(AP) — Mississippi could spend more on a program that subsidizes private school attendance by children with special education needs, despite opposition by some House members.

The House and Senate on Thursday passed a final negotiated version of Senate Bill 3049 that includes $27 million in special projects paid for with surplus money from last year’s state budget.

Among those projects is an additional $2 million for Education Scholarship Accounts.

Supporters had sought more money, citing a large number of people on the waiting list. However, House Education Committee Chairman Richard Bennett has said he opposed more money because a legislative report raised questions about the program’s effectiveness and because it faces a renewal deadline next year.

House Speaker Philip Gunn tells reporters the money is a “Senate priority.”