Creating Hope and Opportunity for Our Students’ Education (CHOOSE) Act of 2024, established to provide educ...
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HB 129 — Creating Hope and Opportunity for Our Students’ Education (CHOOSE) Act of 2024, established to provide education savings accounts (ESAs) for parents of children to use in providing education services for those children.
Last action — Enacted
No card. One bill, free forever — alerts when it moves.
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✓Introduced
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✓In Committee
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✓Passed House
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✓Passed Senate
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✓To Executive
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6Enacted
This bill has been enacted into law. Introduced March 08, 2024. Enacted.
Signed by Governor Kay Ivey (Republican) on March 08, 2024.
Prognosis
Where this bill stands today.
Odds of enactment
HighHow often bills like it became law.
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Enacted
Current position in the legislative process.
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1 sponsor
1 primary, 0 co-sponsors signed on.
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Single-party support
Sponsorship is currently within one party (1 R).
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Mixed recorded votes
7 passed, 5 failed in recorded votes so far.
Prognosis reads this bill's own signals — stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes and cross-state momentum. Odds come from a model trained on which bills have become law.
Summary
Education
Bill Text
What changed in the latest version
56 added · 42 removedPlain-language change summary
The latest version of Bill HB 129 has added a significant number of lines, while also removing some earlier content. The changes primarily involve adding clarifications and updates on its provisions, which may enhance the bill's effectiveness in addressing the intended issues. This matters because clearer language and additional details can lead to better implementation and understanding of the law when passed, ensuring it serves its purpose more efficiently.
HB129 ENGROSSEDENROLLED HB129 AB9L77Q-2AB9L77Q-3 By Representatives Garrett, Ledbetter, Collins RFD:
06-Feb-24 Page 0 HB129 EngrossedEnrolled 2 4 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT 9 Relating to education;
Page 12 HB129 EngrossedEnrolled (1) ACADEMIC YEAR.
The term does Page 23 HB129 EngrossedEnrolled not include a child who is not lawfully present in the United States.
Page 34 HB129 EngrossedEnrolled (9) PROGRAM.
Page 45 HB129 EngrossedEnrolled (11) RESIDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT.
(c)(1) For participating students enrolled in a participating school, the annual amount of the credit shall Page 56 HB129 EngrossedEnrolled be $7,000 or the actual cost of the qualifying educational expenses, whichever is less.
Page 67 HB129 EngrossedEnrolled Nothing in this act shall be construed to authorize the award of more than one tax credit per participating student.
Page 78 HB129 EngrossedEnrolled (2) Agree to claim the credit only for qualified expenses to provide an education for an eligible student.
Page 89 HB129 EngrossedEnrolled Section 5.
Page 910 HB129 EngrossedEnrolled (b) To be approved by the department, a participating school must do all of the following, in addition to satisfying the requirements of subsection (a):
Require all participating students receiving program funds to take a standardized assessment aligned to the curricula of the participating school, a nationally norm-referenced achievement assessment, or a nationally recognized aptitude assessment of the participating school’s Page 1011 HB129 EngrossedEnrolled choice.
Page 1112 HB129 EngrossedEnrolled (d) A public school that becomes an education service provider under this act shall be given maximum flexibility to accommodate participating students and may create a process and establish requirements for accepting, selecting, or limiting the number of allowable participating students who are not assigned to that public school.
to expand the regulatory authority of the state, its officers, Page 1213 HB129 EngrossedEnrolled or any school district;
(3) Receive applications and approve applications for parents of eligible students to whom the department has Page 1314 HB129 EngrossedEnrolled awarded a tax credit under section 3 of this act and who meet the requirements of section 4(a) of this act.
Page 1415 HB129 EngrossedEnrolled (c) The department shall administer the program with respect to participating schools and education service providers by doing all of the following:
(e) The department shall adopt and enforce rules necessary to implement this act subject to the Alabama Administrative Procedure Act, Chapter 22, Title 41, Code of Page 1516 HB129 EngrossedEnrolled Alabama 1975.
The random financial audits shall be conducted with Page 1617 HB129 EngrossedEnrolled sufficient frequency to adequately deter misuse of program funds.
