The Choice Channel

“A referendum wouldn’t stop school vouchers in Utah, but it may weaken vouchers’ chances of surviving a constitutional challenge, according to a legal opinion from Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff released Tuesday. The opinion said a second law passed earlier this year amending the state’s original voucher law could stand on its own, allowing the state to award public funds to help parents pay for private school tuition. So a referendum petition drive under way to repeal the first bill would merely nullify the sections of the bill that don’t appear in the second version, HB174. One section, however, includes language providing ‘mitigation monies’ that keep public schools from losing money when students leave.” (03/28/07)