SB 559 - This act modifies provisions relating to elementary and secondary education. SCHOOL DISTRICT ACCREDITATION: When the State Board of Education assigns classification designations to school districts, it shall use one of the following designations: unaccredited, provisionally accredited, accredited, and accredited with distinction. The State Board of Education shall develop and implement a process to provide assistance teams to borderline districts, as determined by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, and to underperforming districts upon assignment of such classification or determination by the Department. Teams shall have at least ten members, including two active classroom teachers in the district, two principals, and one parent of a student in the district. The Department staff member assigned to the region may be included in the team activities but shall not be formally assigned to the team. Teams shall provide an analysis of the assessment data, classroom practices, and the communication processes within buildings, in the district, and the community, and also provide prescriptions for improvement based on the district's and community's needs. The team shall provide recommendations by June 30, 2019. Assignment of teams shall be prioritized so that districts with lower Annual Performance Report (APR) scores are addressed first. Suggestions are mandatory for underperforming districts but not for borderline districts. If an underperforming district disagrees with any suggestion of the assistance team, the district shall propose a different method of accomplishing what the team has suggested. (Section 161.087) This section is identical to SB 23 (2017), to a provision in CCS/SCS/HCS/HB 42 (2015), SCS/SBs 1, 22, 49 & 70, (2015), CCS/HCS/SCS/SBs 493 et al. (2014) and is similar to SB 64 (2015), SB 856 (2014) and a provision in SB 993 (2014), and HB 1856 (2014). ATTENDANCE CENTER ACCREDITATION: This act requires the State Board of Education to classify individual attendance centers within a school district. The State Board shall adopt a policy to classify individual attendance centers based on a three-year average of their annual performance report scores for the following school districts: unaccredited districts within forty-five days; provisionally accredited districts within ninety days; and the St. Louis City School District, urban school districts, and any school district that has most or all of its land area located in Jackson County or St. Louis County by January 1, 2019. These classifications shall become effective immediately. By January 1, 2019, the State Board of Education shall develop, through administrative rule, a system of classification that accredits individual attendance centers within a district separately from the district as a whole. The State Board of Education shall assign each attendance center a classification. Attendance centers shall be assigned one of the following classification designations: unaccredited, provisionally accredited, accredited, or accredited with distinction. Attendance centers that do not offer classes above the second grade shall not be given a classification. Upon adoption of this new system, the State Board may change any classification it previously assigned to an attendance center. The State Board of Education may consider the classification designation of an attendance center in its accreditation classification system to exempt attendance centers with classification numbers outside the range of numbers assigned to high schools, middle schools, junior high schools, or elementary schools. Public separate special education schools within a special school district and within a school district are exempted from these accreditation requirements. However, a special school district shall report all scores on its annual performance report to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education for all of its schools. Juvenile detention centers within a special school district are exempt from these accreditation standards. This act waives the statutory two-year delayed effective date for school accreditation rules for this system. (Section 161.238) This section is identical to SB 23 (2017), similar to a provision contained in CCS/SCS/HCS/HB 42 (2015), CCS/HCS/SCS/SBs 493 et al. (2014) and SCS/SBs 1, 22, 49 & 70 (2015). SCHOOL TRANSFER AND IMPROVEMENT TASK FORCE: This act creates the "School Transfer and Improvement Task Force" within the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. The task force shall study the following: means to address failing schools, including a school improvement district; developing options for school transfer finance formulas; best practices for how to design and finance public virtual and blended schools; best practices and possible pilot projects to assist transient students; options for comprehensive school quality indicators leading to student success; options for school quality review models based on successful review models currently in use; options for locally-created assessment and accountability systems; and best practices in parent and community engagement. The task force shall consist of the following members: (1) Three members of the Senate, appointed by the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, of whom not more than two shall be of the same party; (2) One member from an education policy research organization in Missouri, appointed by the President Pro Tempore of the Senate; (3) Three members of the House of Representatives, appointed by the Speaker, of whom not more than two shall be of the same party; (4) One member from a statewide business association, appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives; (5) The Commissioner of Education, or his or her designee; (6) One member from an education organization