NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Legislation to create a school voucher program in Tennessee is headed for a vote on the Senate floor.
The proposal sponsored by Republican Sen. Todd Gardenhire of Chattanooga was approved 9-2 in the Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday and is now being scheduled for a vote by the full Senate.
The legislation is similar to a measure Republican Gov. Bill Haslam proposed last year that failed.
Under Gardenhire's proposal, eligibility would be opened to low-income students in districts that have a school in the bottom 5 percent.
Haslam's proposal was approved in the Senate last year, but the House version was unsuccessful because it sought to expand eligibility.