Appropriations panel advances bill to expand education savings accounts, trims startup appropriation to $30 million

The Appropriations Committee voted 6-1 to give House Bill 199 a do-pass recommendation as amended, advancing a proposal to open the state's education savings account (ESA) program to families of all income levels, raise the per-student scholarship to $7,000 and change the funding flow for the program.

Representative Andrews, who presented the bill, said, "House Bill 199 expands our ESA program by opening it up to families of all income levels. It removes the income cap." He told the committee the bill also "increases the scholarship amount to $7,000" and redirects some under‑the‑cap federal mineral royalty revenue that currently flows to the School Foundation Program (SPF) into the ESA program account. Andrews said the bill includes a mechanism that would return surplus revenue to the SPF if the ESA account exceeded a funding threshold.

Andrews described a $50,000,000 startup appropriation in the original draft but recommended the committee reduce that amount. "I actually think that that probably the $30,000,000 would be sufficient," he said, explaining that $30 million matches a balance threshold where, if…