LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska lawmakers passed a bill Wednesday that will channel public money to scholarships for private school tuition, despite critics who say the measure hurts public schools, benefits wealthy taxpayers and helps mostly parochial schools that can discriminate against LGBTQ+ students.
The bill, which has the governor’s support, was introduced by Omaha Sen. Lou Ann Linehan, who has been fighting to pass a version of the bill for seven years. It does not appropriate taxpayer dollars directly toward private school vouchers. Instead, it would allow money owed for state income tax to be donated for scholarships covering private school tuition.
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