If an education service provider is suspended or disqualified, the department shall notify participating students and their parents of the decision as Page 1718 HB129 EngrossedEnrolled soon as practicable.
Page 1819 HB129 EngrossedEnrolled Section 8.
provided that in no circumstances Page 1920 HB129 EngrossedEnrolled shall more than $500 million in excess, unused, accumulated funds be allowed to carry over in the CHOOSE Act Fund.
Page 2021 HB129 EngrossedEnrolled House________________________________________________ Speaker of Representativesthe ReadHouse forof theRepresentatives first________________________________________________ timePresident and referredPresiding ................06-Feb-24Officer toof the Senate House of Representatives committeeI onhereby Wayscertify andthat Meansthe Educationwithin ReadAct fororiginated thein second time and placedwas ................22-Feb-24passed onby the calendar:House 27-Feb-24, as amended.
amendmentsJohn ReadTreadwell forClerk theSenate third06-Mar-24 timeAmended and passedPassed ................27-Feb-24House as06-Mar-24 amendedConcurred Yeasin 69Senate NaysAmendment 34 Abstains 0 John Treadwell Clerk Page 2122
Amendments
10 amendments- Amendment VK4HVVP-1 Show changes
- Amendment RPI5YNY-1 Show changes
- Amendment 48XF3RI-1 Show changes
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- Amendment DKC9NHH-1 Show changes
- Amendment AKB2S7S-1 Show changes
- Amendment RTZSNNY-1 Show changes
- Amendment NYYG88T-1 Show changes
- Amendment 68BQ1Z3-1 Show changes
- Amendment AB9L77Q-1 Show changes
Click Show changes on an amendment above to see how it modifies the bill.
Action History
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Enacted
Sponsors
- Danny Garrett · Primary
Sponsorship breakdown
Export CSV (upgrade) →1 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 139 not signed on · 72 voted No
Sponsors (1)
Co-sponsors (0)
None.
Not signed on (139)
139 members have not signed on to this bill.
Show all 139 →"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.
Votes
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | 25 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| D | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| Unaffiliated | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 26 | 8 | 0 | 1 |
| % of votes cast | 74% | 23% | 0% | 3% |
How each member voted (35)
| Member | Party | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| Greg J. Reed | — | Yea |
| Bobby D. Singleton | D | Nay |
| Kirk Hatcher | D | Nay |
| Linda Coleman-Madison | D | Nay |
| Merika Coleman | D | Nay |
| Robert Stewart | D | Nay |
| Rodger M. Smitherman | D | Nay |
| Vivian Davis Figures | D | Nay |
| William M. Beasley | D | Nay |
| Andrew Jones | R | Yea |
| April Weaver | R | Yea |
| Arthur Orr | R | Yea |
| Chris Elliott | R | Yea |
| Clyde Chambliss | R | Yea |
| Dan Roberts | R | Yea |
| David Sessions | R | Yea |
| Donnie Chesteen | R | Yea |
| Garlan Gudger | R | Yea |
| Gerald H. Allen | R | Yea |
| Greg Albritton | R | Yea |
| J. T. 'Jabo' Waggoner | R | Not Voting |
| Jack W. Williams | R | Yea |
| Jay Hovey | R | Yea |
| Josh Carnley | R | Yea |
| Keith Kelley | R | Yea |
| Lance Bell | R | Yea |
| Larry Stutts | R | Yea |
| Randy Price | R | Yea |
| Sam Givhan | R | Yea |
| Shay Shelnutt | R | Yea |
| Steve Livingston | R | Yea |
| Tim Melson | R | Yea |
| Tom Butler | R | Yea |
| Wes Kitchens | R | Yea |
| Will Barfoot | R | Yea |
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | 0 | 21 | 0 | 5 |
| D | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unaffiliated | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 9 | 21 | 0 | 5 |
| % of votes cast | 26% | 60% | 0% | 14% |
How each member voted (35)
