Bringing money home to Kentucky students and schools.

That's the bottom line.

Boasted by proponents of a plan to take advantage of a federal scholarship tax credit initiative that came about from the so-called one big, beautiful bill approved by Congress last year.

Details about this in tonight's legislative update.

Kentucky Republicans, House Bill one, a bill assignment number that indicates the priority level it's given.

Also lets the state identify eligible scholarship granting organizations, or GEOs, which could include public schools.

The dollar for dollar tax credit is up to $1,700 a year.

The Kentucky Secretary of State would oversee the registration of the STOs and submit the required paperwork to federal authorities.

But Democrats, including the governor, argue the fast tracked measure gives tax dollars to private organizations without public oversight, transparency or accountability.

State Representative Adriel Campbell, a Democrat from Lexington, says low and middle income families won't benefit and blast the Republican plan as a backdoor voucher system that would disadvantage public schools for the wealthy.

The General Assembly is trying to accomplish through a federal tax mechanism.

What the voters of this Commonwealth explicitly refuse to authorize directly.

This is an end run around the Democratic will of the people.

Rural Kentucky counties already operating on razor thin school budgets depend heavily on federal title one funding, ideas for funding and other federal education dollars.

This program structurally disadvantages them for the benefit of private institutions concentrated in urban areas like mine, that most rural families cannot access.

Jefferson County Public School educator Tina Bowser, now a Democrat, voted for the bill and urged public school advocates to form a scholarship granting organization of their own.

But the more I read about the federal law, the more I thought about how if we are very intentional, we can ensure that this money can transfer to our public education students.

The only thing that a public school student could not obtain would be tuition, but public school students could receive scholarships for fees, academic tutoring, special needs services, books, supplies, and other equipment, room and board uniforms, transportation, extended day services, computer technology, and even internet access for the families at home.

Northern Kentucky Republican T.J.

Roberts, who is also a sponsor of House Bill one, reiterated that no state dollars will go to this program and that ultimately it will help Kentucky kids.

Every single day that this bill is not law in the Commonwealth, students out of Kentucky are benefiting from Kentucky.

Donors in 27 other states.

Every day we hold up on this bill is a day a Kentucky student is denied education, freedom, and the ability to have the best education that they are entitled to.

And on to amendment two.

Amendment two is simply about state tax dollars.

This is a federal tax cut.

Article six, section two of the United States Constitution makes clear that when there is legitimate federal law and legitimate state law that are in conflict, the federal law prevails.

House Bill one passed the full House today by a vote of 79 to 17, with one abstention.

The bill now heads to the Senate for consideration there.