State Sen. Arthur Orr (R-Decatur) is optimistic that the school choice bill currently making its way through the legislature will ultimately pass and then be signed by Gov. Kay Ivey.
The House Ways and Means Education Committee advanced the Creating Hope and Opportunity for Our Students Education (CHOOSE) Act with a favorable report Thursday. It is expected to come to the full House for a vote sometime next week.
Orr, who help craft the bill along with State Rep. Danny Garrett (R-Trussville), discussed the progress Friday on WVNN’s “The Dale Jackson Show.”
“I know that the first round of the House Committee and probably the House Floor, the bill is 98% baked, and then when it comes to the Senate we’ll see if the last 2% gets resolved.”
The senator explained some of the changes that have already been made to the legislation in the House.
“The changes that were recommended by those in the education world,” he said, “one of those was for example… testing, to make it public the test results. There was a testing requirement in there, a nationally standardized test. It doesn’t have to be the ACAP, the Alabama test, because the schools aren’t using Alabama curriculum or course of study…So that’s something that’s been included so parents can have the ability to evaluate schools on how they’re doing academically.”
RELATED: Alabama school choice bill advances House committee with positive budgetary assurances
Orr admitted that the Alabama Education Association (AEA) has had some influence on what is included in the bill.
“I think what you’re seeing is some collaboration,” he said. “Now do they support the bill? No. But did they put some guardrails on there, a little transparency and accountability on it? Yes, and that’s a reason I don’t think you’ll see a big floor fight on the House floor next week.”
The lawmaker reiterated that while some of the details will still need to be worked out as it makes it’s way through the Senate, he still believes it will pass.
“I do think we need to address that last 2-3% that has come forward,” he said. “I don’t think it will be addressed in the House, it will need to be discussed and looked at in the Senate. But that being the case, I don’t see major problems for the legislation going forward.”
Yaffee is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts “The Yaffee Program” weekdays 9-11 a.m. on WVNN. You can follow him on Twitter @Yaffee
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