Committee advances bill to expand education savings accounts, debate centers on funding and accountability

Summary

House Bill 199 would expand Wyoming's Education Savings Account program to universal eligibility, create a dedicated funding mechanism using mineral royalties and seek a $50 million initial appropriation; the Education Committee advanced the bill after extensive public comment and debate over fiscal impact and accountability measures.

House Bill 199, the Wyoming Freedom Scholarship Act, received committee approval Jan. 22 after extended testimony and debate over funding sources, accountability and program design.

The bill's sponsor told the House Education Committee the proposal would make the state's Education Savings Account (ESA) program universal for K–12 students, change the funding mechanism to divert a portion of federal mineral royalty revenue into a dedicated Freedom Scholarship account, and authorize an initial appropriation of $50 million to seed the account. The sponsor said the bill would remove the program's previous income cap (150% of the federal poverty level), eliminate the current kindergarten eligibility carve‑out, make provider registration voluntary rather than mandatory, and remove a statutory requirement for nationally normed student assessments.

Officials from the Department of Education, speaking on behalf…

Committee advances bill to expand education savings accounts, debate centers on funding and accountability

Summary

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