Special-Needs Vouchers Pass Utah House, Senate

The school voucher proposal that helped topple the career of Utah’s previous governor last year has gotten a thumbs-up from the state legislature and is expected to be signed into law by the new governor.

The Carson Smith Special Needs Scholarships legislation would provide $1.4 million in voucher money to help parents of students with disabilities send their children to private schools, both secular and religious, that place particular emphasis on helping such students. The bill passed 21-6 in the Senate on Feb. 25, just a few days after it was passed by the House on a vote of 58-17.

Champions of school choice rejoiced over passage of the bill, though they were frustrated by the failure of a broader tuition-tax-credit bill that died Feb. 25 in the House on...