consisting exclusively of elected officials, appointed by the Commissioner of Education; (7) The Lieutenant Governor, or his or her designee. The task force shall make recommendations by February 1, 2019 to the General Assembly. The task force shall expire on April 30, 2019. (Section 161.1000) This provision is identical to SB 23 (2017), to a provision contained in CCS/SCS/HCS/HB 42 (2015), SCS/SBs 1, 22, 49 & 70 (2015) and CCS/HCS/SCS/SBs 493 et al. (2014). STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION INTERVENTION POWERS: This act allows the State Board of Education to lapse the corporate organization of all or part of an unaccredited school district. If the State Board appoints a special administrative board for the operation of a part of an unaccredited school district, the State Board shall determine an equitable apportionment of state and federal aid for the part of the district. In addition, the school district shall provide local revenue in proportion to the weighted average daily attendance of the part governed by the special administrative board. The State Board may appoint members of the elected board to a special administrative board but members of the elected board shall not comprise more than 49% of the special administrative board's composition. Nothing in this provision of law shall be construed to permit either the State Board or a special administrative board to raise, in any way not specifically allowed by law, the tax levy of the district or any part of the district without a vote of the people. This act provides that when the State Board determines another form of governance for an unaccredited district, that other form of governance shall be subject to the following provisions of law: it shall retain the authority granted to a board of education; it shall expire at the end of the third year of its appointment unless reauthorized; it shall not be deemed to be the state or a state agency; and it shall not be considered a successor entity for purposes of employment contracts, unemployment compensation, or any other purpose. If the State Board reasonably believes that a school district is unlikely to provide for the minimum school term required by Section 163.021 because of financial difficulty, the State Board may, prior to the start of the school term, allow continued governance by the existing district school board under terms and conditions established by the state board of education. As an alternative, the State Board may lapse the corporate organization of the district and implement one of the options available to the State Board to intervene in an unaccredited district. However, this provision shall not apply to any district solely on the basis of financial difficulty resulting from paying tuition and providing transportation for transfer students. (Section 162.081) These provisions are identical to provisions contained in SB 23 (2017), substantially similar to provisions contained in CCS/SCS/HCS/HB 42 (2015), SCS/SBs 1, 22, 49 & 70 (2015) and CCS/HCS/SCS/SBs 493 et al. (2014). TRANSIENT STUDENT RATIO & STUDENT ASSESSMENT SCORES: This act requires the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to annually calculate a transient student ratio for each attendance center, each school district, and charter school. The transient student ratio shall be published on the Department's website and in the school accountability report card for each district and attendance center. The Department shall also publish on its website an aggregate transient student ratio for the state. A transient student is defined as a student who withdraws from one attendance center and enrolls in any other attendance center two or more times within two school years. Each school district and charter school shall report annually to the Department any information and data necessary for the Department to calculate transient student ratios. This act establishes how the student assessment scores and other performance data for students who have not been enrolled in a district or charter school for the previous full school term shall be used when calculating the district's, district-operated attendance center's, or charter school's performance for purposes of the Missouri School Improvement Program or scores on the Annual Performance Report. In the first year of attendance in a district, district-operated attendance center, or charter school, a transient student's scores on statewide assessment shall not be included but growth scores shall be weighted at 100%. In the second year of attendance in a district, district-operated attendance center, or charter school, a transient student's scores on statewide assessment shall be weighted at 30% and growth scores shall be weighted at 100%. In the third year of attendance in a district, district-operated attendance center, or charter school, a transient student's scores on statewide assessment shall be weighted at 70% and growth scores shall be weighted at 100%. In the fourth, and any subsequent, year of attendance in a district, district-operated attendance center, or charter school, a transient student's scores on statewide assessment shall be weighted at 100% and growth scores shall be weighted at 100%. (Sections 162.1303 & 162.1305) These provisions are similar to provisions contained in SB 23 (2017), CCS/SCS/HCS/HB 42 (2015), SCS/SBs 1, 22, 49 & 70 (2015), CCS/HCS/SCS/SBs 493 et al. (2014), and SB 765 (2014). PARENT NOTIFICATION OF UNACCREDITED STATUS: When a district or attendance center becomes unaccredited, the district shall promptly notify the parent or guardian of students enrolled in the district of the loss of accreditation within seven business days. The notice shall also include an explanation of the option for a student in an unaccredited school to transfer and any services for which the