By Ruby Thomas, Record Staff Writer
Though the Kentucky General Assembly didn’t include scholarship tax credits in the 2018-2020 state budget passed April 2, there may still be hope for the bill to pass according to the Catholic Conference of Kentucky (CCK).
Andrew Vandiver — associate director of the CCK which serves as the public policy voice of Kentucky’s four bishops — said he was “shocked” to learn that scholarship tax credits were not a part of the state budget.
The legislation, proposed in Senate Bill 36 and House Bill 134, would have created a tax credit for individuals who donate to certain scholarship-granting organizations such as the Catholic Education Foundation.
“It’s a real disappointment that they didn’t prioritize choices of Kentucky families when it comes to education,” said Vandiver in an interview April 3.
The “only silver lining” is there is still time to act, he said. The General Assembly will reconvene April 13 for the final two days of this session. “It’s within their power. If there’s enough of an outcry” they can still pass scholarship tax credits at that time, said Vandiver.
He is urging individuals to call and email legislators expressing “disappointment” and urging them to act. “Otherwise, they will only hear the voices of those who oppose education choice.”
In a statement released by the CCK April 3, Vandiver suggests individuals take the following steps this week and to encourage others to do the same.
- Those who received a response, via email or phone call, from legislators in support of scholarship tax credits are urged to follow up and ask why it wasn’t included in the budget.
- Individuals are also urged to contact their senator’s and representative’s office at 502-564-8100 and ask about setting up a meeting to talk about passing scholarship tax credits before the end of the session. Individuals can find their legislators by visiting https://www.lrc.ky.gov/Find%20Your%20Legislator/Find%20Your%20Legislator.html. Vandiver said in the April 3 statement he believes that if they get enough requests they will “likely schedule an event in their district to hear about the issue.”
- People can leave a message for their senator and representative by calling 1-800-372-7181. The operator will help them connect with the right legislators.
“The consequence of a failure to act is thousands of Kentucky kids will be left behind in schools that are not working for them,” said Vandiver. If nothing happens between April 13 and 14, the two final days of the session, “we’ll look again at the 2019 session,” said Vandiver. “We’ll have to wait and see what the general assembly looks like after the November election.”
