Prohibits participation in federal school voucher tax credit for contributions to scholarship-granting organizations unless both the general assembly and the governor approve such participation.

What This Bill Does

This bill is about a federal program that gives tax credits to people or businesses who donate money to organizations that provide private school scholarships (sometimes called "school vouchers"). Under the federal program, donors can receive a tax break in exchange for contributing to these scholarship funds. This Rhode Island bill would require that before the state can participate in that federal program, both the Rhode Island General Assembly (the state legislature) and the governor would need to formally approve that participation.

Who It Affects and How

This bill affects Rhode Island as a whole, but specifically impacts families, students, private schools, and potential donors who might benefit from or participate in a federal school voucher scholarship program. Currently, states can join the federal program without necessarily going through their full state legislature. This bill would add a check on that process, meaning Rhode Island could not simply opt into the program through an administrative decision — it would require a deliberate vote by lawmakers and sign-off from the governor before anything moves forward.

Key Takeaway

In simple terms, this bill is about who gets to make the decision. It doesn't automatically say "yes" or "no" to school voucher scholarships in Rhode Island — instead, it ensures that any decision to participate in this type of federal program must go through the full state approval process, rather than being decided by state agencies or officials alone. The bill has been introduced and sent to the Senate Judiciary Committee for review.