AFC Congratulates South Carolina’s Senate on Passing Historic School Choice Bill

Dallas, Texas – The American Federation for Children congratulates the South Carolina Senate on passing legislation to significantly expand school choice. The bill would make roughly 85% of South Carolina families eligible to participate within the next two years. Governor Henry McMaster is expected to sign the legislation after the House concurs.

Statement from Ryan Cantrell, Vice President of Government Affairs, American Federation for Children:

“We are grateful for Chairman Hembree’s ongoing leadership and determination to deliver school choice to South Carolina families. He, along with many other school choice champions in the state Senate, have worked to dramatically expand school choice and ensure South Carolina families can access schools that best fit their children’s needs, aspirations, and values. We look forward to swift passage in South Carolina’s House.”

Key elements of the SB62:

• Ensuring 85% of South Carolina K-12 students could participate by setting the initial income eligibility requirement at 300% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines (FPL), later expanding program eligibility to families earning 500% FPL
• Prioritizing participants from the previous year, siblings of current Education Scholarship Trust Fund Program students, children of active-duty military, households at or below 300% FPL, and students who attended public school during the previous school year
• Eliminating the requirement for participants to have attended public school in the prior year, ensuring that middle- and working-class families already in private school would no longer be penalized
• Increasing the ESA scholarship value from $6,000 to $7,500, a figure that would be annually adjusted for inflation

About AFC:

The American Federation for Children is the nation’s largest school choice advocacy organization and the most successful force for education freedom in America, passing over 200 laws across 31 states throughout our history. Our affiliated Super PAC, AFC Victory Fund, is the only nationwide Super PAC focused on advancing school choice.