Nonprofit writes Florida law for its own program | jacksonville.com:

Nonprofit writes Florida law for its own program

Scholarship bill shows influence of lobbyists writing legislation.

Posted: August 23, 2011 - 5:56pm | Updated: August 24, 2011 - 6:58am

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By Matt Dixon

A 2011 bill aimed at protecting a scholarship program funded by corporate donations was written by the only group that offers the scholarship program - not an elected official - and included a provision that would have given that group access to confidential tax information, according to emails and documents obtained by the Times-Union.

The legislation was signed into law on June 2 and upped the amount that companies can give to the program, from 75 to 100 percent of their corporate income tax liability. Donor companies are given a tax break for their contributions. The roughly $4,100 scholarships go to low-income students who want to attend private schools.

In Northeast Florida, 111 schools take part in the program, including 87 in Duval County, the second most of any county in the state. Nearly 3,600

Friday, August 26, 2011