REFERENCE TITLE: appropriation; STEM internships

State of Arizona House of Representatives Fifty-third Legislature Second Regular Session 2018

HB 2646

Introduced by Representative Carter

 

AN ACT

 

Appropriating monies to the Arizona commerce authority.

 

 

(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)

 

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

Section 1.  Appropriation; Arizona commerce authority; stipends; STEM internships; exemption; definition

A.  The sum of $2,000,000 is appropriated from the state general fund in fiscal year 2018-2019 to the Arizona commerce authority for matching monies for educational stipends for high school, college and university students and for teachers of kindergarten programs and any of grades one through twelve in this state who participate in STEM internships as prescribed by this section.

B.  The appropriation made in subsection A of this section is allocated as follows:

1.  Forty-five percent for stipends for high school and undergraduate college and university students.

2.  Forty-five percent for stipends for graduate‑level college and university students and for teachers of kindergarten programs and any of grades one through twelve in this state.

3.  Ten percent for administration and outreach costs incurred by the authority in implementing this section.

C.  The authority shall establish guidelines and procedures for awarding the stipends to students and teachers, including the following:

1.  A business in this state must sponsor the student or teacher to participate in a STEM internship at the business.

2.  The business must agree that if the authority awards the sponsored student or teacher a stipend, the business will also sponsor an additional student or teacher to participate in a STEM internship at the business, at the business's expense.  This paragraph does not apply to a business that employs fewer than one hundred employees.

3.  The stipend awarded by the authority may not exceed:

(a)  $5,000 for a high school or undergraduate college or university student.

(b)  $8,000 for a graduate‑level college or university student or a teacher of a kindergarten program or any of grades one through twelve in this state.

D.  The appropriation made in subsection A of this section is exempt from the provisions of section 35-190, Arizona Revised Statutes, relating to lapsing of appropriations.

E.  For the purposes of this section, "STEM" means science, technology, engineering and mathematics.