If House Bill 1173 is not dead already, it's about to be. Rep. Don Kopp's plan to drain public school revenue to hand out refunds to folks funding private schools and home school is bad public policy, and Pierre home school mom Mary Duvall knows it. Rep. Mary Duvall (R-24/Pierre) also happens to sit on the House Taxation Committee, which is hearing HB 1173 this morning. Here's what she told KCCR Radio yesterday:
Duvall and her husband, Ron, home schooled their two daughters until sending them to PierreRiggs High School where they graduated. But Duvall says she also believed it was an obligation as a property owner to pay the property taxes, which helps fund the public schools, whether their children attended the public schools or not.
Duvall calls the bill “bad public policy.” She says if this exception is approved, there will likely be other attempts to give property tax credits to other groups as well [Tony Mangan, "Local Legislator to Oppose Tax Credit Proposal," KCCR Radio, 2013.02.11].
I appreciate Rep. Duvall's recognition that paying taxes for a public education is a common obligation, not a fee for service. I look forward to HB 1173's swift death in committee.
just got word this morning from Rep. Parsley that this bill was tabled in committee.