March 10, 2023

Statement from Florida Policy Institute on HB 1 Passing Last Committee Stop Before House Floor

FLORIDA - Florida Policy Institute (FPI) today released the following statement from FPI CEO Sadaf Knight as HB 1, legislation that would create a universal voucher and education savings account program, passed out of its last committee and is now poised to go to the House floor for a vote:

“There is no doubt that HB 1 carries a significant and unprecedented cost for the state, which has not been fully accounted for as this bill has moved through the committee process. 

“As FPI has noted, the projected cost for the universal voucher program under HB 1 is an estimated $4 billion, including $2 billion for students not previously covered by state funding, meaning that the state would need to identify new revenue sources or make significant cuts to accommodate the new cost. 

“We are alarmed by the projected cost of expanding vouchers to a universal program. We are also extremely concerned by the speed at which this bill passed through committee, and the fact that this happened before the Office of Economic and Demographic Research has released its estimate on what HB 1 would cost. The evidence from the only state — Arizona — to so far implement a universal voucher bill is startling. That program has blown past initial state projections for cost by over 1,000 percent in under 6 months, and should serve as a warning for the Florida Legislature to slow down and fully understand the fiscal implications of these proposals.” 

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 The recent analysis by Florida Policy Institute and Education Law Center breaks down the projected $4 billion figure: 

  • $1.1 billion in state aid for current voucher program students in 2023-24;
  • $890 million for additional current public school students moving to private education through the voucher program in 2023-24 with the removal of the income eligibility restriction (this is a significant cost to local school districts);
  • $1.1 billion for students currently in private schools who will access the FES vouchers (this amount was reduced from a previous estimate because the amended bill utilizes Florida Tax Credits to fund $800 million of the previous $1.9 billion estimate); and
  • $971 million to cover 75% of existing home education students.

FPI is an independent, nonpartisan, and nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing state policies and budgets that improve the economic mobility and quality of life for all Floridians.

Contact: Holly Bullard, Florida Policy Institute, 407.440.1421 ext. 701, bullard@floridapolicy.org

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