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On Thursday, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signed the CHOOSE Act into law, just a day after Alabama lawmakers passed the bill.

The Alabama House passed its version of the bill last week and the State Senate passed it 23-9 on Wednesday night. The Creating Hope and Opportunity for Students’ Education (CHOOSE) Act provides state funds for eligible families for private school tuition, tutoring or transfer fees to move to another public school.

“Today is a historic day as we officially sign our education savings account bill, the CHOOSE Act, into law,” Ivey said. “Alabama is only the 14th state in the nation to provide families with an education savings account option. Our plan will not only work for Alabama families, it will work for the state and will be effective and sustainable for generations to come.

“With the CHOOSE Act, Alabama will now be a leader when it comes to school choice. And I am hopeful that this will make a difference for Alabama families. Let me also be clear that my commitment to public education remains unrelenting. At the end of the day, we want every Alabama student – no matter the zip code, no matter the school – to receive a quality education. Strong students will lead to a strong Alabama, and a strong Alabama is our goal.”

The bill will give Alabama families up to $7,000 in Education Savings Accounts, or ESAs, to go towards eligible education expenses like private school tuition. Lawmakers are scheduled to allocate $100 million each year to fund ESAs and the first ESAs will be available for Alabama families in time for the 2025-2026 school year.