May 23, 2023 Group Watch: School Choice Reform & Expansion Clears Senate
The Alabama Senate has passed a bill that would expand the Alabama Accountability Act, a 10-year-old law that allows parents to use scholarships funded by tax credits to send their children to private schools. The vote came after a four-and-a-half hour filibuster that ended when the Senate approved a petition for cloture, or to end debate. Democratic and Republican senators took part in the filibuster. The Senate passed the bill 26-7, which moves to the House. The bill will make Accountability Act scholarships available to more students by raising the income level for eligibility. The scholarships are funded by donations to scholarship granting organizations, and donors receive a credit on their state income tax. The expansion in eligibility would cover all students with individual education plans, including those with intellectual disabilities and speech, language, vision, hearing and physical impairments, as well as learning disabilities.
