Montana legislation · 2025 Regular Session
Montana HB320: Establish the Montana's academic prosperity program for scholars act
Status: Chaptered, May 20, 2025
What the bill says
A bill for an act entitled: "an act establishing montana's academic prosperity program for scholars; providing legislative findings, purposes, and intent; providing definitions; establishing the montana's academic prosperity program for scholars council and duties for the council, the department of administration, the department of revenue, and the office of public instruction; allowing education tax credits for donations to fund educational assistance accounts and for a parent's payment of qualified education expenses; providing for a program manager to implement the program…
From the engrossed text:
A BILL FOR AN ACT ENTITLED: "AN ACT ESTABLISHING MONTANA'S ACADEMIC PROSPERITY PROGRAM FOR SCHOLARS; PROVIDING LEGISLATIVE FINDINGS, PURPOSES, AND INTENT; PROVIDING DEFINITIONS; ESTABLISHING THE MONTANA'S ACADEMIC PROSPERITY PROGRAM FOR SCHOLARS COUNCIL AND DUTIES FOR THE COUNCIL, THE DEPARTMENT OF ADMINISTRATION, THE DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE, AND THE OFFICE OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION; ALLOWING EDUCATION TAX CREDITS FOR DONATIONS TO FUND EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE ACCOUNTS AND FOR A PARENT'S PAYMENT OF QUALIFIED EDUCATION EXPENSES; PROVIDING FOR A PROGRAM MANAGER TO IMPLEMENT THE PROGRAM; ESTABLISHING PROCEDURES FOR THE PROGRAM MANAGER AND A PROCESS FOR REVIEW OF THE PROGRAM MANAGER'S PERFORMANCE BY THE MONTANA'S ACADEMIC PROSPERITY PROGRAM FOR SCHOLARS COUNCIL; INCLUDING PARTICIPATION IN THE PROGRAM AS AN EXEMPTION TO COMPULSORY ENROLLMENT REQUIREMENTS; REQUIRING PUBLIC SCHOOLS TO TRANSFER STUDENT RECORDS; PROVIDING AUTONOMY FOR QUALIFIED EDUCATION PROVIDERS UNDER THE PROGRAM; ESTABLISHING PARAMETERS FOR LEGAL PROCEEDINGS RELATED TO THE PROGRAM; PROVIDING RULEMAKING AUTHORITY; ESTABLISHING REPORTING REQUIREMENTS; PROVIDING DEFINITIONS; AMENDING SECTIONS 15-30-2120, 15-30-2303, AND 20-5102, AND 20-5-109, MCA; AND PROVIDING AN IMMEDIATE EFFECTIVE DATE AND AN APPLICABILITY DATE." BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MONTANA: NEW SECTION. Section 1. Short title. [Sections 1 through 17] may be cited as the "Montana's Academic Prosperity Program for Scholars Act". - 1 - Authorized Print Version - HB - 2025 69th Legislature 2025 HB0320.2 NEW SECTION. Section 2. …