Repeal of Controversial “School Choice” Bill Will Be on the 2024 Ballot

By Gordon Hopkins Signatures collected for a petition have been filed to repeal Nebraska's newly enacted Opportunity Scholarship Act. They were delivered to the Nebraska Secretary of State’s Election Office in the Cornhusker Marriott Hotel on Wednesday, August 30, 2023. According to Support Our Schools Nebraska, a group opposed to the bill, 117,145 signatures were collected, “more than twice the required amount and representing all 93 counties.”LB (Legislative Bill ) 753 was sponsored by Senator Lou Ann Linehan and approved by the Nebraska Legislature. The bill allows individuals, estates, trusts, and corporations to claim a one-for-one income tax credit on their state income tax liability if they contribute toward these scholarship funds. Opponents of the bill say it will take money from public schools and give it to private schools. It is the first time Nebraska has adopted a ‘school choice’ bill.Although the bill does not appropriate taxpayer dollars directly toward private schools, Jenni Benson, president of NSEA (Nebraska State Education Association) insists, “But the bottom line is, no matter what budget of public schools is, this is still money going to private schools from the general fund.”Benson recently spoke to FJN and said, “And for the six years, I've been president and the seven years that Senator (Lou Ann) Linehan brought some version of this bill, our message is the same. Public dollars do not belong in private schools. The constitution of Nebraska is clear.”“Public education is not only a public good, it’s a moral one,” said Rev. Michael Williams, president of the Omaha NAACP. “These so-called scholarship programs won’t help the kids in my neighborhood because it’s not about helping low-income kids. It’s about creating another way for wealthy people and corporations to avoid paying their fair share in taxes. That’s an opportunity the rest of us don’t get, and it will hurt the community schools that provide opportunities for every child - no matter their race, religion, language or special need.” Governor Jim Pillen, who signed the bill into law on May 30 of this year, issued a statement after the signatures were submitted, “The union bosses running this political campaign failed to gather enough signatures to suspend this great program. We should not be fighting this fight. With the support of the Legislature, I provided the largest funding increase in the State’s history for public education. The signatures collected will now have to be certified by the Secretary of State. If this initiative makes it onto the 2024 ballot, I can promise you the fight will not be over. I have confidence in education, both public and private. I will continue to make sure each student in Nebraska has the educational freedom to choose where they want to attend school. We will never give up on our kids.”Nebraska is one of 24 states that allow citizens to initiate legislation through the petition process.The petition process can be a powerful tool for bypassing the state government when an initiative is popular with voters but not necessarily with those in power.In recent years, both casino gambling and expanded Medicare coverage have become law in Nebraska despite vehement opposition by Governor Pete Ricketts but were approved by voters.The Secretary of State has 40 days to verify signatures.The referendum will appear on Nebraska’s general election ballot in November of 2024.

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