$6,500 school vouchers bill stalls in Georgia House

Georgia House Speaker Pro-Tempore Jan Jones, R-Milton, helped push for a bill offering $6,500 educational vouchers to students who would otherwise attend low-performing schools.

John Bazemore / Associated Press file

Georgia Republicans shelved a plan to broaden state voucher funding for private school tuition and homeschooling on Thursday, apparently lacking the votes for passage in the state House after a long debate.

The House voted 95-70 to table the bill, meaning it could be taken up again before the 2023 session ends Wednesday. If not voted on this year, it could be considered again in 2024.

Still, the failure to pass the $6,500 per student yearly voucher was surprising after the measure appeared to inch toward passage in the House, which has historically been cooler toward voucher bills than the Senate has.