appropriation; ESA administration

Plain English Breakdown

The official status indicates the bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, but no effective date is listed in the provided metadata.

Funding for Arizona Empowerment Scholarship Account Administration

This bill gives $2,600,000 and funds for 12 full-time workers to the Department of Education so it can run the ESA program in fiscal year 2027.

What This Bill Does

• Sets aside $2,600,000 from the state General Fund for use in fiscal year 2027.
• Provides funding to create or keep 12 full-time equivalent positions at the Department of Education.
• Directs these funds and staff specifically toward administering the Arizona Empowerment Scholarship Account program.

Who It Names or Affects

• The Arizona Department of Education
• Staff members who administer the ESA program

Terms To Know

Appropriation

An official act by lawmakers to set aside money for a specific purpose.

FTE (Full Time Equivalent)

A unit that measures the workload of one full-time employee, used here to count staff positions.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill states lawmakers intend this money to be ongoing funding in future years, but it only provides funds for fiscal year 2027.
• The text does not list specific tasks that the new staff members must perform.

Official Summary Text

HB2499 - 572R - House Bill Summary

ARIZONA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

57th
Legislature, 2nd Regular Session

Majority Research Staff

House:
APPROP DP 11-7-0-0

HB
2499
: appropriation; ESA administration

Sponsor:
Representative Gress, LD 4

House
Engrossed

Overview

Appropriates
$2,600,000 and 12 Full Time Equivalent (FTE) positions from the state General
Fund (GF) in FY 2027 to the Department of Education (ADE) to administer the
Arizona Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program.

History

A qualified
student with an ESA may use ESA monies for permissible expenses, including: 1)
qualifying tuition or fees; 2) textbooks, curricula and supplementary
materials; and 3) outlined goods and services. Statute prescribes specified
categories of qualified students who are eligible for an ESA. In 2022, the
Legislature expanded eligibility to include a universal category for any
Arizona resident who: 1) is eligible to enroll in an Arizona public school; and
2) does not otherwise qualify for an ESA account. ESAs are funded at 90 percent
of the Base Support Level and charter additional assistance that a student
would have been allocated if the student were attending a charter school
(A.R.S. ��
15-2401
;
15-2401.01
; and
15-2402
).

The Arizona State
Board of Education (SBE) is charged with the appeals process for ADE's ESA
administrative decisions. The SBE annually approves the ESA Parent Handbook and
processes ESA appeals of ADE administrative decisions (
AZ SBE
).

Provisions

1.

Appropriates
$2,600,000 and 12 FTE positions from the state GF in FY 2027 to ADE to
administer the ESA program.

2.

3.

4.

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FOOTER ---------

5.

Initials DS/JA����������������� HB
2499

6.

3/5/2026��� Page 0 House
Engrossed

7.

8.

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FOOTER ---------

Current Bill Text

HB2499 - 572R - H Ver

House Engrossed

appropriation; ESA
administration

State of Arizona

House of Representatives

Fifty-seventh Legislature

Second Regular Session

2026

HOUSE BILL 2499

AN
ACT

Appropriating monies to the department of
education.

(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)

Be it
enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:

Section 1.
Appropriation;
department of education; administration; Arizona empowerment scholarship
account program; intent

A. The sum of $2,600,000
and 12 FTE positions are appropriated from the state general fund in fiscal
year 2026-2027 to the department of education to administer the Arizona
empowerment scholarship account program established by section 15-2402,
Arizona Revised Statutes.

B. The legislature intends
that the appropriation made in subsection A of this section be considered
ongoing funding in future years.