student may be eligible. This notice shall be posted in district attendance centers and shall be sent to district taxpayers and each political subdivision located in the boundaries of the school district. (Section 162.1310) This section is identical to a provision contained in SB 23 (2017), CCS/SCS/HCS/HB 42 (2015), SCS/SBs 1, 22, 49 & 70 (2015) and is substantially similar to a provision contained in CCS/HCS/SCS/SBs 493 et al. (2014). HOME VISITS: The school board of any district that operates an underperforming school shall adopt a policy regarding the availability of home visits by school personnel. The school board's policy may offer to the parent or guardian of a student enrolled in any such school the opportunity to have at least one annual home visit and shall offer an opportunity for a meeting at the school or a mutually agreeable site. (Section 162.1313) This section is identical to a provision contained in SB 23 (2017), substantially similar to a provision contained in CCS/SCS/HCS/HB 42 (2015), SCS/SBs 1, 22, 49 & 70 (2015) and CCS/HCS/SCS/SBs 493 et al. (2014). SCHOOL FUNDING: This act requires that, if a school district is required to remit tuition to a nonsectarian private school under the transfer provisions of this act, the funds shall come from the funds derived from the operating levy for school purposes. (Section 163.021) This act requires that when a local school board sponsors a charter school, it shall only submit an estimate of the district's weighted average daily attendance for the current year. The school board shall be prohibited from using a weighted average daily attendance count from any preceding year for purposes of determining state aid. (Section 163.036) MOVIP: Currently, the parent or guardian of a child residing in a lapsed school district or in a district that has scored either unaccredited or provisionally accredited on two consecutive annual performance reports may enroll the child in the Missouri public virtual school. This act repeals the requirement that the district have scored unaccredited or provisionally accredited on two consecutive APRs. (Section 167.121) This section is identical to a provision contained in SB 23 (2017) and CCS/SCS/HCS/HB 42 (2015). USE OF CERTAIN DATA FROM NEGLECTED CHILDREN AND DELINQUENT CHILDREN IN THE AGGREGATE DATA OF A SCHOOL DISTRICT: This act prohibits the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education from creating a report or publication related to the Missouri School Improvement Program that includes the data of any children in facilities serving neglected children or delinquent children in a district's aggregate scores. (Section 167.127) This section is identical to a section in SB 23 (2017), CCS/SCS/HCS/HB 42 (2015), SCS/SBs 1, 22, 49 & 70 (2015) and is similar to SB 566 (2014), SB 427 (2013) and SB 737 (2012). K-8 SCHOOL DISTRICTS: Currently, the school board of a school district that does not maintain an accredited school is required to pay the tuition and transportation of resident pupils who attend an accredited school in another district of the same or an adjoining county. This provision of law currently applies to both unaccredited school districts and K-8 school districts that do not offer high school grades. This act repeals the provisions applicable to unaccredited school districts so that the statute only applies to K-8 school districts. (Section 167.131) This provision is identical to a provision contained in SB 23 (2017) and CCS/SCS/HCS/HB 42 (2015). STUDENT PROMOTION: All underperforming districts in St. Louis County are prohibited from promoting any student from the fifth grade to the sixth grade or from the eighth grade to the ninth grade who is two years or more below grade level as measured by quantifiable student performance data designated by the local district. However, this provision does not apply to any student with an individualized education program or any student with a Section 504 Plan. (Section 167.642) This section is identical to a provision contained in SB 23 (2017), similar to a provision contained in CCS/SCS/HCS/HB 42 (2015), SCS/SBs 1, 22, 49 & 70 (2015) and CCS/HCS/SCS/SBs 493 et al. (2014). SCHOOL DISTRICT IMPROVEMENT MEASURES: Any unaccredited district shall offer free tutoring and supplemental education services to underperforming and struggling students. Districts may use funds from the newly created School District Improvement Fund to the extent funds are available. An unaccredited district may satisfy the free tutoring services requirement by entering into a contract with a public library for online tutoring services. In addition, an underperforming district may do any of the following: implement a new curriculum, as described in the act; retain an outside expert to advise the district or school on regaining accreditation; enter into a contract with an education management organization with a proven record of success to operate a school or schools within the district; enter into a collaborative relationship with an accredited district in which teachers from both districts exchange positions for two school weeks; or implement any other change suggested by the State Board of Education, expert, contractor, or assistance team. Any underperforming district may offer an attendance recovery program designed exclusively to allow students to recapture attendance hours lost due to absences. Attendance recovery hours may be included in the calculation of a district’s attendance rate for purposes of the Missouri School Improvement Program accreditation scoring. (Sections 167.685 & 167.688) This section is identical to a provision contained in SB 23 (2017), CCS/SCS/HCS/HB 42 (2015),and SCS/SBs 1, 22, 49 & 70 (2015) and is substantially similar to a section in CCS/HCS/SCS/SBs 493 et al. (2014). STUDENT TRANSFERS: For school year 