On June 3, the North Carolina Senate joined the House in overriding Gov. Josh Stein’s veto of House Bill 87, the Educational Choice for Children Act, making North Carolina the third state to reach this milestone and bringing the total number of states participating in the federal Education Freedom Tax Credit to 30.
The program, created as part of federal tax legislation signed in 2025, allows taxpayers to donate up to $1,700 to a scholarship-granting organization and receive a dollar-for-dollar federal tax credit. States must opt in for their families to benefit.
“Families across the state want to have a choice in where to send their children to school…,” North Carolina Senate Leader Phil Berger said. “Participating in President Trump’s landmark school choice program gives parents another opportunity to obtain an education that best fits their child’s needs.”
North Carolina is the third state to opt in through a veto override. Kentucky lawmakers overrode Gov. Andy Beshear’s veto of House Bill 1 in March. In April, the Kansas legislature overrode Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto of SB 36. In North Carolina, Gov. Stein originally vetoed HB 87 last August before both chambers voted to override this spring.
North Carolina now joins a coalition of 30 states that have opted into the program. States that participate allow scholarship-granting organizations to receive donations eligible for the federal credit, keeping those dollars available for local students. States that have not opted in leave families without access to scholarships, even as their residents remain eligible to donate to organizations in participating states.
