Religious School Aid Bills Move Forward In Florida, Illinois.

Florida Gov. Jeb Bush's school voucher plan passed the state House of Representatives easily in March, and a similar measure cleared the Senate April 16.

The March 25 House vote (71-49) broke largely along party lines with only six Democrats supporting the measure. An attempt to reconcile the House and Senate versions was pending as Church & State went to press.

Opponents charged that the plan would hurt public schools. "This will go down in history as the day we abandoned public schools," said Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a Weston Democrat. "This is an insidious voucher program that will suck the lifeblood out of our public schools."

The Bush proposal, which refers to vouchers as "opportunity scholarships" would offer stipends ranging from $3,800 to as much as $24,000 for students with special needs. Eligible students will be drawn from public school systems deemed "failing." Participating private religious schools would have to accept students on a random basis and could not exclude applicants on the basis of belief. They also could not require students to take part in religious worship.

Americans United and other opponents of the Bush scheme have flooded the governor's office and state legislature with cards and letters against vouchers. A poll of Florida voters in March found that 58 percent were generally opposed to vouchers. Although a majority of Republican men supported the idea, 50 percent of GOP women were against it.

Americans United's legal team is preparing to file a lawsuit should the Bush plan become law.

Meanwhile, the Illinois House of Representatives has voted in favor of a bill establishing a tuition tax credit plan in the state. The proposal, pushed hard by Chicago Cardinal Francis George, would allow private school patrons to take a 25 percent tax credit for private school tuition, lab fees and book fees, not to exceed $500. It will cost the state an estimated $50 million to $75 million per year.

To make the measure politically and legally palatable, supporters made it applicable for both private and public school parents, although they conceded that public school parents wig receive few benefits. The proposal was also appended to a popular education reform measure, enabling it to easily pass the Democrat-controlled House on a 74-41 vote.

In other news about religious school aid:

* Americans United Legal Director Steven K. Green testified before a Maryland Assembly panel March 18 against proposed voucher and tuition tax credit legislation. Green pointed out that the U.S. Supreme Court has never upheld a voucher plan and noted that a long line of high court rulings indicate that government funding of religious schools is unconstitutional. The bills failed to move before the session ended.

* New Mexico Attorney General Patricia A. Madrid has issued an opinion stating that vouchers would likely run afoul of the state constitution. The opinion comes on the heels of a promise by Gov. Gary Johnson (R) to veto the entire state budget unless vouchers are included.

"Although I recognize there will be differences of opinion on this important issue, I do not believe a school voucher program would likely withstand a court challenge given the current language in our state constitution that prohibits giving public money to private schools," said Madrid in a press statement.

Article 12, Section 3 of the New Mexico Constitution forbids any appropriation of tax funds in "support of any sectarian, denominational or private school, college or university."

* Texas legislators have heard opposition to a voucher plan from an unusual source: a Roman Catholic prelate. Monsignor Lonnie Reyes of Austin's St. Julia Catholic Church spoke against vouchers at state capitol conference of anti-voucher religious leaders March 31, the Austin Chronicle reported.

"We fully support families sending their children to religious schools," said Reyes, "but not at taxpayer expense. We know that for tax dollars to be used for religious purposes without state control would be a serious mismanagement of taxpayer money."

* California residents oppose a voucher referendum that may appear oil the ballot in March of 2000, a new poll indicates. The Field Poll found that 57 percent of Californians said they oppose the plan, which would give $3,000 vouchers to private school parents. Thirty-seven percent backed the idea. In 1993 California voters crushed a voucher referendum, 70 percent against to 30 percent lot.

* Michigan residents oppose vouchers too. A poll commissioned by the state Department of Education and several private groups found 53 percent opposing vouchers or tuition tax credits, while 39 percent approved of the idea. A group called School Choice Yes! is currently trying to place a referendum question on the 2000 ballot.