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Senate adopts amendment, debates compromise changes to K-12 scholarship bill; bill carried over
Summary
Senators discussed and approved a negotiated amendment to S.62, a bill establishing K‑12 education scholarships drawn from lottery or general funds. The amendment set scholarship amounts, eligibility preferences and a 5% administrative cap; the Senate adopted the amendment by roll call then carried the bill over for additional review.
Senators debated and adopted a negotiated amendment to S.62, a bill to establish K‑12 scholarship awards administered through a trust for eligible students. The amendment preserved a number of Senate provisions, added House changes and set implementation details that senators described as a compromise between chambers.
Senator Hembree (speaking as the Senate sponsor in the transcript) explained that the amendment lets the General Assembly decide whether to fund the scholarships through lottery proceeds or the General Fund; it creates a separate trustee position to administer the trust, establishes two enrollment periods (an early period for returning students and a later period for new students), and sets program parameters including a scholarship amount of about $7,500 per student, a 15,000‑student cap and an administrative fee cap of no more than 5 percent.
The amendment also set an eligibility preference for students at 300 percent of the federal poverty level and a phased upper limit of 500 percent of poverty when fully implemented. The amendment allows the General Assembly to increase participation or funding through the budgeting process. Hembree said the trustee provision was included as an “insurance policy” against legal challenges, and that litigation is expected.
Senators asked for more time to review the extensive amendment. Senator Calhoun asked that the bill be carried over so members could digest the changes; the sponsor said he wanted the program to move quickly to minimize disruption for students currently receiving private-school funds.
The Senate adopted the negotiated amendment after a roll call (29 yeas, 13 nays). Following adoption of the amendment, the Senate carried the bill over so members could review the full amendment text and proposed changes before final action.
