Senate education committee approves limits on Education Freedom Accounts after hours of debate

The Senate Education Committee voted 3-2 to pass House Bill 115 with an underlying replace‑all amendment (Amendment 2025-2044) that adds caps and priority rules to the state’s Education Freedom Account (EFA) program.

The amendment, described by proponents as a mechanism to cap near‑unlimited expansion and to prioritize currently enrolled students and students with disabilities, passed after a contentious floor of committee comments from both supporters and opponents.

Why it matters: Committee members debated whether expanding universal eligibility for EFA pulls state education resources away from public schools and whether the amendment’s priority language adequately protects lower‑income families and students with disabilities. Opponents urged that the program’s original purpose — to help low‑income families whose children were not being served by public schools — is endangered by broader eligibility.

Committee debate and key details Supporters said the amendment creates a controlled rollout. Senator Abbas said the amendment “allows us to implement it” and described the change as consistent with prior, phased expansions of the program. Abbas added the amendment was intended to “roll this program out slowly” and continued the…