CHOOSE Act

The Creating Hope and Opportunity for Our Students' Education Act of 2024, abbreviated as the CHOOSE Act (Act of Alabama 2024-21) is an Alabama law, passed in 2024, which establishes an income tax credit of up to $7,000 per child for parents who enroll their children in private schools or homeschooling programs.

School voucher or school choice programs have been proposed in the past, with a number of relatively small-scale measures being implemented. In her "State of the State" address in January 2024, Governor Kay Ivey said that signing a "landmark school choice bill" would be her top priority for the upcoming legislative session.

Several such proposals were expected to be introduced, with the source of public funding to be earmarked for the program, and the degree to which private schools would be accountable for their use of public funds, as the main points of contention. Consensus among advocates, primarily Republicans, solidified around the idea of the state contributing to "educational savings accounts".

The bill that was passed was put forward as House Bill 129, co-sponsored by Danny Garrett (District 44), Nathaniel Ledbetter (District 24), and Terri Collins (District 8).

Ivey signed the bill into law on March 7.

References

• Rocha, Alander (January 10, 2024) "House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter’s 2024 priorities: child care, transportation, education." Alabama Reflector
• Cason, Mike (January 22, 2024) "Gov. Kay Ivey says ‘landmark’ school choice bill her top priority." AL.com
• Cason, Mike (February 4, 2024) "Battles over education, absentee voting looming for Alabama legislative session." AL.com

External links

• Act of Alabama 2024-21 (full text), at sos.state.al.us