[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6369193,"mediaKeyId","2154897-f7b23486e1461b0bc8784435d412e2c8","parentId",2154897,"title","House committee advances 'Wyoming Freedom Scholarship Act,' reduces startup appropriation and rejects multiple accountability amendments","audioSeconds",9026,"startMs",1029140,"endMs",10055550,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2154897-f7b23486e1461b0bc8784435d412e2c8&start=1029&end=10055","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2154897-f7b23486e1461b0bc8784435d412e2c8/thumbnail_1029140.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6369193/Wyoming/House-committee-advances-Wyoming-Freedom-Scholarship-Act-reduces-startup-appropriation-and-rejects-multiple-accountability-amendments","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6369193-0468f29ac9bdf36c53a3924a03dbee69/orig.mp4?Expires=1771178297&Signature=DxI5K9pWQ8Ugxc~DK2FllSFRNcFDy-rit2OblN4IJ7tVr-~d39HGFymZnjzU8leYuYEv2yRDFG~nOzgJmAiucBPPJ612YGZHWGOB5yb9VGMn2GNqidX6zGiDu3Viw7ronvsZYRo1YXG0s4~JSE8IxMTmsCLOjRNeLjoTnMNWGfw0FD82LUY2fcWICHROr-dMMD57XoLkM1iVo3YlkpCFByzjihMT0GioBsWyJ~t3h2x7aDI~JDh6viXAgJr6DQWI1uKfMjoMHgcfZduomjGbDnCxXv0-dX~sUQ4AOpZHelvvf3BI5f05x49L64II3BBQqoMQUWWnnmJx2jsTK-Popg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Wyoming Legislature","date","2025-01-27T00:00:00Z","article","The House Committee of the Whole reported House Bill 199, the “Wyoming Freedom Scholarship Act,” to the full House Friday after a full-day floor debate that focused on funding, accountability and constitutional risk. Representative Andrew, the bill sponsor and committee chair, described the measure as a conversion of the state’s existing education savings account (ESA) program into a universal, income‑independent scholarship program.

Representative Andrew said the program would pay roughly $7,000 per student and that state analysis and other states’ experience suggested 1,500 to 4,000 students could participate in year one. “As the bill is written, it would be worth about, well, it would be worth $7,000 per student,” Andrew said.

Key policy and fiscal changes in the bill as discussed on the floor:
- Universal eligibility: The bill removes income limits so any Wyoming family could apply for an ESA under the program as written. The sponsor also proposed removing kindergarten as an eligible expense.
- Start-up appropriation reduced: The appropriations committee reduced an initial general‑fund appropriation in the draft from $50,000,000 to $30,000,000; Representative Andrew said the $30 million better matched expected first‑year uptake. That division (division number 1) was adopted in committee proceedings.
- Funding source change: The bill diverts a portion of federal mineral royalties (FMRs) into the ESA account; supporters said the change would not necessarily reduce the School Foundation Program (SFP) long term because ESAs would cost less per student than the state’s average per‑pupil cost.
- Certification and assessment: The bill removes a mandatory certification process for provider entities and without an annual nationally normed assessment requirement. Floor sponsors and education department officials urged that certification and assessment be maintained for consumer protection; other members opposed reimposing those rules, calling them a constraint on parental choice.

Floor debate was lengthy and partisan. Supporters argued the program would expand parental choice and reduce per‑student state costs; opponents raised several concerns, including fraud risk, erosion of public‑school funding and potential violations of the Wyoming Constitution. Representative Harshman warned of fraud and loss of local budget authority and said, “You have to have guardrails. ... This is going to be the wild wild west of waste, fraud and abuse,” if certification and registration were removed. Representative Jarvis, a former reading specialist, urged assessments and said targeted measurement is needed to identify and fix student-level deficits.

Committee of the Whole votes on amendments and divisions during floor consideration:
- Committee/appropriations amendment (division number 1): reduced the general‑fund appropriation from $50,000,000 to $30,000,000 (passed by division).
- Division number 2 (move effective date to July 1, 2026): called, challenged, and later withdrawn after a rules‑committee finding that it violated a standing rule.
- Committee of the Whole amendment number 1 (reinsert certification process): vigorously debated and put to division; the final division tally recorded 29 in favor and 31 opposed — the attempt to reinsert the certification language failed.
- Committee of the Whole amendment number 2 (require nationally normed annual assessments): failed on division, 23 ayes to 34 noes.
- Committee of the Whole amendment number 3 (restore pre‑K eligibility for families up to 150% of poverty): failed on division, 25 ayes to 35 noes.
- Additional numeric and design amendments (including proposals to lower the appropriation to $28 million or tie ESA award amounts to local property-tax contributions) failed to pass.

