Vic's Statehouse Notes #286 - Mar. 15, 2017

Dear Friends,

 
Your advocacy to separate pre-kindergarten expansion from K-12 voucher expansion paid dividends today!
 
The Senate Education Committee unanimously passed Amendment 20 to House Bill 1004, an amendment that restores the bill to read like Senate Bill 276 with only a few changes.  Senate Bill 276 was the Senate's version of expanding pre-kindergarten which did not link pre-K grants to K-12 vouchers in any way.
 
Then the committee passed the amended bill by a vote of 8-1, with Senator Crane the lone no vote.  HB 1004 now goes to the Senate Appropriations Committee.
 
The Senators in the committee today by a vote of 9-0 endorsed the concept that pre-kindergarten expansion should go forward without being entwined with a major expansion of K-12 voucher eligibility.
 
It is time to thank the Senators on the Education Committee for their vote today to separate pre-K and K-12 vouchers.  The members are:
 
Republican Senators Kruse, Raatz, Bassler, Crane, Freeman, Kenley, Leising and Zay
 
Democratic Senators Melton, Mrvan and Stoops


(If you would like to copy and paste the email addresses of all these committee members into the "to" field of an email, please dp.)


[email protected];[email protected];[email protected];[email protected];[email protected];
[email protected];[email protected];[email protected];[email protected];[email protected];
[email protected]
The Process is Just Beginning: Stay in Touch with Senators and House Members
 
While the vote today was encouraging, the debate about linking pre-K and K-12 vouchers is far from over.  When Senate Bill 276 gets to the House Education Committee, it is quite possible that the tables will be turned and that the language of House Bill 1004 will be inserted into SB 276.
 
If both bills pass their respective houses with opposite positions on expanding K-12 vouchers, then both bills will go to conference committees in the last two week of April.  Stay alert!
 
Keep writing Senators to maintain their position that pre-K should not be a road to K-12 voucher expansion.
 
Then write members of the House asking them to take the Senate's position to debate pre-kindergarten on its own merits with no link to K-12 voucher eligibility.
 
Your enthusiasm to support public education in this debate is making a difference.  Keep up the good work!
 
Thank you for actively supporting public education in Indiana!


Best wishes,
 
Vic Smith      [email protected]