Alabama House passes universal school choice bill

The Alabama House passed a universal school choice bill that already has the endorsement of Gov. Kay Ivey.

The House voted 69-34 Tuesday in favor of the measure, which would create a blended tax credit-education savings account program for Alabama students starting in 2025.

Accounts for accredited K-12 school students would start at $7,000, while home-educated and other independent students could still receive up to $2,000 annually.  

“Passing an education savings account bill that works for families and for Alabama is my number one legislative priority,” Ivey said, when she introduced the Creating Hope & Opportunity for Our Students’ Education (CHOOSE) Act. “My goal is to put us on a trajectory to make our [ESA] program fully universal, while also maintaining our full and total support for public education.” 

Currently, Alabama only has two smaller tax credit programs. 

During deliberations in committee and on the House floor, the CHOOSE Act was defended by its sponsor, Rep. Danny Garrett, R-Trussville, against accusations it is for wealthy families or somehow racially motivated. 

“Of course, neither of these statements are true,” Garrett said during the Ways and Means Education Committee meeting. “The CHOOSE Act will allow students to learn and thrive in an environment that best meets their needs.” 

Garrett also defended the bill against Democrat opposition during an hours-long debate on the House floor.  

The CHOOSE Act now heads to the Senate, where Republicans have a 27-8 majority.  

Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, who chairs the Senate’s education committee, has also endorsed the bill. 

If the Alabama Legislature passes the CHOOSE Act, it will become the 11th state in the union to enact universal school choice.