Public money for private school tuition bill advances in Nebraska
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska could join 48 other states in offering public money for private school tuition under a bill advanced by the state Legislature on Wednesday, even as some lawmakers expressed concern about taxpayer dollars going to private schools allowed to turn away students based on religious tenets.
Rather than appropriating taxpayer dollars directly toward private school vouchers, the bill would allow businesses and individuals to donate a portion of their owed state income tax to be used for scholarships covering private school tuition.
Because the donations would offer a dollar-for-dollar tax credit for up to $100,000 per year, it's likely to be utilized most heavily by businesses and the wealthy. The bill allocates $25 million annually to cover such donations — money that otherwise would have gone into the state's general revenue fund.
The bill, introduced by Omaha Sen. Lou Ann Linehan at the request of Republican Gov. Jim Pillen, sets up a priority system for the scholarships, with top priority going to the lowest income students. After the first year the system goes into effect, top priority goes to those students who received a scholarship the previous year and to any siblings who live with them. Other tiers are designated for students who are being bullied in their current school, foster kids and students with a parent serving active military duty or had a parent killed in the line of duty.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/public-money-for-private-school-tuition-bill-advances/ar-AA18nEmT
Is it really 48 other states or is that bullshit? We don't provide vouchers in Washington state.
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