Republican gubernatorial candidate Casey Cagle is pivoting from remarks made in a leaked audio recording that his support of private school tax credit legislation was “bad public policy” to undermine a political rival. Cagle later explained that the recorded conversation with defeated rival Clay Tippins was just a “political exchange” and insisted that he’s “proud of what we accomplished.”
Yet what exactly is this legislation at the center of the secret recording? It is House Bill 217 which raised the cap on tax credits for private school scholarships from $58 million to $100 million. Senate leaders including Cagle had long opposed the raise. And the opponents included state Sen. Lindsay Tippins, the uncle of Clay Tippins, who argued that the increase would drain more money from the public school system.
But then, during the 2017 General Assembly session, opponent Cagle became supporter Cagle.
Bill supporter Randy Hicks, President and CEO of the Georgia Center for Opportunity, explains why H.B. 217 deserved passage:
“It improves the future of thousands of kids from lower-income families. That’s good policy. Because of how the bill is structured, it has the effect of increasing per-pupil dollars available in the public schools. That’s good policy. Finally, studies show that school choice improves student-teacher ratios as well as the academic performance of both the kids who leave and the kids who stay in the public schools. That’s good policy. Put it all together, you’ve got excellent policy.”
“We are certainly prepared to remind Mr. Cagle and any other candidate that policies that improve the future for thousands of kids is exactly what good legislation looks like,” Hicks concluded.
