Republicans in Harrisburg argue Gov. Shapiro went back on his word when he used a line-item veto to cut the Lifeline Scholarships from the state budget in 2023.
Despite having publicly supported school choice scholarships while on the campaign trail in 2022, Gov. Josh Shapiro used his line-item veto authority to nix the proposal in 2023. Republicans in Harrisburg are hoping to hold Shapiro’s feet to the fire, reintroducing legislation that will establish so-called Lifeline Scholarships, allowing lower income families to send their children to alternative schools and use the scholarship for educational expenses.
House Bill 1489, introduced by Reps. Martina White and Clint Owlett, gives families with a household income below 350 percent of the federal poverty level access to these scholarships, which range from $2,500 to $15,000 depending on the age and circumstances of the student.
Back in 2023, when Shapiro and the state legislature was working on the state budget, Shapiro was accused of going back on his word after working with state Senate Republicans who “gave the governor much of what he wanted” in exchange for the Lifeline Scholarships. Critics, including Rep. Craig Staats, believe Shapiro “bent to pressure” brought on by teachers’ unions and special interests to line-item veto the Lifeline Scholarships.
Pressure on Shapiro to support Lifeline Scholarships has ramped up since his veto. A lone voice among statehouse Democrats, Sen. Anthony Williams stood up in support of the scholarships. During debate, Williams said many of his constituents “do not have a public school that is providing a quality education”, arguing the Lifeline Scholarships “will lead to success stories across the country.”
National Review, a national conservative publication, even took time to publish an editorial castigating Shapiro for the line-item veto, saying he had a choice to ‘side with the better policy or side with the people who have the capability to crush him in a primary election.” The editorial called Shapiro’s actions “shameful.”
Conservative writer and one-time candidate for Governor Guy Ciarrocchi wrote earlier this year that Shapiro championing Lifeline Scholarships can and should be part of the Governor’s efforts to strike a more moderate tone and “get ‘stuff’ done” the way he campaigned.
While running for governor, Shapiro repeatedly voiced support for the concept of Lifeline Scholarships, including on his campaign website at the time which said, “Josh favors adding choices for parents and educational opportunity for students and funding lifeline scholarships like those approved in other states and introduced in Pennsylvania.”
The recently reintroduced bill also targets areas in which schools fall in the bottom 15 percent, regardless of a household’s income. Rep. White argued the time is now to “do the hard work necessary to ensure all students have access to high-quality education regardless” of their community’s school performance. Upon introduction, HB 1489 was assigned to the Education Committee. A companion bill in the state Senate has already been approved by the Senate Education Committee and is awaiting a vote in the full Senate.
