School Choice State Brief: December 2019

Need a record of school choice legislation and litigation in the states from last month? Our brief roundup has you covered.

Missouri

Legislators is Missouri have filed three separate bills to create new educational choice programs. HB 1733 and SB 707 would both create tax-credit scholarship “plus” programs that would allow students to enroll in private schools or out-of-district public schools and use remaining scholarship funds for tutoring, textbooks, online courses and more. HB 1733 would make the scholarships available to all students, except those in rural areas. SB 707 would make scholarships available to students with special needs, kids in foster care, children of active-duty military personnel and students who have been the victims of bullying. SB 581 would create a tax credit for donations to a state-run Show Me a Brighter Future Scholarship Fund that would make deposits into the tuition savings accounts (like 529s) or Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) accounts belonging to students from low-income households.

Pennsylvania

House Speaker Mike Turzai is sponsoring HB 1800, a bill that would grant tuition scholarships to children assigned to “consistently low-performing” districts that have been placed under receivership.