Editor’s note: This article appeared Thursday on oklahoman.com.
A polarizing Oklahoma bill that would dedicate $128.5 million in taxpayer dollars for private school costs failed in a late-night vote on the Senate floor last week.
In a 24-22 vote, a majority of senators nixed Senate Bill 1647, called the Oklahoma Empowerment Act, effectively defeating the bill for this legislative session.
One of the most high-profile pieces of legislation this year, the bill stalled after two hours of debate and two more hours of waiting as Senate president pro tempore Greg Treat, the bill’s author, tried to flip a few Republican holdouts in a last-ditch effort to advance the measure.
Although the bill is dead, Treat told reporters Thursday he hopes to keep the concept alive in the coming weeks of negotiations.
“I don’t know if I’ll be successful this session or not,” Treat said. “The deck is stacked against me obviously right now. But the kids deserve it, and I’m going to use everything in my power to try to get it done.”
The defeat deals a blow to Gov. Kevin Stitt’s legislative agenda. The governor pledged to sign the bill and any others that would expand school choice.
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