Multiple problems with #utleg HB 4003, besides a sneaky non-emergent entry into an emergency special session, a (short) thread:... https://twitter.com/DeborahGatrell1/status/1252730331460820992

1. 100% tax credit is welfare from state edu funds to private school taken from public school funds through a taxpayer proxy. Call this a "laundered voucher", because it is.

2. Per-pupil amount taken from our educational tax base (income tax, again 100% credit is dollar-for-dollar loss) can and often will exceed the per-pupil spending we give public schools.

3. There are holes in oversight for “educational therapy” — the only background checks are for employees and officers, not required by statute for contractors.

4. No checks for Federal debarments and exclusions of companies or individuals providing “therapies” — only checks for state licensure, and if these folks are not school employees or officers, no guarantee of criminal checks.

5. There’s not going to be the kind of oversight needed, especially for behavioral therapy. ABA therapies have a history including some violent and abusiive practice, including here in Utah (use of “aversive” therapy).

This has a high chance to esp. hurt autistic kids.

6. These programs will funnel edu money into a behavioral health application, without the oversight you would find in either public school or healthcare org setting.

7. A surprisingly small number of people will enrich themselves from a 3% admin cost multiplied, plus (as "educational therapy" is expensive) these scholarships will be minority of actual cost of student enrollment, guaranteeing follow-on private $ with no such % constraint.

Addendum: there's a loss to our educational funds and to kids needing special ed services in public schools as a consequence. Also potential for fraud, waste, abuse (in both fiscal terms, and literal abuse of kids without right checks).