Both chambers of the Republican-controlled Kentucky General Assembly voted on partisan lines to override the governor’s veto of a bill to allow a federal tax credit for those who donate to K-12 scholarship funds.
Republicans criticized Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear for vetoing the bill in the first place, saying he was leaving money on the table that could go to helping Kentucky kids for political reasons.
GOP House Speaker David Osborne of Prospect accused Beshear and Democrats who say the bill takes money out of public education of spreading “propaganda.”
“There's a lot of people out there in the public space right now that don't understand what this bill does, and I understand that they are subject to the propaganda that continues to flow from the mouths of those that want to maintain the status quo,” Osborne said.
In his veto message, Beshear said Kentuckians want more money to go to public schools and don’t want public funds diverted to private schools, even federal money. The scholarship funds could be directed to private or public school students to pay for a variety of educational expenses, including tuition, school uniforms, field trips and technology needs.
Beshear pointed to Kentuckians’ collective vote against Amendment 2 in 2024, which would have changed the state constitution to allow state funds to go toward K-12 education outside of public schools.
“Yet time and time again, the Republican supermajority in Kentucky's General Assembly has failed our public schools and shirked its constitutional duty to sufficiently fund them,” Beshear said in his veto message.
Osborne has frequently pushed back against that narrative, saying Republicans have funded public schools at record levels. House Bill 1 bypasses state constitutional concerns because only federal funds would be redirected.
“Not one single dollar comes out of public education. Quite the opposite. Not one single state dollar,” Osborne said.
Public education advocates argue that funding has not kept pace with inflation and that lost federal revenue could affect programs that disproportionately benefit Kentuckians, like federal education funding and Medicaid.
"The answer is not diverting students and public tax dollars, state or federal, away from public education,” said Democratic Rep. Adrielle Camuel from Lexington. “The answer is investing in our public education."
Rural Republicans, many of whom have previously refused to vote for “school choice” measures they believe would leach funds out of their districts and towards urban areas where private options abound, voted in favor of HB 1. Some said scholarship tax credits can also benefit public schools in their districts and make sure those federal dollars stay in Kentucky.
GOP Sen. David Givens, who carried the bill in the Senate, said he hopes all lawmakers would work as ambassadors to encourage Kentuckians to take advantage of the tax credit to bring the funds to public and private schools in Kentucky.
“If we can impact that life in a positive way, which we can do at no cost to our citizens and at no detriment to our state budget, and so I encourage all members to vote for overriding the governor's veto,” Givens of Greensburg said.
Republicans in the Kentucky General Assembly have tried for years to divert public funds toward private or charter schools in the state, but the courts have ruled none pass constitutional muster.
Through H.R. 1, the federal government opened a window by allowing states to opt into a dollar-for-dollar federal tax credit for donations to “scholarship granting organizations” up to $1,700.
HB 1 requires the secretary of state to create a list of organizations that people can donate to in order to qualify for the credit. GOP Rep. Kimberly Moser of Taylor Mill filed the bill on the same day that the Kentucky Supreme Court unanimously struck down the legislature’s 2022 attempt to create a charter school funding mechanism.
Beshear’s veto also drew national attention and condemnation — criticism which he correctly anticipated in his veto message. He said he knew his veto would be “politicized.” Beshear’s name has been frequently thrown around for a 2028 presidential run, and the term-limited governor has himself hinted heavily at it.
“Some will attack ‘teachers' unions,’ as if they are malevolent actors when, in reality, they are our neighbors and friends who have taken on critical jobs despite the low pay,” Beshear said. “They should be appreciated instead of attacked.”
Sunday evening the Wall Street Journal editorial board published a piece entitled “Andy Beshear Bows to the Teachers Union.” The board opines over “ballooning education costs” and blames unions for the legislature’s losses at the Supreme Court.
“The good news is that Republicans who run the Legislature are promising to override the Governor’s veto, which they can do with a simple majority,” the editorial reads. “Mr. Beshear knows this, but he’s figuring his veto will win points with the union even as parents can still benefit from the scholarships. No doubt he’s right, but the rest of the country has learned something important about Mr. Beshear’s values and priorities—and none of it’s good.”
Beshear also criticized lawmakers for placing the power to administer the program in the hands of the secretary of state, instead of the governor. GOP Secretary of State Michael Adams applauded the bill last week when he spoke at President Donald Trump’s rally in northern Kentucky.
When lawmakers override the governor’s veto, it’s delivered straight to Adams.
“Fine. I’ll sign it,” he responded to the governor’s veto on X.
KPR Statehouse Enterprise Reporter Joe Sonka contributed to this story.
