Senate leader comments on passage of education scholarship program

Senate leader comments on passage of education scholarship program

OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma Senate President Pro Tempore Greg Treat, R-Oklahoma City, commended the full Senate for overwhelmingly passing Senate Bill 1080, which makes improvements to the Equal Opportunity Scholarship Act.

The Equal Opportunity Scholarship program provides tax credits to donors who voluntarily donate funds to support education. The grants can be used by private schools to support low-income families and by public schools for innovation or classroom support. Treat’s SB 1080 increases to $50 million the amount of tax credits available for the program, with $25 million for public schools and $25 million for private schools. Additionally, the bill adds transparency by increasing reporting requirements of the private schools’ scholarship granting organizations.

“The Equal Opportunity Scholarship Act is a life-changing program. The program has benefited homeless children and low-income families. The changes we are making to the program will help deserving students receive a high-quality education they otherwise could not afford. The changes also will generate more funding for public schools by giving their supporters more ways to donate. This is a tremendous bill for students, families and Oklahoma education overall. I appreciate the overwhelming support of my Senate colleagues and look forward to the Oklahoma House passing the bill,” Treat said.

SB 1080 on Tuesday passed by a vote of 36-11 and now goes to the Oklahoma House of Representatives for consideration.