HB4945 S FIN AMT #1 3-5

Johnson  7909

The Committee on Finance moved to amend the bill by striking out the title and substituting therefor a new title, to read as follows:

Eng. House Bill 4945—A Bill to amend and reenact §18-9A-25 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended; to amend and reenact §18-31-2, §18-31-3, §18-31-5, §18-31-6, §18-31-7, §18-31-8, §18-31-10, and §18-31-11 of said code; and to amend said code by adding thereto a new section, designated §18‑31‑2a, all relating generally to the Hope Scholarship Program; providing that the annual Hope Scholarship Program appropriation calculation will be based on the estimated number of participating students instead of the number of participating students in the prior year; providing that Hope Scholarship students have certain educational privileges made available to other nonpublic school students; clarifying that Hope Scholarship funds may only be utilized for expenses incurred in a Kindergarten through secondary school education; permitting the State Treasurer to appear by designee at Hope Scholarship Board meetings; requiring parental agreement to include provisions requiring parents to notify the Board if a student reenrolls in public school or graduates from a secondary school program; clarifying that all records and personally identifying information of a Hope Scholarship student, applicant, or parent is confidential and not subject to disclosure pursuant to the West Virginia Freedom of Information Act; clarifying that a kindergarten-level applicant’s Hope Scholarship participation does not commence if the student does not begin kindergarten-level education that school year; clarifying that a public charter school may invoice a Hope Scholarship student for educational services; requiring education service providers conducting background screenings of employees and other persons in contact with students to certify screening results to the board; and clarifying that providers may not assess increased or additional fees against Hope Scholarship students based on participation in the program.

Adopted

Rejected