Roundup: School vouchers gain momentum, the most important governor’s race in 2024, and breaking up with spring break
It’s Saturday, March 9, and we’d like to welcome you to the weekly State and Local Roundup. We'll start with the growing movement among conservative state legislatures to launch new school voucher programs, initiatives that often come with fewer restrictions and more benefits than in years past.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who tried but failed to pass a school voucher program last year, claimed victory Tuesday after successfully campaigning against several lawmakers who opposed his efforts. The third-term Republican governor knocked off nine House Republican legislators in this week’s primary election, with several more forced into runoffs in May.
“Republican primary voters have once again sent an unmistakable message that parents deserve the freedom to choose the best education pathway for their child,” Abbott said in a statement Tuesday.
Abbott campaigned on creating a voucher program when he ran in 2022, but last year his proposal failed in the Texas House by 21 votes. The governor wanted to let any Texas student qualify for vouchers, so long as there was enough money for it in the state budget.
One of the biggest sticking points was whether the vouchers should be limited to certain segments of the population, like poor families. Rural Republicans, in particular, objected to the broader program because they feared it would siphon off money from public schools in their districts where private alternatives were scarce.
Scott Jensen, a senior strategist for the school choice advocacy group American Federation for Children and a former speaker of the Wisconsin Assembly, acknowledged during a Texas House committee hearing that voucher advocates had shifted strategies over the years.
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News to Use
Trends, Common Challenges, Cool Ideas, FYIs and Notable Events
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Picture of the Week
It’s March, and that means spring break is upon us. But not everybody is excited. Last month, Miami Beach announced it is breaking up with spring break. “Fed up with unruly crowds, lawless behavior and a string of violent acts in recent years,” said a press release, “the City of Miami Beach is implementing tough new measures aimed at putting an end to spring break.” The city is implementing bag checks, restricting beach access, putting up DUI checkpoints. and heightening police enforcement for consumption of alcohol in public, drug possession and violent behavior. The entire month of March has been designated as a high-impact period in Miami Beach, which means additional measures will be taken with respect to traffic, staffing and public safety. This weekend and next are expected to generate the largest spring break crowds of this year.
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What They're Saying
“We’re not going to do that fake meat.”
—Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said in support of a bill that the GOP-controlled House of Representatives approved on Wednesday prohibiting the manufacturing for sale and distribution of lab-grown or “cultivated meat” in the Sunshine State. Under the legislation, violators would be subject to a misdemeanor of the second degree. While several states have passed laws regarding the labeling of cultivated meat in recent years, no state has gone as far as the Florida Legislature in banning it outright—though there are similar proposals currently moving in Arizona, Alabama and New Hampshire. The nation of Italy also banned cultivated meat last November as well. Advocates for cultivated meat say that the product could provide a viable alternative to the industrial meat industry, which they maintain is deleterious to the environment.
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