2018-2019, students who participated in the transfer program as it existed on July 1, 2017 shall be allowed to participate under the same terms that governed the transfers in school year 2017-2018, except for the tuition amount. For school year 2018-2019, any student who transferred from an unaccredited district to an accredited district in the same or an adjoining county in school year 2016-2017 or school year 2017-2018 but did not attend a public school in the unaccredited district for the semester prior to the transfer, unless the student was entering kindergarten or first grade, shall no longer be eligible to transfer in school year 2018-2019. If an unaccredited district becomes classified as provisionally accredited or accredited without provisions, any resident student of the unaccredited district who participated in the transfer program as it existed on July 1, 2017, shall be permitted to continue his or her educational program through middle school, junior high, or high school. A student shall have previously attended a school in the sending district for at least one school year immediately before initially transferring, unless the student was entering kindergarten or first grade.(Section 167.825) This section is similar to a section contained in SB 23 (2017). Any student enrolled in and attending an unaccredited school for at least one semester may transfer to an accredited school in his or her district of residence that offers the student's grade level of enrollment. However, student transfers within the district of residence cannot result in a class size and assigned enrollment in a receiving school that exceeds the standard level for class size and assigned enrollment under the Missouri School Improvement Program resource standards. The school board of each district that operates an unaccredited school shall determine the capacity at each of the district's accredited schools. The district's school board is responsible for coordinating the transfers within the district. Students enrolled in and attending an attendance center only offering kindergarten through second grade are neither eligible to transfer to another school nor under one of the transfer options described below. (Section 167.826) Any student who has first attempted and is unable to transfer to an accredited school within his or her district of residence due to a lack of capacity at accredited schools in the district of residence may apply by March 1 to the appropriate education authority to transfer to an accredited school in an adjoining district or an approved charter school in and adjoining district, as described in the act. (Section 167.826) A student who is eligible to begin kindergarten or first grade at an unaccredited school may apply to the appropriate education authority for a transfer if he or she resides in the attendance area of the unaccredited school on March 1 preceding the school year of first attendance. A student who does not apply by March 1 is required to enroll and attend for one semester to become eligible. Any transfer student who does not maintain residence in the attendance area of the attendance center shall lose transfer eligibility. In addition, a student who withdraws from the transfer shall also lose transfer eligibility. (Section 167.826) Unaccredited schools and provisionally accredited schools cannot receive transfer students except that a student who chooses to attend a provisionally accredited school in his or her district of residence may do so if there is space available. A charter school that has existed for less than three years may receive students. A charter school that has a three-year average score of 70% or higher on its APR may receive transfer students. In addition, no attendance center with a three-year average score of 70% or lower on its APR is eligible to receive transfer students, except for any student who was granted a transfer prior to the effective date of this act. (Section 167.826) Districts and charter schools that receive student transfers are not required to do any of the following (unless they choose to do so): exceed the class size and assignment enrollment standards of a district-approved policy on class size; hire additional classroom teachers; or construct additional classrooms. (Section 167.826) Each receiving district and charter school has the right to establish a policy for desirable class size and student-teacher ratios based on objective means and shall not be required to accept any transfer students that would violate its policy. A policy may allow for estimated growth in the resident student population. A charter school may use the class size, student-teacher ratios, and growth projections for student enrollment in its charter and charter application. A district or charter school that adopts a policy shall do so by January 1. If a transfer student is denied admission based on a lack of space under a policy, the student may appeal to the State Board of Education. The State Board may limit the policy if it finds the policy is unduly restrictive to student transfers. The State Board's decision is final. (Section 167.826) Receiving districts and receiving approved charter schools shall adopt a tuition rate policy by February 1st annually. Sending districts shall pay tuition to receiving districts and receiving charter schools in two increments: once at the start of the school year and once at the start of the second semester. (Section 167.826) If an unaccredited school becomes provisionally accredited or accredited, any resident student who transferred under one of the transfer options shall be permitted to continue his or her educational program through the completion of middle school, junior high, or high school, as described in the act. (Section 167.826) For the specified districts that operate an unaccredited school, the