North Carolina’s Democrat Gov. Josh Stein vetoed a Republican effort last week to opt in to the Big, Beautiful Bill’s school choice tax credit program.
The GOP-dominated state House and Senate passed House Bill 87, which would have made North Carolina the first state to opt into the newly passed federal school choice tax credit program, BPR News reported. Under the program, taxpayers can “receive a dollar-for-dollar tax credit on up to $1,700 donated to nonprofits awarding scholarships that are both approved by the states and recognized by the federal government.”
Families are eligible to receive scholarships if their income is not greater than three times that of the median in the area where they live.
Stein claimed in his veto message that HB 87 is “unnecessary”:
School choice is good for students and parents, and I have long supported magnet and accountable charter schools because public schools open doors of opportunity for kids in every county of the state. Congress and the Administration should strengthen our public schools, not hollow them out. Cutting public education funding by billions of dollars while providing billions in tax giveaways to wealthy parents already sending their kids to private schools is the wrong choice.
However, I see opportunities for the federal scholarship donation tax credit program to benefit North Carolina’s public school kids. Once the federal government issues sound guidance, I intend to opt North Carolina in so we can invest in the public school students most in need of after school programs, tutoring, and other resources. Therefore, HB 87 is unnecessary, and I veto it.
Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Berger (R) said he will lead the effort to override Stein’s veto.
“Gov. Stein just vetoed another school choice bill. Either you support school choice, or you don’t. Gov. Stein could have made North Carolina a leader in school choice and parental freedom by signing the Educational Choice for Children Act,” Berger said in a post to X on Aug. 6, “but instead, he’s attempting to usurp the General Assembly’s authority to set tax policy. I look forward to holding Gov. Stein accountable and overriding his veto to ensure North Carolina can participate in President Trump’s signature school choice initiative.”
“You can count on the General Assembly to move the needle forward when our Governor tries to set us back. We continue to fight for educational freedom, and Donald Trump’s school choice tax credit is a key component of that,” Berger said on Monday. “Which is why I will be leading the N.C. Senate in overriding Gov. Stein’s veto of the ‘Educational Choice for Children Act.’ While Gov. Stein puts education bureaucrats ahead of the needs of parents and students, the General Assembly will stand firm for families.”
Both legislative chambers must reach a 60-percent threshold to override a governor’s veto of legislation. Republicans hold a supermajority in the Senate, but they are one seat shy of the seats needed in the House, meaning at least one Democrat would have to cross the aisle to get the tax credit across the finish line.
Katherine Hamilton is a political reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on X @thekat_hamilton.
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