Sen. Bill Stanley

Commending Jesse Waltz.

Celebrating the life of the Honorable HarryRussell Potts, Jr.

Commending Rita Carter Forrester.

Income tax; military benefits subtraction; emergency. Establishes an income tax subtraction for up to $20,000 of militarybenefits in taxable year 2021, up to $30,000 in taxable year 2022,and up to $40,000 in taxable year 2023 and each year thereafter.The bill defines military benefits to include military retirementincome and benefits paid to the surviving spouse of a veteran. The bill contains an emergency clause.

School principals; incident reports. Requires that school principals report to law enforcement certain enumerated acts that may constitute a misdemeanor offense and report to the parents of any minor student who is the specific object of such act that the incident has been reported to law enforcement. Under current law, principals are required to make such reports only for such acts that may constitute a felony offense. This bill was incorporated into SB 36.

Public charter schools; applications; reviewand approval. Permits the Board of Education (the Board) to receive, review, and rule upon applications for public charter schools andenter into agreements for the establishment of public charter schools.Under current law, the power to grant or deny a public charter schoolapplication and enter into an agreement for the establishment ofa public charter school rests solely with local school boards. Thebill also provides that the decision of the Board or a local schoolboard to grant or deny a public charter school application or to revoke or fail to renew a public charter school agreement is finaland is not subject to appeal. Current law contains an appeal processfor such decisions.

Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act; penalty.Creates the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act. The Act prohibitsan abortion after 20 weeks gestation unless, in reasonable medicaljudgment, the mother has a condition that so complicates her medicalcondition as to necessitate the abortion to avert her death or toavert serious risk of substantial and irreversible physical impairmentof a major bodily function. When an abortion is not prohibited post-20weeks' gestation, the physician or authorized nurse practitioner is required to terminate the pregnancy in a manner that would providethe unborn child the best opportunity to survive. The bill punishes performance of an abortion in violation of the Act as a Class 6felony. The bill also provides for civil remedies against a physicianor authorized nurse practitioner who performs an abortion in violationof the Act.

School boards; unexpended local funds; capital projects. Permits any school board to finance capital projects with any funds appropriated to it by the local governing body that are unexpended by the school board in any year. The bill is a recommendation of the Commission on School Construction and Modernization. This bill was incorporated into SB 481.

Public School Trades Incentive Fund and Program;established. Establishes the Public School Trades Incentive Fund(the Fund) and the Public School Trades Incentive Program (the Program)for the purpose of providing grants on a competitive basis from theFund to any school board that seeks to (i) restore high school programsthat teach students skilled trades that lead to earning industry-recognizedcertifications or credentials or (ii) create or restore middle schoolprograms that encourage and recruit students to participate in highschool programs that teach students skilled trades that lead to earningindustry-recognized certifications or credentials. The bill requiresthe Department of Education to administer the Program and to establish such rules and procedures relating to applications and awards asit deems appropriate, provided that the Department considers andgives appropriate weight to certain criteria for grantees. The billpermits any grantee to use Program funds for equipment, curriculumdevelopment, or instructor training. The bill requires each granteeto longitudinally track students who complete any program for whichthe school board received funds in order to determine the effectivenessof the (a) new or restored middle school programs in recruiting studentsto participate in restored high school programs and (b) restored high school programs in matching students with high-paying jobs in thefields in which they are certified or credentialed.

Board of Education; standards for the maintenanceand operations, renovation, and new construction of public elementaryand secondary school buildings. Requires the Board of Education(the Board) to make recommendations to the General Assembly for amendmentsto the Standards of Quality to establish standards for the maintenanceand operations, renovation, and new construction of public elementaryand secondary school buildings. The bill requires such recommendationsto include standards for the percentage of the current replacementvalue of a public school building that a school board should budget for the maintenance and operations of the building and such otherstandards as the Board deems appropriate. The bill also requires the Board to solicit the input of relevant stakeholders and the publicin developing such recommendations. Finally, the bill requires theBoard to submit its recommendations to the Chairmen of the House Committee on Education and the Senate Committee on Education and Healthno later than December 1, 2022. This bill is a recommendation ofthe Commission on School Construction and Modernization.