Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Education School Choice topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Wyoming Senate approves universal education savings accounts after extended debate
Summary
After hours of debate over constitutionality, costs and parental choice, the Wyoming Senate passed House Bill 199 on Feb. 19, creating a largely universal education savings account program that includes pre-K and removes income means testing.
CHEYENNE, Wyo. — The Wyoming Senate on Feb. 19 approved House Bill 199, a measure that creates an education savings account program and removes the income-based limits that had applied under the existing scholarship framework. The final roll call recorded 20 ayes and 11 noes, and the bill was returned as passed to the House.
The bill expands scholarship-style funding to a broader group of families, sets a per-student payment (discussed on the floor at $6,000–$7,000 depending on text and fiscal estimates) and explicitly includes pre-kindergarten in the program. Supporters said the change increases parental choice and spurs competition in education; opponents raised constitutional questions, budget concerns and consequences for small, rural districts.
Supporters told the Senate the measure moves power to parents and gives educators and families more options. “Competition is always the solution. That's the American way,” Senator Smith said on the floor. Senator Olson, who disclosed her role as a founder and current board member of a charter school in Cheyenne, defended her vote, saying, “House Bill 199 does not direct any funding to any public charter school ... it does not receive 1¢ under House Bill 199.”
Opponents repeatedly cited constitutional and fiscal risks. Senator Case said he believed the measure raised constitutional concerns. Senator Driscoll warned the bill could grow year to year, calling it “a path to” rising expenditures that would affect the state’s ability to fund other priorities. Senator Hicks placed the program’s likely fiscal effect in context with the larger K‑12 budget, noting the biennial school foundation program totals about $2.3 billion and that the bill, at the figures discussed on the floor, would represent a roughly 1.3% additional cost to that account.
Lawmakers also debated program design details that were amended in Senate consideration. The House-passed draft had narrower eligibility rules; senators removed the income tiers and added assessments that apply to any student receiving the scholarship. Senator Schueller, who describes herself as an independent reviewer of legislation, said the assessment requirement was one of the guardrails the Senate added.
Several senators raised concerns about private funding and donations to the program. Senator Gru (commenting on donation language) warned that the bill allows donations to flow into implementation and said unrestricted outside funding for administration or advertising “scares the heck out of me.” Others said a universal approach is the policy choice they favored to avoid an arbitrary cutoff that excludes families slightly above a poverty threshold.
The fiscal scale discussed on the floor ranged from an initial appropriation of $10 million that was previously considered to a working figure discussed during debate of $30 million a year; Senator Driscoll told colleagues that 30 million dollars would pay scholarships for roughly 4,285 students at the per‑student amounts discussed, and he estimated the program would quickly grow if uptake exceeded projections. Senator Hicks offered the 1.3% comparison to the $2.3 billion school account as a counterpoint on relative cost.
Senator Brennan, a vocal supporter, framed the bill in moral terms about individual students: “Every child is created on purpose, with purpose, for purpose,” she said. Other backers argued the program would allow families to access education settings better suited to their children’s needs.
The Senate voted on final passage after nearly three hours of debate. The chief clerk recorded the final tally as 20 ayes and 11 noes. The bill will proceed back to the House as passed by the Senate.
Votes at a glance: House Bill 199 — final passage, Senate vote recorded 20 ayes, 11 noes.
The session record shows senators offered multiple amendments earlier in the week and on the floor; the bill’s sponsors and opponents said they expect further policy discussion and possible litigation challenges given questions about universality and state constitutional limits.
What’s next: With the Senate’s passage the bill returns to the House under standard legislative procedure. Any change to funding or final design remains subject to conference or agreement between chambers and to gubernatorial action and any legal challenges that may follow.