| Member | Party | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| Greg J. Reed | — | Yea |
| Bobby D. Singleton | D | Yea |
| Kirk Hatcher | D | Yea |
| Linda Coleman-Madison | D | Yea |
| Merika Coleman | D | Yea |
| Robert Stewart | D | Yea |
| Rodger M. Smitherman | D | Yea |
| Vivian Davis Figures | D | Yea |
| William M. Beasley | D | Yea |
| Andrew Jones | R | Nay |
| April Weaver | R | Nay |
| Arthur Orr | R | Nay |
| Chris Elliott | R | Nay |
| Clyde Chambliss | R | Nay |
| Dan Roberts | R | Nay |
| David Sessions | R | Nay |
| Donnie Chesteen | R | Nay |
| Garlan Gudger | R | Nay |
| Gerald H. Allen | R | Nay |
| Greg Albritton | R | Not Voting |
| J. T. 'Jabo' Waggoner | R | Nay |
| Jack W. Williams | R | Nay |
| Jay Hovey | R | Nay |
| Josh Carnley | R | Nay |
| Keith Kelley | R | Not Voting |
| Lance Bell | R | Nay |
| Larry Stutts | R | Nay |
| Randy Price | R | Nay |
| Sam Givhan | R | Not Voting |
| Shay Shelnutt | R | Nay |
| Steve Livingston | R | Nay |
| Tim Melson | R | Nay |
| Tom Butler | R | Nay |
| Wes Kitchens | R | Not Voting |
| Will Barfoot | R | Not Voting |
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | 22 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| D | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| Unaffiliated | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 23 | 9 | 0 | 3 |
| % of votes cast | 66% | 26% | 0% | 9% |
How each member voted (35)
| Member | Party | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| Greg J. Reed | — | Yea |
| Bobby D. Singleton | D | Nay |
| Kirk Hatcher | D | Nay |
| Linda Coleman-Madison | D | Nay |
| Merika Coleman | D | Nay |
| Robert Stewart | D | Nay |
| Rodger M. Smitherman | D | Nay |
| Vivian Davis Figures | D | Nay |
| William M. Beasley | D | Nay |
| Andrew Jones | R | Yea |
| April Weaver | R | Yea |
| Arthur Orr | R | Yea |
| Chris Elliott | R | Yea |
| Clyde Chambliss | R | Yea |
| Dan Roberts | R | Yea |
| David Sessions | R | Yea |
| Donnie Chesteen | R | Yea |
| Garlan Gudger | R | Nay |
| Gerald H. Allen | R | Yea |
| Greg Albritton | R | Not Voting |
| J. T. 'Jabo' Waggoner | R | Yea |
| Jack W. Williams | R | Yea |
| Jay Hovey | R | Yea |
| Josh Carnley | R | Yea |
| Keith Kelley | R | Yea |
| Lance Bell | R | Yea |
| Larry Stutts | R | Yea |
| Randy Price | R | Yea |
| Sam Givhan | R | Not Voting |
| Shay Shelnutt | R | Yea |
| Steve Livingston | R | Yea |
| Tim Melson | R | Yea |
| Tom Butler | R | Yea |
| Wes Kitchens | R | Not Voting |
| Will Barfoot | R | Yea |
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | 1 | 23 | 0 | 2 |
| D | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unaffiliated | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 10 | 23 | 0 | 2 |
| % of votes cast | 29% | 66% | 0% | 6% |
How each member voted (35)
| Member | Party | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| Greg J. Reed | — | Yea |
| Bobby D. Singleton | D | Yea |
| Kirk Hatcher | D | Yea |
| Linda Coleman-Madison | D | Yea |
| Merika Coleman | D | Yea |
| Robert Stewart | D | Yea |
| Rodger M. Smitherman | D | Yea |
| Vivian Davis Figures | D | Yea |
| William M. Beasley | D | Yea |
| Andrew Jones | R | Nay |
| April Weaver | R | Nay |
| Arthur Orr | R | Nay |
| Chris Elliott | R | Nay |
| Clyde Chambliss | R | Nay |
| Dan Roberts | R | Nay |
| David Sessions | R | Nay |
| Donnie Chesteen | R | Nay |
| Garlan Gudger | R | Nay |
| Gerald H. Allen | R | Nay |
| Greg Albritton | R | Not Voting |
| J. T. 'Jabo' Waggoner | R | Nay |
| Jack W. Williams | R | Nay |
| Jay Hovey | R | Nay |
| Josh Carnley | R | Nay |
| Keith Kelley | R | Nay |
| Lance Bell | R | Not Voting |
| Larry Stutts | R | Yea |
| Randy Price | R | Nay |
| Sam Givhan | R | Nay |
