Leslie Hiner

Leslie Hiner serves as Vice President of Legal Policy for EdChoice and leads the Legal Defense & Education Center. She is also a member of the American Enterprise Institute Leadership Network and is a Heartland Institute policy advisor.

BRIEF: School Choice in the States May 2015

school choice in the states

Delaware – Doran Moreland @Dmoreland9 An education savings account (ESA) bill for students with special needs will soon be introduced in Delaware. The bill is expected to have bipartisan support. Delaware’s legislative session ends June 30. Nevada – Michael Chartier @mchart1 A universal ESA bill, SB 302, was passed by the legislature at the end […]

BRIEF: School Choice in the States April 2015

school choice in the states

Arkansas – Brittany Corona @BrittanyLCorona On April 8, Gov. Asa Hutchinson signed Arkansas’ first school choice program into law, making it the 25th state (plus Washington D.C.) to enact a private school choice program. The signature of HB 1552 created the Succeed Scholarship Program for Students with Disabilities, which allows students who have attended public school […]

BRIEF: School Choice in the States March 2015

school choice in the states

Alabama – Leslie Hiner @LeslieHiner The Alabama Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the Alabama Accountability Act on March 2. Alabama’s tax-credit scholarship and refundable tax credit programs, which serve low-income children with a preference for children in “failing” schools, are currently undergoing revisions through SB 71, which passed the Senate March 31. Although SB […]

Breaking Down Arkansas’s School Voucher Bill

About Arkansas's school voucher bill

The Arkansas legislature has passed House Bill 1552, a school voucher for children with disabilities and the state’s first school choice program. Arkansas’s school voucher bill, which passed with strong bipartisan support, is now headed to Gov. Asa Hutchinson’s desk. With his signature, Arkansas will become the nation’s 25th state to adopt a school choice program, […]

Mississippi’s ESA Bill Breakdown

What to know about Mississippi's ESA bill

As the first national private school choice organization to work with parents and advocates in Mississippi, beginning several years ago, we are excited to share the news about their recent success. The Mississippi legislature passed Senate Bill 2695, an education savings account (ESA) program for children with disabilities that is now headed to Gov. Phil […]

BRIEF: School Choice in the States February 2015

school choice in the states

Arizona – Leslie Hiner @LeslieHiner The Arizona Senate passed, with a bipartisan vote, the expansion of education savings accounts (ESAs) to include Native American families living on tribal lands. Florida – Leslie Hiner @LeslieHiner A bill to clarify and revise technical aspects of the Florida Personal Learning Scholarship Accounts, an ESA program, was introduced in […]

BRIEF: School Choice in the States January 2015

school choice in the states

National School Choice Week rocked the country again with more than 11,000 events nationwide this year. Also released during School Choice Week was our annual The ABCs of School Choice, the comprehensive reference guide to every private school choice program in the U.S. Click the respective links for rankings of all 51 programs by family […]

BRIEF: School Choice in the States December 2014

school choice in the states

Colorado – Doran Moreland @Dmoreland9 Litigation over the country’s only district-created voucher program was reviewed by the Colorado Supreme Court. A ruling on the program is expected in early 2015. Parents have been vocal in their support of the program, which is being challenged by the ACLU, unions, and a group of taxpayers. Florida – […]