Today's action was in the House Education Committee, and it was
brutal. I keep taking a deep breath, reminding
myself that our best and only chance to kill the really bad bills in in the
Senate.
Delegate LaRock's HB389, the Parental Choice Education Savings
Account bill, was reported and re-referred to the House Appropriations
Committee on a 13-Y 9-N vote. Rumor is
that it may encounter a rough road there.
Delegate "Dickie" Bell's Virtual School bill, HB8 was
reported and re-referred to the House Appropriations Committee as well. The vote was 14-Y 7-N.
The next stop for both HB389 and HB8 should be the Elementary and
Secondary Education Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee. Subcommittee members are Delegates Massie,
Cox, Landes, Greason, Knight, McQuinn, and Lindsey.
The committee also reported the Tebow bill, Delegate Rob Bell's
HB131, which allows home schooled students to participate in interscholastic
programs. The vote was 14-Y 8-N. This bill now heads for the
full house. If your memory is good, you'll
remember that this bill passed last year only to be vetoed by Governor
McAuliffe.
