Pro-Voucher Group Files Lawsuit with Utah Supreme Court

None by KCPW

(KCPW News) Two Republican state lawmakers, three parents and the pro-voucher group Parents for Choice in Education have filed a lawsuit with the State Supreme Court asking for clarification of the voucher referendum. State Senator Curt Bramble believes the language proposed for a statewide referendum on the issue is misleading:

"When you go to the people with a referendum, what you're asking them should not have the ambiguity, the uncertainty that we're faced with right now," says Bramble.

The 100-word ballot language was written by the Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel and outlines the basic voucher program enacted by lawmakers. But Bramble believes it should make clear that a secondary bill will keep vouchers in place regardless of the public vote. Parents for Choice in Education Chair Doug Holmes also believes the State School Board should implement vouchers immediately based on that secondary bill. So why didn't the group file suit against the School Board instead?

"We obviously could do that," says Holmes. "But getting this clarity between HB 148 and HB 174 clearly would remove the principal excuse the State School Board has used for not following the law. So by removing that excuse, we would hope the state school board then followed the law."

The petitioners have asked the State Supreme Court for a decision before June 1st when both sides of the issue must submit their written arguments for the voter information pamphlet. However, only the sponsors of the referendum have actual legal status to challenge ballot language, so the Supreme Court could decide not to hear the complaint filed yesterday by Parents for Choice in Education.

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