Senate Bill 88, a bill to provide roughly $1,000 per school to support Veterans Day assemblies, was given a favorable recommendation out of the House Operations Committee after discussion about funding sources and precedent.

The bill, presented to the committee by Senator Fillmore, would set aside about $1,000 per school for schools that choose to hold an assembly during the week of Veterans Day to honor local veterans. “It’s a small amount intended to help to defray the cost but how schools use it would be up to them,” Senator Fillmore said.

Committee members expressed broad support for honoring veterans while also questioning whether the state should be subsidizing school assemblies. Representative McPherson urged caution because of competing education funding needs and suggested holding the bill while funding was resolved. “There’s a million priorities, and they’re all important,” McPherson said, urging deliberation about whether the stabilization fund should be used now.

Sponsor and supporters said the proposal is optional for districts and schools and would be administered through the regular appropriations process. Senator Fillmore told the committee the proposal would come from the state’s stabilization account and that finding “a little under $1,000,000 shouldn’t be that difficult,” and that if full funding is not available the per-school amount could be reduced.

After debate and a failed substitute motion to move on to the next agenda item, Representative Peterson made the motion to favorably pass SB 88 to the full body. The committee carried the motion by voice vote; the chair declared the recommendation unanimous.

The bill does not require schools to hold assemblies; it only provides funding to schools that opt in, and schools would not be required to submit receipts under the sponsor’s description.