ALEC Policy Champions Expand Education Freedom in North Carolina
"We applaud the leadership of Speaker Hall, Senate President Pro Tem Berger, Sen. Lee, and Rep. Biggs for continuing to put North Carolina students and parents first when it comes to educational choices."
The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) is proud to recognize Speaker Destin Hall, Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger, Sen. Michael Lee, and Rep. Brian Biggs as our latest ALEC Policy Champions for their successful effort to expand education freedom in the Tar Heel State by overriding the Governor’s veto of HB 87.
HB 87, the Educational Choice for Children Act (ECCA), opts North Carolina into the Federal Education Freedom Tax-Credit Scholarship Program, making it the 30th state to do so. The program, created as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill, provides taxpayers with a dollar-for-dollar tax credit, up to $1,700, for contributions to eligible scholarship-granting organizations (SGOs). These SGOs then distribute the funds in the form of scholarships to eligible students whose household income does not exceed 300% of their area’s median income.
The legislation was originally ratified on July 31st, 2025, but was vetoed by Gov. Josh Stein a few days later. Last month, the North Carolina House of Representatives successfully voted to override the veto after two members, Rep. Carla Cunningham and Rep. Nasif Majeed, both former democrats who changed their party affiliation to unaffiliated, voted to override. With the Senate following suit this week, HB 87 is now law, and North Carolina has officially opted into the Federal Education Freedom Tax-Credit Scholarship Program.
North Carolina was already a leader in education freedom, ranking 13th in ALEC’s 2026 Index of State Education Freedom. They are also one of the 17 states with a universal education freedom program available to all students. With the addition of this new federal tax-credit scholarship program, North Carolina students and families will be even more empowered to ensure they receive the best possible education for their unique needs.
We applaud the leadership of Speaker Hall, Senate President Pro Tem Berger, Sen. Lee, and Rep. Biggs for continuing to put North Carolina students and parents first when it comes to educational choices. Congratulations to our newest ALEC Policy Champions on this important victory.