School choice could be taking a historic step forward in South Carolina, starting with a House Subcommittee hearing today upon adjournment.

House Bill 4894 – the school choice legislation currently being considered in the House – begins its journey toward a floor vote with a hearing in the subcommittee of Representative Rita Allison (R-Spartanburg). Allison is one of the seven lawmakers from Spartanburg who voted against a more sweeping school choice bill in 2011, but has subsequently signed on as a sponsor to H. 4894. Incidentally, four of the other “Spartanburg Six” (Derham Cole, Mike Forrester, Steve Parker, and Eddie Tallon) have also signed on as H. 4894 sponsors.

School choice supporters hope to see quick passage of the bill through Rep. Allison’s subcommittee. Considering that four of the five members of the subcommittee are sponsors of H. 4894; passage seems likely. Subcommittee members will meet upon adjournment in Blatt 521 to consider the bill. These meetings are open to the public, and supporters of school choice are encouraged to attend.

A history-making majority of State House members are now signed on as sponsors to the school choice bill H. 4894. The bill is a recently-introduced compromise proposal that offers tax credit-funded scholarships for low-income and special needs children enrolling in independent schools. It also includes modest tax deductions for parents paying for homeschooling or independent school tuition out of pocket.

To learn more about the legislation being discussed in today’s subcommittee, click here.