Supporters say the benefits to schoolkids outweigh other considerations. Critics say it is well-intentioned but will siphon money from roads, prisons and higher education. Informed, objective appraisals are hard to find. One is the Legislative Council, the research arm of the General Assembly. By state statute, a highway fund fed by sales tax would be first on the chopping block.
Opponents argue that's too much uncertainty.
I don't think anyone knows the full impact of the amendment. Colorado's Amendment 23 is unique because of the Taxpayers' Bill of Rights, which limits how much tax money government agencies can spend. If Ohio, for example, wants to spend more money on state programs, they can do that. Perhaps the measure closest to Amendment 23 on the 2000 ballot is Washington's Initiative 728, which taps into that state's budget surplus to spend more money on schools. Like Amendment 23, it would allow voters to skirt a state spending cap.