The Texas Catholic Conference celebrated passage of the Tax Credit Scholarship Bill by a vote of 18-12 in the Texas Senate. The legislation provides a tax incentive to businesses that donate to non-profit scholarships, which help low-income families attend accredited private or public schools of their choice or to obtain educational assistance.
“This was a tremendous victory for parental choice in education,” Jeffery Patterson, executive director of the Catholic Conference, said. “It provides qualified families with scholarships of up to approximately $5,900, or about three-fourths of what the state pays per student in public education funding, for private school tuition or $500 scholarships to public school students for after-school activities, tutoring, and transportation.”
Patterson said that much of the credit for the success of the bill goes to Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, State Senator Paul Bettencourt and Senator Larry Taylor, who devoted tremendous time and resources to its passage.
“Texas parents owe a great deal to their leadership and commitment,” Patterson said.
A tax credit plan has been strongly supported by the Texas Catholic Conference as proven way to effectively improve school choice for families. Texas Senate Bill 4 is based on tax credit plans that have been immensely popular and effective in other states, including Arizona, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, North Carolina, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania. These programs have succeeded in defraying private education costs and saving money for public school districts in these states.
School choice tax credit legislation now heads to the Texas House of Representatives for approval. The Texas Catholic Conference urges supporters of school choice to contact their state representative to voice your support for school choice tax credits at http://bit.ly/1r77Hi8.
The Texas Catholic Conference, which is the public policy voice for the Bishops of Texas, is tracking over 500 bills pertaining to Catholic moral and social teachings. The Conference encourages all Catholics to be faithful citizens and engage in advocacy during and after the legislative session. Learn more about TCC at www.TXCatholic.org. You can also find the TCC on Facebook (www.facebook.com/TXCatholic) and on Twitter (www.twitter.com/TXCatholic).