Federal tax credits of up to $1,700 each can start in 2027 for North Carolina families whose children are participating in the signature education initiative of second-term Republican President Donald Trump.
The Educational Choice for Children Act, known also as House Bill 87, late Wednesday afternoon got a 30-19 veto override from the Senate. On May 20, the House of Representatives sent it to the upper chamber 73-46 with all 71 Republicans and former Democrats now independent Reps. Carla Cunningham and Nasif Majeed of Mecklenburg County in support.
“Families across the state want to have a choice in where to send their children to school,” said 13th-term Sen. Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, the president pro tempore of the chamber. “In North Carolina, we have great public schools that are supplemented by public charter, private and home schools. Participating in President Trump’s landmark school choice program gives parents another opportunity to obtain an education that best fits their child’s needs.”
North Carolina becomes the 31st state to formally opt in, the fifth of which has a divided government. This means the two legislative chambers and the governor’s office are not the same party. Twenty-three are Republican trifectas and three – Virginia, New York and Colorado – are Democratic.
