ATLANTA--State Rep. Simone Bell (HD 58 ­ Atlanta) and Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver (HD 82 ­ Decatur) introduced House Bill 456, known as the Anti-Discrimination Act. HB 456 seeks to ensure that schools receiving money from Student Scholarship Organizations (SSOs) are not discriminating based on race, gender, national origin, religion, sexuality or disability.

The Anti-Discrimination Act was introduced in January as part of the House Democrats' 2013-2014 legislative agenda. HB 456 also highlights the need for oversight and transparency because the law currently forbids SSOs from disclosing how the money is spent. SSOs were originally created as scholarship programs to help students in failing public schools to enroll in private schools. There have been numerous reports by national media outlets and foundations focused on education exposing the discriminatory practices by SSOs.

"We have long held that children should not be denied access to education,"said Rep. Bell. "No child should be a victim of discrimination or have their education threatened. As a state representative, I will continue to fight for this fundamental right for all children."

"Georgians deserve to know how their money is being spent. The private institutions using public tax dollars must be held to the same standards of accountability as public schools," said Rep. Oliver. "Discrimination against the LGBT community is always wrong, and the taxpayers should not fund it."