Governor Gordon Signs Education Voucher Bill Into law

Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon on Tuesday signed House Bill 199, the Steamboat Legacy Scholarship Act, into law.

The bill provides vouchers of up to $7,000 a year per student for K-12 education non-public school expenses through an Education Savings Account.

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The WEA Says Most Wyoming Residents Don't Like The Bill

The Wyoming Education Association is not pleased. They issued a statement that includes the following comments:

Particularly in light of the extraordinary opposition to the voucher program by the majority of Wyoming’s residents, we are disappointed by Gov. Gordon’s decision to sign HB199 into law. The district court’s ruling from only days ago confirmed that the state is not funding public education to the level as it is required, and the choice to take taxpayer dollars to support a voucher program is a curiously poor decision.

 We know from the detailed and well-documented experiences of other states who have implemented such programs that they do not improve student performance; that there are significant and costly incidents of waste, fraud, and abuse; and that these disproportionately harm rural students and communities. Unconstitutional universal voucher programs serve as a taxpayer-funded welfare handout to wealthy families whose communities have access to such schools and whose students already attend private schools.  

Americans For Prosperity Calls The Bill A :"Historic Achievement "

But the Wyoming Chapter of Americans for Prosperity is applauding the bill becoming law. That organization's Wyoming Director, Tyler Lindholm, offered the following comments:

"The enactment of this program is a historic achievement for Wyoming, which brings complete education freedom to our state and empowers parents to choose the education option that's best for their children. 

"AFP-WY thanks Gov. Gordon for his signature and the state lawmakers who prioritized student success and continued fighting for school choice despite numerous setbacks. Wyoming now leads the nation as one of the few states with universal school choice programs." 

Lindholm is a former Republican member of the Wyoming House of Representatives.