Iowa Senate Republicans advanced a bill that would give $4,000 of state money for each student enrolling in private school, which is 60% of current per-pupil funding for public school students.

State Senator Rich Taylor (D) says he’s received several emails of support for the bill, but he wants to clarify, “If you’re already enrolled in a private school this won’t help you. If you’re a homeschooler this won’t help you. You have to be enrolled in a public school for the prior year in order for you to take advantage of this, and if you stay enrolled in the public school this won’t do you any good either.”

Taylor says this bill is a way to destroy the state’s public schools by underfunding them. This piece of legislation comes after a Republican House bill failed earlier this session which proposed to give families $5,000 each year to attend private schools and other non-public schools. Senate Study Bill 3206 is headed to the Appropriations Committee.