The first major funnel of the Iowa Legislative Session was scheduled this week, meaning several bills not related to ways and means or appropriations needed to pass out of a House or Senate Committee to survive. During her visit to Pella this week, Governor Kim Reynolds says many of her pre-session priorities continue to move through either chamber, including a bi-partisan bill about biofuels that passed in the House with 82 votes, and some of her education priorities — including controversial student first scholarships.

That law as it is written would take public funds and direct them for use at private schools for 10,000 students in families with incomes that are under considered up to 400% of the U.S. Federal Poverty line with nearly 2/3rds of what a public school district would receive normally if that child would attend their facilities — with the remainder of that per-pupil amount redirected for small school districts with less than 500 enrollees.

Reynolds was quick to defend the measure Wednesday that has been criticized as a voucher program and one that has potential threat to K-12 funding and operations. Reynolds claims the whole aim is to expand opportunity to choose a private school over public options that may be a struggle for families that otherwise couldn’t afford tuition costs.

In recent years, several similar measures to this year’s education bill have failed to garner widespread support in the Iowa House of Representatives from both parties, with many citing the difficulty that could lie for private schools if they accept public dollars and the potential cost for the state to send funds to families that otherwise wouldn’t receive public support.