ATLANTA (AP) — Students with legal refugee status could be eligible for special needs scholarships under a bill approved by the Georgia House.

Lawmakers voted in favor, 155 to 16, on Monday.

Sponsoring Republican Rep. Randy Nix of LaGrange says about 700 school-age children with legal refugee status determined by the federal government live in Georgia. He says expanding the existing scholarship program will prevent students with low or zero knowledge of English from being placed in schools where they cannot learn.

The bill now goes to the Senate for consideration.

The special needs scholarship program lets parents request a transfer from a public school to another in Georgia or to authorized private schools. It now includes students with disabilities including autism or behavioral disorders and those who cannot hear or see.