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Potential tax break for donors of special needs scholarship program

missouri capitol
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KBIA
The Missouri legislature will start looking into budget bills later this week.

Republican Representative Dwight Scharnhorst is proposing a bill that would give tax incentives to individuals who donate to a scholarship program for special needs students.

But opponent Jim Ward says that it would be better not to specify individuals with particular disabilities, as it does not affect everyone.

"So this by nature, isn't something that is going to be accessible to everyone. And that just flies in the face of the constitutional requirement of what free and adequate public education is for everyone."

While Scharnhorst says this bill can only improve the quality of these children's lives, Ward says clarification is needed for a situation where the cost of education exceeds the scholarship amount.