Assembly to consider private school scholarship program

Gov. Brian Sandoval listens during the Nevada Governor’s Office of Economic Development board meeting at the Grant Sawyer Building in Las Vegas Thursday, Jan. 22, 2015. (Erik Verduzco/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

CARSON CITY — A scholarship program sought by Gov. Brian Sandoval that would help low-income students attend private schools, including religious schools, won approval on a party-line 8-6 vote in the Assembly Education Committee on Monday.

Assembly Bill 165 was amended to reduce the amount of scholarship money that would be made available to students through the use of a tax credit system for businesses donating to the the Nevada Educational Choice Scholarship Program.

The total was reduced from about $10 million a year to $5 million in the first year of the new budget, increasing to $5.5 million in the second year. The bill was also amended to set a maximum scholarship amount of $7,755 per student.

The scholarship program is a centerpiece of Sandoval’s plan to give students more choice in where they attend school.

It would provide the tax credits on the state’s Modified Business Tax to businesses that donate. The money would be donated to scholarship organizations, which could not own or operate a school. The organizations could not spend more than 5 percent of the money it received on administration. An organization could not limit grants to a single school or to specific pupils.

The bill will now go to the full Assembly for a vote, and then on to the Senate. The bill requires a simple majority vote to pass.

Republicans have enough votes in both the Assembly and Senate to pass the measure.

The bill would take effect immediately if signed in to law.

Contact Sean Whaley at swhaley@reviewjournal.com or 775-687-3900. Find him on Twitter: @seanw801.