A Republican bill that would require Colorado students to demonstrate proficiency in the English language in order to graduate high school will debut before a senate committee Thursday. 

Sen. Shawn Mitchell, R-Broomfield, will present Senate Bill 98 to the Senate Education Committee. Essentially the same bill passed the Democrat-led Committee last year when it was sponsored by Sen. Chris Romer, D-Denver, and passed the full Senate as well but later died in the House. 

SB 98 is part of the Republican legislative agenda for 2008 that was unveiled last fall. 

Waving off pleas to give parents more educational options for children with special needs, majority Democrats on a Senate committee today thwarted a Republican bill offering tuition assistance so those kids can attend private schools.

Senate Bill 142--authored by assistant Senate GOP leader Nancy Spence, and sponsored in the House by Republican Rep. Spencer Swalm--would have started a pilot program in Denver Public Schools granting $3,000 in public funding toward the private-schooling of any child who isn't being well served by a neighborhood school.

"Parents will be given flexibility and choice for the first time," Spence told members of the Senate Education Committee, on which she is the ranking Republican member. "(This has) been an area where the state and federal governments have failed to provide adequate resources."

Two hours later--after extensive testimony--the committee's four Democrats voted to kill Spence's bill over Republican objections. The bill was part of the the Republicans' legislative agenda for 2008.