset. The act repeals the current reserve for the nursing home penalty cash fund and instead requires the medical services board to establish a minimum reserve that limits expenditures for grants. The annual cap on expenditures for grants, which is $250,000 or possibly a lesser amount depending on whether the fund balance exceeds $2 million, is repealed and the sunset review of the use of grants and the related nursing home innovations grant board is also repealed.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
Medical marijuana - disabling medical conditions - conditions for which a physician could prescribe an opioid. The act adds a condition for which a physician could prescribe an opioid to the list of disabling medical conditions that authorize a person to use medical marijuana for his or her condition. Under current law, a child under 18 years of age who wants to be added to the medical marijuana registry for a disabling medical condition must be diagnosed as having a disabling medical condition by 2 physicians, one of whom must be a board-certified pediatrician, a board-certified family physician, or a board-certified child and adolescent psychiatrist who attests that he or she is part of the patient's primary care provider team. The act removes the additional requirements on specific physicians to align with the constitutional provisions for a debilitating medical condition. The act states if the recommending physician is not the patient's primary care physician, the recommending physician shall review the records of a diagnosing physician or a licensed mental health provider acting within its scope of practice. The act limits a patient with a disabling medical condition who is under eighteen years of age to using medical marijuana only in a nonsmokeable form when using medical marijuana upon the grounds of the preschool or primary or secondary school in which the student is enrolled, or upon a school bus or at a school-sponsored event.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
Child placement agencies - delegating care of a minor - temporary care assistance program - appropriation. The act permits a parent or guardian to use a temporary care assistance program operated by a child placement agency to identify an appropriate and safe approved temporary caregiver to whom the parent or guardian can choose to delegate temporary care responsibility of a minor through a power of attorney. Prior to July 1, 2021, only a child placement agency that is a nonprofit organization and that operates a program similar to a temporary care assistance program in 30 or more states may operate a temporary care assistance program. A temporary care assistance program must make diligent efforts to notify any parent or guardian identified having parental rights or legal decision-making authority regarding the minor's care and cannot assist a parent who is named as a respondent in an open dependency and neglect case. A power of attorney that delegates temporary care responsibility of a minor to an approved temporary caregiver is limited to a duration of 6 months. The 6-month restriction does not apply to deployed or active duty military members. Such a power of attorney can be revoked at any time and does not change legal rights or obligations existing pursuant to a court order. The minor must be returned to the custody of the parent or guardian within 48 hours after termination of the power of attorney. A temporary care assistance program is permitted to approve as a temporary caregiver any person who: Meets the standards prescribed by the temporary care assistance program; Satisfactorily completes required criminal and child abuse and neglect background checks and sex offender registration checks; and Receives training conducted by the temporary care assistance program. A temporary care assistance program and a temporary care provider are subject to any rules applicable to noncertified kinship care that are promulgated by the department of human services and that are consistent with statutory provisions concerning temporary care assistance programs. A power of attorney that delegates temporary care responsibility of a minor to an approved temporary caregiver does not constitute child abuse or neglect, constitute placing the minor into foster care, or relieve parents, guardians, or minors of rights and obligations pursuant to court orders. For the 2019-20 state fiscal year, $14,093 is appropriated from the general fund to the department of human services for use by the division of child welfare for implementation of the act. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
Evidence-based practices implementation for capacity resource center - collaboration partners. In the division of criminal justice in the department of public safety there is the evidence-based practices implementation for capacity resource center (center). The center's role is to develop and sustain effective implementation frameworks to support the use of evidence-based practices for both juvenile and adult populations in the criminal justice system. Current law requires the center to collaborate with the department of public safety, the department of corrections, the department of human services, and the judicial department. The act removes the limit on the departments with which the center can collaborate.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
Office of information technology - state agency definition - department of education excluded. The department of education is excluded from the definition of "state agency" as used in the office of information technology (office) provisions. Although the department of education is not a state agency for purposes of the office, the chief information officer may enter into contracts with the department of education for the purpose of providing disaster recovery services.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
State board of parole - membership - appropriation. The act increases the state board of parole's (board) membership by 2, for a total of 9 members. The 2 additional members must have experience in a field relevant to the work of the board. $293,774 is appropriated to the department of corrections to implement this act. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More
Marijuana cash fund - marijuana tax cash fund - transfers. The act requires the state treasurer to make 2 transfers from the marijuana cash fund to the marijuana tax cash fund. On July 1, 2019, the state treasurer will transfer $914,416, and on July 1, 2020, the state treasurer will transfer $890,901.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.) Read More