00 SPONSOR SUBSTITUTE FOR HOUSE BILL NO. 5                                                                               
01 "An Act relating to vouchers for education; and providing for an effective date."                                       
02 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                               
03    * Section 1.  AS 14 is amended by adding a new chapter to read:                                                    
04 Chapter 31.  Education Vouchers.                                                                                      
05  Sec. 14.31.010.  Department to administer vouchers.  The department shall                                           
06 administer as a pilot program an education voucher program under the provisions of                                      
07 this chapter.                                                                                                           
08  Sec. 14.31.020.  Education vouchers.  (a)  The parent or guardian of a child                                        
09 who is being educated in the child's home or who is receiving an education at a private                                 
10 school that meets the requirements of (b) of this section is eligible for an education                                  
11 voucher from the department if the parent or guardian applies to the department and                                     
12 the household income of the parent or guardian does not exceed 200 percent of the                                       
13 federal poverty guideline as defined by the federal office of management and budget                                     
14 and revised under 42 U.S.C. 9902(2).                                                                                    
01  (b)  A private school qualifies to participate in the education voucher program                                       
02 if the school                                                                                                           
03   (1)  notifies the department that the school intends to participate in the                                           
04 education voucher program and the notification is received by June 30 of the previous                                   
05 school year; and                                                                                                        
06   (2)  complies with AS 14.45.030 or 14.45.110 - 14.45.130.                                                            
07  (c)  An education voucher is equal to the actual cost to the parent or guardian                                       
08 of the child's education for the school year or the per student amount under AS 14.17                                   
09 represented by the child in the school district in which the child resides, whichever is                                
10 less.  A parent or guardian shall establish to the satisfaction of the department the                                   
11 actual cost of the child's education for the school year.  The department shall pay an                                  
12 education voucher to the parent or guardian of the child who is being educated in the                                   
13 child's home or attending a private school, in quarterly payments.                                                      
14  (d)  The department may adopt regulations necessary to administer the                                                 
15 education voucher program under this section.                                                                           
16  Sec. 14.31.030.  Appropriations for education vouchers.  The legislature may                                        
17 make appropriations to the department for the education voucher program.  If the                                        
18 appropriation for the education voucher program is insufficient in a given fiscal year,                                 
19 the department shall distribute the available funds on a pro rata basis.                                                
20  Sec. 14.31.090.  Definition.  In this chapter,                                                                      
21   (1)  "cost of the child's education" means, for a child being educated in                                            
22   (A)  a private school, the cost of tuition;                                                                         
23   (B)  the child's home, the cost of education materials, fees, or                                                    
24 other items used to conduct an education program;                                                                       
25   (2)  "private school" means a school that does not receive direct state                                              
26 or federal funding.                                                                                                     
27    * Sec. 2.  AS 14.31.010, 14.31.020, 14.31.030, and 14.31.090 are repealed June 30, 2004.                           
28    * Sec. 3.  This Act takes effect July 1, 1999.