education authority for the county in which the district is located shall designate at least one accredited school to which the district shall provide transportation for transfer students. However, for the 2018-2019 school year and until the education authorities are operational, the Department shall designate an least one accredited school to which a district operating an unaccredited school shall provide transportation for transfer students. Beginning in the 2019-2020 school year, when determining transportation arrangements, neither the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education nor any education authority may contract with or collaborate with any established regional association or cooperative of school districts located in St. Louis County or St. Louis City. (Section 167.826) When costs associated with the provision of special education and related services to a student with a disability exceed the tuition amount, the transfer student's district of residence is responsible for paying the excess costs to the receiving district. When the receiving district is a component district of a special school district, the transfer student's district of residence shall contract with the special school district for the entirety of the costs to provide special education and related services, excluding transportation. The special school district may contract with a district operating an unaccredited school for the provision of transportation. A special school district shall continue to provide special education and related services, with the exception of transportation, to a student with a disability transferring from a district operating an unaccredited school within the same or a different component district. (Section 167.826) When the St. Louis City School District operates an unaccredited school, it is responsible for the provision of special education and related services, including transportation to students with disabilities. A special school district may contract with the St. Louis City School District, as described in the act. (Section 167.826) Regardless of whether transportation is identified as a related service, a receiving district that is not part of a special school district is not responsible for providing transportation. A district operating an unaccredited school may contract with a receiving district that is not part of a special school district for transportation. When districts other than St. Louis City operate unaccredited schools, they may contract with a receiving district that is not part of a special school district for the reimbursement of special education services. (Section 167.826) By August 1, 2018, and by January 1 annually, each district shall report to the appropriate regional education authority the number of its available enrollment slots in accredited schools by grade level. Each approved charter school that is eligible to receive transfer students shall also report the number of available enrollment slots. (Section 167.827) Each education authority with a district operating an unaccredited school in its geographic area, as described in the act, shall make information and assistance available to parents who intend to transfer their child. Parents who intend to transfer their child shall send initial notification to the appropriate education authority by March first. The education authority shall assign transfer students, as space allows. When assigning students to charter schools, the education authority shall coordinate with each charter school and its admissions process if capacity is insufficient to enroll all students who submit a timely application. An approved charter school is not required to receive any transfer students that would require it to institute a lottery procedure for determining the admission of resident students. The education authority shall give first priority to students who live in the same household with family members within the first or second degree of consanguinity or affinity who have already transferred and apply to transfer to the same accredited school. If insufficient grade-appropriate enrollment slots are available for a student to transfer, that student shall receive first priority the following school year. The authority is only able to disrupt student and parent choice for transfers if a receiving district's or receiving approved charter school's available slots are requested by more students than there are slots available. The authority shall consider the following factors in assigning schools: the student's or parent's choice of the receiving school (most important); the best interests of the student; and distance and travel time. The authority shall not consider student academic performance, student free and reduced lunch status, or athletics. (Section 167.827) An education authority may deny a transfer to a student, who in the most recent school year, has been suspended from school two or more times or has been suspended for an act of school violence, as described in the act. (Section 167.827) The test scores of transfer students attending schools in districts other than their district of residence shall be phased in over a four year period, as described in the act. (Section 167.827) If an education authority is unable to coordinate transfers because of insufficient funding or because the Governor has not appointed a number of members sufficient to constitute a quorum, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education shall perform its duties. However, beginning in the 2019-2020 school year, the Department and the education authorities are prohibited from contracting or collaborating with any established regional association or cooperative of school districts located in St. Louis City or St. Louis County. These provisions are identical to provisions