Highlighting Legislation: Autism Tuition Assistance Grants
Today we wanted to highlight a couple of school choice bills that have been introduced in this year’s General Assembly session. Earlier in the session we noted a number of these bills, and we wanted to provide more information for you on those measures.
Two of the bills introduced this year would establish an Autism Tuition Assistance Grant program. Senator Walter Stosch introduced SB 956, and Delegate John O’Bannon introduced HB1985.
These bills would establish a tuition assistance grant program for students with autism. These TAG grants would provide up to $20,000 a year per student to a Virginia nonsectarian private school of choice for students identified as autistic and for whom individual education plans have been written.
Virginia has offered Tuition Assistance Grants (TAG) for college students since 1972. These grants are available for Virginia residents attending private colleges and universities in the Commonwealth.
The Lexington Institute has studied the potential impact of a TAG program for special needs students in Virginia, and concluded that such program would save the Commonwealth money.
Unfortunately, the Senate Education and Health Committee has already defeated Senator Stosch’s legislation, Delegate O’Bannon’s legislation is still being considered by the House Appropriations Committee. We encourage everyone to contact their Delegate and the members of the Appropriation Committee to urge their support of HB1985.
