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HB 2935

Comprehensive approach to homelessness

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Bryan Smith

Arizona HB 2935 requires prominent posting of every right waived by families enrolling in ESAs, boosting disclosure while keeping audits and appeals.

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Bill Summary · HB 2935

Bill Summary — HB 2935

Note: The materials provided include text from two distinct bills that share the same bill number in different jurisdictions. This summary treats them separately to avoid conflating provisions.

A. Arizona — HB 2935 (Representative Brian Garcia)

Status: Introduced Feb 18, 2025; Referred to Rules Committee

Purpose / Intent

To amend Arizona Revised Statutes §15-2403 governing Arizona Empowerment Scholarship Accounts (ESAs) — clarifying administration, audits, appeals, and adding parental notice requirements about rights waived by participating in the ESA program.

Key provisions

  • Amends ARS §15-2403 (administration of ESAs). Existing program features retained or restated include:

    • Treasurer may contract with private financial managers to operate accounts.
    • Department must conduct/contract annual, random, quarterly, and risk-based audits (in consultation with Auditor General).
    • Annual random account reviews; parents/students may be suspended/removed for misuse, with written notice and a 15‑day cure period.
    • Parents may appeal administrative decisions to the State Board of Education; appeals process to be posted on the department website and included in policy handbook.
    • State Board may refer substantial misuse to the Attorney General.
    • Department makes quarterly transfers to treasurer for account funding (or alternate schedule as needed).
    • Application window, award-letter timing, enrollment timing rules, and budgeting/estimates reporting to JLBC and Governor’s budget office.
    • Department must contract with independent third party to determine eligibility for certain educational therapies (subsection J — text truncated in provided document).

  • New / emphasized requirement (subsection H):

    • The department must prominently post on its website and prominently include in every ESA application packet a NOTICE that outlines each legal right that qualified students and parents waive by enrolling in the ESA program.

Who is affected

  • Parents and qualified students who apply for or participate in Arizona ESAs.
  • Arizona Department of Education (administration, auditing, appeals posting).
  • State Board of Education (appeals & referrals).
  • Treasurer and contracted financial management firms.

Procedural/timeline notes

  • Introduced 02/18/2025 and currently referred to Rules Committee (per provided status).
  • The bill modifies existing administrative rules and information-disclosure obligations; operational changes (posting notice) would take effect upon enactment and departmental implementation.

B. Illinois — HB 2935 (Representative Dan Swanson)

Status: Introduced Feb 6, 2025; Referred to Rules Committee; subject to committee actions listed

Purpose / Intent

To repeal multiple programs and statutory provisions contained in the Higher Education Student Assistance Act and related Acts. The stated action is the repeal of several grant, scholarship, loan-forgiveness, and program statutes.

Key provisions (high-level)

  • Repeals the following Acts / programs (selected list from document):
    • Public Interest Attorney Assistance Act (110 ILCS 916)
    • Child Welfare Student Loan Forgiveness Act (110 ILCS 923)
    • Community College Transfer Grant Program Act (110 ILCS 924)
    • Numerous specific scholarship/grant provisions within the Higher Education Student Assistance Act (110 ILCS 947), including:
    • State Scholar Program
    • Merit Recognition Scholarship Program
    • Silas Purnell Illinois Incentive for Access grant program
    • Student-to-Student Grant program
    • Teach Illinois Scholarship Program
    • Grants for persons raised by a grandparent
    • Southern Illinois University’s Achieve Program
    • Medical assistant grants
    • Police Training Academy job training scholarship
    • Adult vocational community college scholarship
    • The bill specifically lists repeal of Sections 25, 31, 36, 65, 65.27, 65.75, 65.85, 65.90, 65.95, and 65.105 of the Higher Education Student Assistance Act.

Who is affected

  • Current and prospective students who receive or would be eligible for the listed scholarships, grants, and loan-forgiveness programs.
  • Institutions administering these programs (state agencies, community colleges, universities).
  • Workforce pipelines that rely on these incentives (e.g., teachers, public interest attorneys, child welfare professionals, medical assistants, law enforcement trainees).
  • State budget and appropriations (potential reduction in authorizations or administrative obligations; actual fiscal impact would depend on program sunsets and continuing appropriations).

Procedural/timeline notes

  • Introduced 02/06/2025 by Rep. Dan Swanson.
  • Legislative actions recorded include committee hearings, being left pending, and reports; specifics in the provided log show activity (public hearing, testimony, reported favorably without amendment on 05/08/2025 in one committee) and readings. Final disposition not shown in supplied materials.

Potential impacts and considerations

  • Arizona: The primary practical effect is increased disclosure to families about rights they surrender by participating in ESAs (may affect informed consent, enrollment choices). Retains existing audit, appeals, and enforcement framework.
  • Illinois: Repealing many programs would eliminate statutory authority for numerous scholarships/grants and loan-forgiveness programs — immediate effects could include loss of benefits for future applicants, program closures, and downstream impacts on recruitment into certain public-service fields. Fiscal effects (savings or costs associated with program wind-down) are not specified in the bill text and would need an enacted fiscal note.

Notes / Ambiguities

  • The supplied package mixes two separate HB 2935 bills from different states. Confirm which jurisdiction you want prioritized if you need a single focused briefing or an analysis of fiscal/implementation effects for either bill.
  • Arizona text was truncated at subsection J; further text may contain additional substantive changes.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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