On Tuesday, May 11, surrounded by Catholic school students, parents and elected officials, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis participated in two ceremonial bill signings where he signed into law, House Bill 7045. In the morning, the Governor was at St. John the Apostle School in Hialeah, followed by a visit to Christ the King Catholic School in Jacksonville that afternoon.
HB 7045 expands the state's scholarship programs by raising the income eligibility threshold to 375% of the federal poverty level ($99K/year for a family of 4) and increasing the scholarship amounts for the Family Empowerment Scholarship and the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship. It also eliminates the need for scholarship recipients to attend public school the year prior to participation from all scholarship programs that retained the requirement. Earlier this year, Catholic Days at the Capitol participants urged lawmakers to support this legislation that advances parental choice in education.