September 2014 Group Watch: Cap Raise for Accountability Act?
Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh of Anniston said he might propose raising the $25 million cap on the Alabama Accountability if the results show that it is warranted. The Alabama Opportunity Scholarship Fund, the largest scholarship granting organization created under the Accountability Act, reported it will put about 2,200 children on a waiting list because its funds will run out. It expects to award about 2,900 scholarships for this school year. The state can award up to $25 million each year in donor tax credits. It is that cap that Marsh said he might propose raising. The average household income of those receiving scholarships was $20,687. A Montgomery County Circuit judge ruled in May that the Accountability Act violated the state Constitution because of the way it passed. The state has appealed the ruling and the law remains in effect while the appeal is pending.
