HB 1319 - Beginning January 1, 2009, this act authorizes a tax credit for employers who hire qualified high school students for summer jobs. The tax credit is equal to thirty-five percent of wages paid to the student employee, but may only be claimed if the employer pays the student at least a total of one hundred dollars. An employer can claim up to fifty thousand dollars in tax credits per year. No more than three million dollars in tax credits may be issued annually under the program. The credit is nonrefundable, but can be carried forward for not more than four years. To qualify, a student must be currently enrolled as a junior or senior in high school, meet minimum attendance requirements, earn at least a 2.0 grade point average, and be eligible for the free or reduced-price school lunch program. Students who are home schooled and meet these requirements are also eligible. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education must establish a procedure by which an employer can determine eligibility to receive the tax credit based on student qualifications. The department is required to track students for whom employers receive the tax credit. The provisions of this act will expire December thirty-first six years from the effective date of the act. JASON ZAMKUS
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