Georgia’s House Republicans pass controversial school voucher bill along party lines

After more than two hours of debate, the Georgia House passed the school voucher bill, Senate Bill 233, 91-82. The legislation passed largely along party lines. It now heads back to the Senate for further debate. The bill promises $6,500 per child per year for private school or homeschooling for kids in the lowest 25% of performing public schools. One Democrat did vote for the bill. Patty Marie Stevenson voted with the Republicans. Supporters of the bill believe the ‘The Georgia Promise Scholarship Act’ provides more options for parents and addresses the gap between public and private school costs.& This is how the program is structured: If a parent wants to use the money to pay for part of a private or homeschooled education, the money would be placed into a Promise Scholarship Account. Additionally, if a parent wants to draw down those funds to pay tuition for a particular school, the state must also determine that the school is authorized to participate in the program (provided that the student gains admission to the private school of his/her choice). Last year, the Democrats were able to beat back the measure. However, House Republicans were on a quest to not have...