HB 2632: Closing EITC Reporting Gaps

I voted YES on HB 2632 to bring transparency and accountability to Pennsylvania's EITC scholarship program.

This morning I voted in support of HB2632, a bill that brings transparency and accountability to Pennsylvania’s Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) program while expanding opportunities for students most in need and ensuring that taxpayer dollars are used effectively and efficiently.

Before this morning’s vote, thousands of Pennsylvanians received a text containing false information about the bill. Here are the facts:

This bill does not eliminate a single scholarship for a disadvantaged student. Instead, it expands access by redirecting unused EITC scholarship funds to high-demand Pre-K and early childhood education programs, after-school programs, and tutoring programs offered through approved Educational Improvement Organizations. It also establishes basic reporting requirements, so we can see exactly where those dollars go.

Right now, Pennsylvania diverts $680 million in taxpayer funds every year into private school scholarships with almost no transparency. We do not know which corporations are taking the tax breaks, which schools receive the funding, which students benefit, or whether the program is effectively serving low-income students. HB 2632 closes those gaps and provides the oversight taxpayers deserve. Pennsylvania’s Constitution requires the General Assembly to maintain “a thorough and efficient system of public education.” That means using taxpayer dollars efficiently, equitably, and in a way that protects every child’s right to a fair education. But the current EITC framework prevents us from seeing where and how public dollars are being spent, or whether that expenditure is ultimately beneficial for the students EITC programs were supposed to help.

Public schools are required to serve every child. They cannot discriminate. They cannot pick and choose. They cannot turn away students with disabilities, English learners, or students with IEPs. They must provide equal protection under the law because they are public institutions funded by public dollars.

Private and parochial schools receiving EITC scholarships do not have those same obligations. Many can and do refuse admission to students with IEPs or expel students for reasons that would be illegal in a public school. They are permitted to select only the students they want while still benefiting from taxpayer-funded scholarships.

These policies come at the direct expense of children, working families, and seniors. Every dollar siphoned away from public schools is a dollar taken from the students who rely on equal protection, from families who depend on strong neighborhood schools, and from seniors who already shoulder too much of the property tax burden.

I have always fought for strong public schools. What I do not support is diverting public dollars away from the students who need them the most

HB 2632 is about transparency, accountability, and meeting our constitutional obligation to provide a thorough, efficient, and equitable system of public education. The people of Pennsylvania deserve to know where their money is going, and this bill helps make that possible.