Kentucky House passes a bill aimed at putting a school choice constitutional amendment on the ballot

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Supporters of letting Kentucky voters decide the outcome of a school choice constitutional amendment cleared a key hurdle Wednesday when the state House gave its support, after a tense debate that could foreshadow a bruising campaign ahead if the proposal reaches the ballot.

After an hourslong debate, the House passed the measure on a 65-32 vote to send it to the Senate. Republicans have supermajorities in both chambers. The House vote came a day after a GOP-led House committee advanced the bill.

With no election for statewide office on Kentucky’s ballot this November, school choice looms as the most hotly debated state issue during the fall campaign if the proposed amendment reaches the ballot.

“This is a turning point in the direction of the commonwealth of Kentucky, the education of our children and the future of this commonwealth,” said Democratic state Rep. George Brown Jr., who opposed the bill.

Opponents repeatedly tried to draw the bill’s lead Republican sponsor into discussing what policy actions would happen next if voters were to ratify the measure seeking to amend Kentucky’s constitution.

<bsp-list-loadmore data-module="" class=«PageListStandardB» data-gtm-region=«READ MORE» data-gtm-topic=«No Value» data-show-loadmore=«true» data-gtm-modulestyle=«List B»> <bsp-custom-headline custom-headline=«div»> READ MORE </bsp-custom-headline> <bsp-custom-headline custom-headline=«div»> Republican-led House panel in Kentucky advances proposed school choice constitutional amendment </bsp-custom-headline> <bsp-custom-headline custom-headline=«div»> South Carolina Supreme Court to decide if new private school voucher program is legal </bsp-custom-headline> <bsp-custom-headline custom-headline=«div»>