Senate Bill 2675, which initially would expand the Education Scholarship Account (ESA), is on the Senate calendar and must be brought up before the end of the day on February 14th for it to continue during this legislative session.
Senate Bill 2675, which initially would have expanded the ESA program for students with special needs in Mississippi, was replaced by a committee sub that removed expansion and only extended the repealer by five years.
Currently, the program is set to expire in 2020.
Senate Bill 2675 is the only bill left that involves the ESA.
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Other ESA related bills that have died this session would not only have removed the sunset provision (repealer) but improved the program by:
• replacing the ESA lottery with a first come, first served process
• establishing an online portal
• creating an appeals process
• establishing a parent-friendly payment and application timeline
• allowing unused ESA funds to roll over each year
All of these changes were recommended by the legislative PEER Committee, which reviewed the program last December and found 91% satisfaction among parents.
Courtney Ingle
