Private School Voucher Expansion Passes Senate, Headed To House
TALLAHASSEE (CBSMiami/AP) — The Florida Senate has passed a bill that would expand the private school voucher program to middle-income families.
The legislation heads back to the Florida House, which is expected to pass the bill. The House has already passed a similar bill.
The measure would let middle income families in Florida apply to receive vouchers starting in 2016. Currently the program is limited to families who earn up to 185 percent of the federal poverty level.
The bill passed the Florida Senate on Friday by a 29-11 vote. Most Democrats voted against the bill.
The voucher program expansion appeared doomed earlier this year after Senate Republicans said they wanted to add testing requirements.
The final bill would require private schools with a majority of voucher students to publicly report standardized test results.
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