After the debate and amendments, the Committee of the Whole reported the bill to the House; the committee report was adopted by a recorded vote of 39 ayes and 20 noes, advancing the bill out of committee of the whole for further floor action.

Speakers on both sides noted potential downstream effects: Representative Harshman and others said diverting an estimated $44 million a year from the School Foundation Program to ESAs (an amount discussed on the floor) could materially affect small districts’ budgets; Representative Andrew and supporters said the ESA per‑student cost (about $7,000) is well below the state per‑pupil average of roughly $18,000, producing long‑term savings if uptake assumptions hold.

The bill will return to the full House calendar with the committee of the whole report; further amendments and votes are possible in subsequent readings.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","House Floor Session-Day 10 January 27, 2025-PM","oneSentenceSummary","The House Committee of the Whole advanced House Bill 199, a broad expansion of Education Savings Accounts, moving a reduced $30 million startup appropriation and rejecting proposed restore-certification and assessment amendments after extensive debate over funding sources, accountability and constitutional questions.","taxTitle","House of Representative, Committees, Legislative, Wyoming","taxId",30484,"location","Wyoming","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6369198,"House passes measure tightening bond-election turnout rule after amendment fails",934,9040,943730,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2154897-f7b23486e1461b0bc8784435d412e2c8&start=9&end=943","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2154897-f7b23486e1461b0bc8784435d412e2c8/thumbnail_9040.jpg","/articles/6369198/Wyoming/House-passes-measure-tightening-bond-election-turnout-rule-after-amendment-fails","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6369198-a83a3c07d85d480f1f653e9a29aa7145/orig.mp4?Expires=1771178297&Signature=ZTFh~anIB4-qEXWkUO2KIVdTqNtj2UIGfKL7bUQFscLkUVRB49gAj7CDm7SAoBkpWOQkpuqCybjjJIeHrUAp83WPuS9DgyhNa~Sh5aRsSaKpjT8C3xnsagOTY~Wu4-U9CCaMP2F0l1m2SPBEoyLT4zgdmV5418viYfuUHM3MQZKcR2KkfIsoxR10sO0hp7vuygQYxOcbeTDm9CpyWL-uPRbjdWlzr~LFruMh5SPt71j1EUfa9bLTVG5KM1Dcy36qyyDMR6pBYnbYpmelXZPbmt3ARATbJmb8sbsy~cQtVDeTir5ifnQP-3bG2YIZlNAtEwovZXYkXGmDMOLMbEt~KA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Wyoming House of Representatives passed House Bill 79 on third reading Friday, approving a change to bond-election procedures after rejecting a member amendment and a later withdrawn change. The bill, sponsored by Representative Stibar, revises voter-threshold requirements for bond elections.

Representative John Harshman proposed a third-reading amendment to remove a clause that would delay a successful special-issue bond from returning to voters for a year in some circumstances. “I just think we gotta be really careful with the democratic process and how we do this,” Harshman said during debate, arguing the amendment would prevent a community from promptly returning a narrowly decided measure to the ballot.

Representative Steinberg spoke against the amendment, saying it protected constituents in counties with historically low turnout: “There’s actually only two counties that have under 25% in a bond election,” Steinberg said, noting one recent district had turnout under 5% for a fire district bond.

Members voted on Harshman’s amendment; the amendment did not carry and was not adopted. Representative Harshman later withdrew a separate proposed amendment. After the debate and roll call, the House voted to pass House Bill 79. The chief clerk’s tally closed at 57 ayes and 4 noes with one member excused; the clerk announced the bill had passed the House.

House Bill 79 will move to the next step in the legislative process consistent with chamber rules.","The Wyoming House passed House Bill 79 on third reading, preserving a new voter-turnout requirement for certain bond elections after members rejected an amendment to remove part of the turnout stipulation.","actionData","errors"]

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House committee advances 'Wyoming Freedom Scholarship Act,' reduces startup appropriation and rejects multiple accountability amendments

House passes measure tightening bond-election turnout rule after amendment fails