After a seven-year battle, lawmakers passed what some have called the first universal voucher program in the nation.

During the past month the $9.2 million program was debated, passed, signed, amended and now could be facing a possible lawsuit over its constitutionality.

The Parents for Choice in Education Act provides Utah families a private school tuition voucher ranging from $500 to $3,000 per student, scaled to income based on who qualifies for federal reduced-price school lunch.

"With vouchers parents can find the education that is best for their children," said Parents for Choice in Education spokeswoman Nancy Pomeroy. "Public schools can't do it all and private schools can't do it all, but together we can."

The measure received Senate approval 19-10 after squeaking out of the House.

The bill was quickly signed by the governor.

But days later another bill surfaced, amending the new law, giving the State Office of Education an additional $100,000 to run the voucher program. The additional bill also requires teachers at schools where voucher students are enrolled to have background checks and requires the state to perform an audit of the program in five years instead of seven. That bill received final passage Wednesday.

State education leaders said they were grateful for the changes that would make a difficult process run more smoothly.

"Regardless of how you come down politically on school vouchers, we all want a good roll out for the state," said Patti Harrington, state superintendent of public instruction. "None of us want to see obstacles because we are serving students and their parents, and that demands careful and thoughtful administration."

Harrington said even before the bill was signed into law state education leaders started working on rules of implementation for the program. Those drafts will go before the State Board of Education next week. Staff to oversee the program will be hired most likely this month, she said.

But the new law could end up in court.

"A group of representatives from the Public Education Coalition are continuing to meet to consider possible legal action, but no decisions have been made," said Vik Arnold, government relations specialist for the Utah Education Association, the state's largest teachers organization.

However, leaders from Parents for Choice in Education, the group behind the voucher law, aren't batting an eye.

"It's something we expected — every time vouchers have existed in other states, they have been most likely challenged," Pomeroy said.

Parents for Choice in Education leaders are confident the law will withstand a court challenge.

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