Georgia school voucher bill stays alive after heated Senate debate

Lawmakers rush to their seats after the voting machines open in the House Chambers on Crossover Day morning, March 6, 2023. (Matthew Pearson/WABE)

A school voucher bill is one of many that survived Monday’s legislative deadline where pieces of legislation have to pass at least one chamber in order to stay alive for Georgia’ 2023 legislative session. After some intense debate on the Senate floor, Senate Bill 233 sailed through in a 33-23 vote.

The public vs. private debate

The bill would let parents use $6,000 of state money to create education savings accounts for their children. The money could be used for a range of things, including private school tuition, tutoring, or special services like speech pathology. Originally, the plan would have applied to any public school student in the state. The bill’s sponsors revised that due to opposition. Now, it applies to children who attend schools that rank in the lowest 25% of the state’s school rating system.

The measure sparked a tense debate between Republicans and Democrats on the Senate floor Monday. Money was a tension point.