Overview
- The Republican-led legislature overrode Gov. Josh Stein’s veto in a 30-19 Senate vote Wednesday, making House Bill 87 law and formally opting the state into the federal tax-credit program.
- The federal law creates a nonrefundable dollar-for-dollar tax credit of up to $1,700 per donor that will be claimable beginning in 2027 for gifts to Scholarship Granting Organizations.
- Scholarship Granting Organizations can fund tuition, tutoring, dual enrollment, special-education therapies, transportation, curriculum materials and other K–12 expenses for eligible families.
- Under the new state law the North Carolina State Educational Assistance Authority must certify qualifying SGOs, publish an approved list to submit to the U.S. Treasury, and adopt state rules by July 1, 2026 or within 120 days of federal guidance.
- Critics warn the program could divert money from public schools while supporters say it expands parental choice, and the still-pending Treasury/IRS guidance will determine how much North Carolina can impose safeguards or target funds.