contained in SB 23 (2017) and similar to provisions contained in CCS/SCS/HCS/HB 42 (2015), SCS/SBs 1, 22, 49 & 70 (2015), and in CCS/HCS/SCS/SBs 493 et al. (2014). Any student who has first attempted and is unable to transfer to an accredited school within his or her district of residence, or to an accredited school in an adjoining district, due to a lack of capacity at accredited schools may apply by March 1st to the appropriate education authority to transfer to a nonsectarian private school located in the student's district of residence. The amount of tuition to be paid from the district’s operating levy for school purposes and shall not exceed the nonsectarian private school's tuition rate. Nonsectarian private schools shall be eligible to receive transfer students only if the schools meet certain requirements, as described in the act. (Section 167.828) This provision is identical to a provision contained in SB 23 (2017) and similar to a provision contained in CCS/HCS/SCS/SBs 493 et al. (2014). A district operating an unaccredited school that transfers a student to an accredited school in an adjoining district, or to a nonsectarian private school, shall pay tuition to the receiving district or receiving nonsectarian private school, as described in the act. If the tuition rate of the receiving district exceeds the tuition rate of the sending district, the difference in rates shall be paid from the Supplemental Tuition Fund, which is created by the act. The Supplemental Tuition Fund shall not be used to pay any difference in tuition rates between a sending district and a nonsectarian private school. (Section 167.829) REGIONAL EDUCATION AUTHORITIES: This act creates three separate regional education authorities to coordinate student transfers: one for the St. Louis region, a second authority for the Kansas City area, and a third authority for the rest of the state. Each authority shall consist of five members who shall be residents of their covered area, as described in the act, appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of the Senate, who shall serve for a term of six years. The Education Authority shall coordinate and collaborate with local districts, nonsectarian private schools, and local governments for the student transfers. Parents who want to transfer their child shall notify the appropriate regional education authority by March 1. The education authority shall assign students to districts using an admissions process, as described in the act. (Sections 167.830 to 167.845) These provisions are identical to provisions contained in SB 23 (2017), and similar to provisions contained in SCS/SBs 1, 22, 49 & 70 (2015) and CCS/HCS/SCS/SBs 493 et al. (2014). DEFINITIONS: Definitions governing the student transfer portions of this act are provided. (Section 167.848) COMPILATION OF TRANSFER STUDENT PERFORMANCE DATA: The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education shall compile and maintain student performance data scores of all transfer students and students enrolled in a district other than the district of residence. This data shall be available on the Missouri comprehensive data system but no personally identifiable data shall be accessible there. (Section 167.890) This provision is identical to a provision contained in SB 23 (2017) and CCS/SCS/HCS/HB 42 (2015). PARENT PORTALS: This act creates the Parent Portal Fund in the state treasury. Moneys in the fund shall be used to provide financial assistance to districts to establish and maintain a parent portal so parents may have access to educational information and access to student data via mobile technology. (Section 170.320) This section is identical to a provision contained in SB 23 (2017), CCS/SCS/HCS/HB 42 (2015), SCS/SBs 1, 22, 49 & 70 (2015) and CCS/HCS/SCS/SBs 493 et al. (2014). SCHOOL LEARNING TIME: The school board of any unaccredited district, provisionally accredited district, or district with a three year average annual performance report score consistent with a classification of unaccredited or provisionally accredited, may, by a majority vote, increase the length of the school day and also increase the number of instruction hours above the statutory minimum. This act creates the Extended Learning Time Fund in the state treasury. Moneys in the fund shall be used for schools that extend the length of the school day or hours of instruction. (Section 171.031) This section is identical to a provision contained in SB 23 (2017), CCS/SCS/HCS/HB 42 (2015), SCS/SBs 1, 22, 49 & 70 (2015) and CCS/HCS/SCS/SBs 493 et al. (2014). CHILDREN'S SERVICES FUND: In St. Louis County, if there is an unaccredited or provisionally accredited school district, up to 5% of each fiscal year's revenues in the Children's Services Fund shall be devoted to a grant program to deliver services to schools in those districts. The Children's Community Services Fund board of directors shall undertake a needs assessment for any such school district within 90 days. The needs assessment shall be used as a basis for contracting of services. The board of directors shall appoint one of its members to a direct school service coordinating committee. Additional members of the direct service coordinating committee. The committee shall provide recommendations and oversight to the program of contracted services. The use of funds is subject to an audit. (Section 210.861) This section is identical to a provision contained in SB 23 (2017), CCS/SCS/HCS/HB 42 (2015), SCS/SBs 1, 22, 49 & 70 (2015) and is substantially similar to a provision contained in CCS/HCS/SCS/SBs 493 et al. (2014) and is similar to HB 2299 (2014). SEVERABILITY: This act contains language specifying that all provisions of this act are severable. (Section 1) This act contains an emergency clause. This act is similar to SB 587 (2018). JAMIE ANDREWS