The Kentucky House voted to override Gov. Andy Beshear’s veto of House Bill 1, passing the measure 77-14 with one abstention. The bill now returns to the Senate.
FRANKFORT, Ky. —
House Bill 1 would allow Kentuckians to receive a federal tax credit for donating to scholarship-granting organizations, a move supporters say will expand school choice without using state tax dollars. The tax credit would come from a federal program created under the "One Big Beautiful Bill."
Critics warned the measure would pave the way for eventually diverting funding toward private and charter schools — a measure voters rejected as a proposed constitutional amendment in 2024.
"The Kentucky Supreme Court struck down every previous attempt to divert public tax dollars as unconstitutional, including a unanimous decision on the very day HB one was filed," said Rep. Adrielle Camuel (D-Lexington).
"How can we expect those kids to thrive and to learn when we're not giving them the tools to do so? My concern with this bill, Mr. Speaker, ladies and gentlemen, it is the foot in the door towards starting to fund charter and private schools," said Rep. Mary Lou Marzian (D-Louisville).
Supporters said the bill creates a new funding mechanism for students.
"Voting to sustain the veto of House Bill one will deprive Kentucky students of a funding mechanism that they will not have without this bill," said Rep. TJ Roberts (R-Burlington).
"These scholarship branding organizations are going to take applications. They're going to review those. And parents, on behalf of their children, are going to be able to get scholarships that would allow them to parents that send their children to public school, private school, homeschool, that dollar, this is going to go directly to a school, public or private, is going to parents," said Rep. James Tipton (R-Taylorsville).
The Senate will take up the bill once again.