| Shay Shelnutt | R | Nay |
| Steve Livingston | R | Nay |
| Tim Melson | R | Nay |
| Tom Butler | R | Nay |
| Wes Kitchens | R | Nay |
| Will Barfoot | R | Nay |
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | 1 | 23 | 0 | 2 |
| D | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unaffiliated | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 10 | 23 | 0 | 2 |
| % of votes cast | 29% | 66% | 0% | 6% |
How each member voted (35)
| Member | Party | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| Greg J. Reed | — | Yea |
| Bobby D. Singleton | D | Yea |
| Kirk Hatcher | D | Yea |
| Linda Coleman-Madison | D | Yea |
| Merika Coleman | D | Yea |
| Robert Stewart | D | Yea |
| Rodger M. Smitherman | D | Yea |
| Vivian Davis Figures | D | Yea |
| William M. Beasley | D | Yea |
| Andrew Jones | R | Nay |
| April Weaver | R | Nay |
| Arthur Orr | R | Nay |
| Chris Elliott | R | Nay |
| Clyde Chambliss | R | Nay |
| Dan Roberts | R | Nay |
| David Sessions | R | Nay |
| Donnie Chesteen | R | Nay |
| Garlan Gudger | R | Nay |
| Gerald H. Allen | R | Nay |
| Greg Albritton | R | Not Voting |
| J. T. 'Jabo' Waggoner | R | Nay |
| Jack W. Williams | R | Yea |
| Jay Hovey | R | Nay |
| Josh Carnley | R | Nay |
| Keith Kelley | R | Nay |
| Lance Bell | R | Nay |
| Larry Stutts | R | Nay |
| Randy Price | R | Nay |
| Sam Givhan | R | Nay |
| Shay Shelnutt | R | Nay |
| Steve Livingston | R | Nay |
| Tim Melson | R | Nay |
| Tom Butler | R | Nay |
| Wes Kitchens | R | Not Voting |
| Will Barfoot | R | Nay |
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| R | 65 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| D | 1 | 25 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 68 | 29 | 0 | 6 |
| % of votes cast | 66% | 28% | 0% | 6% |
How each member voted (103)
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| R | 67 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| D | 11 | 6 | 0 | 10 |
| Total | 82 | 9 | 0 | 12 |
| % of votes cast | 80% | 9% | 0% | 12% |
How each member voted (103)
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| R | 67 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| D | 2 | 24 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 71 | 27 | 0 | 5 |
| % of votes cast | 69% | 26% | 0% | 5% |
How each member voted (103)
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| R | 66 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| D | 0 | 27 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 69 | 34 | 0 | 0 |
| % of votes cast | 67% | 33% | 0% | 0% |
How each member voted (103)
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| R | 63 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| D | 17 | 2 | 0 | 8 |
| Total | 85 | 6 | 0 | 12 |
| % of votes cast | 83% | 6% | 0% | 12% |
How each member voted (103)
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| R | 67 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| D | 11 | 3 | 0 | 13 |
| Total | 82 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
| % of votes cast | 80% | 7% | 0% | 14% |
How each member voted (103)
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| R | 68 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| D | 2 | 15 | 0 | 10 |
| Total | 74 | 17 | 0 | 12 |
| % of votes cast | 72% | 17% | 0% | 12% |
How each member voted (103)
Subjects
Frequently asked questions
- What does HB 129 do?
- Education
- Who sponsors HB 129?
- HB 129 is sponsored by Danny Garrett (R).
- What is the current status of HB 129?
- This bill has been enacted into law. Introduced March 08, 2024. Enacted.
- Where can I track HB 129?
- Track HB 129 free on One Click Politics — get push/email alerts when it moves.
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