Rep. Marie Woodson

Insurance; Creates Property Insurance Commission; provides for election of Commissioner of Insurance Regulation; revises homeowners' eligibility criteria for mitigation grants; requires interests earned on insurance proceeds received by mortgagees & assignees to be paid to insureds; prohibits property insurers from claiming insolvency under certain circumstances; authorizes persons that engage in property insurance activities in other states to engage in insurance activities in this state only under certain circumstances; requires property insurers to cap premiums or to create sliding fee scales for premium rates; prohibits property insurers from using certain defenses as claims denials; revises requirements for risk assignment agreements; requires OPPAGA to conduct study of effectiveness of property insurance mediation program. APPROPRIATION: $300,000,000

Financial Accountability in Publicly Funded Education; Revises requirements for private school to participate in certain educational scholarship programs; requires DOE to suspend payment of funds to participating private schools; creates K-12 Education Funding Task Force within department; & provides requirements for such task force.

Eligibility for Medical Assistance and Related Services; Extends Medicaid eligibility to specified adults.

Minimum Base Salary for Full-time Classroom Teachers; Increases minimum base salary for full-time classroom teachers.

Homestead Tax Exemption for Certain Senior, Low-income, Long-term Residents; Proposing amendments to the State Constitution to increase just value limit of real estate eligible for homestead tax exemption that may be granted by counties or municipalities to certain senior, low-income, long-term residents.

State Land Acquisition; Revises, creates, & repeals various provisions relating to the procedures & requirements for acquisition, retention, & disposal of state lands & prioritization of projects relating to such lands.

Upgrades to Education Facilities as Emergency Shelters; Exempts certain costs associated with upgrades to education facilities from being included in cost per student station calculations; specifies eligible upgrades that may be made; requires costs associated with upgrades to be consistent with prevailing market costs in area where education facility is located.

Instructions on Emergency First Aid for Choking; Requires poster containing specified information relating to choking to be placed in public school cafeterias; & provides requirements for placement of such posters.

Homestead Exemption for First Responders; Exempts from taxation homestead property of surviving spouse of first responder who dies in line of duty while employed by United States Government; expands definition of “first responder” to include certain federal law enforcement officers.

Financial Aid for Female Victims of Rape, Incest, Domestic Violence, or Human Trafficking; Provides certain low-income, female students who are pregnant as result of rape, incest, domestic violence, or human trafficking are exempt from paying specified postsecondary tuition & fees; establishes Academic Success of Pregnant Female Students Who Are Victims of Sexual Abuse Grant Program within DOE.