KVA: AFP-WV No Longer in Opposition to the House Finance Originating Bill regarding the Hope Scholarship

Feb 26, 2026 by AFP

Dear Lawmaker,

As you are aware, Americans for Prosperity-West Virginia strongly opposed the initial version of the House Finance Originating Bill regarding the Hope Scholarship. We are pleased to see that the new House Finance Originating Bill on Hope effectively removed all of provisions that would have crippled the Hope program, including:

Capping the value of each scholarship, taking away parents purchasing power and eventually shuttering the program

Testing requirements that would preclude children with special needs from being eligible for individualized learning

Provisions that would have cause the program to be less flexible, functional, and futureproofed for families

As it stands, the new originating bill contains only one provision, which would move the disbursement schedule of the program to a quarterly basis instead of the current biannual basis.

As a result of these changes to the legislation, AFP-WV is no longer in opposition to the originating bill. We thank principled policymakers for heeding the calls of Hope families and grassroots activists from across the state to stop the attack on school choice by boldly standing up to the House of Delegates Leadership and securing these crucial changes to the bill, preserving the nation’s Gold Standard educational freedom program and West Virginia’s place as a national leader in school choice.

We urge school choice champions in the legislature to stay vigilant and soundly reject floor amendments that would undermine the program by capping eligibility or the value of each scholarship, remove or limit much needed flexibility in the program, or would cause Hope to lose its status as the only educational freedom law in the nation that features universal enrollment eligibility. Every kid deserves access to the right education for their unique needs, regardless of income or ZIP code.

As promised, Americans for Prosperity-West Virginia celebrates educational freedom champions and continues to hold lawmakers accountable who undermine the educational flexibility families deserve.

Sincerely,

Jason Huffman

West Virginia State Director

Americans for Prosperity