WASHINGTON – After introducing the Educational Choice for Children Act in June, U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) today announced the addition of Heritage Action for America and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to the list of endorsements for the legislation that includes the Invest in Education Foundation, Association of Christian Schools International, the Defense Freedom Institute, the American Federation for Children, and Agudath Israel of America.
Cassidy was joined by Senators Tim Scott (R-SC), Steve Daines (R-MT), and Todd Young (R-IN) in introducing the legislation. U.S. Representative Jackie Walorski (R-IN-02) introduced the legislation in the House of Representatives.
Jessica Anderson, Executive Director of Heritage Action for America: “For far too long, American students have had their educational options limited by their ZIP code. Now, after witnessing unending school lockdowns and failure after failure from the education establishment, parents are demanding education freedom across the country. It is encouraging to see lawmakers responding and introducing bold proposals like the Educational Choice for Children Act, which would create a tax-credit program for those who give to programs that fund K-12 education scholarships for students in need. More policymakers at the state and national levels should be working on innovative proposals like this to put parents back in the driver’s seat of their children’s education. Education freedom takes power back from the hands of woke federal bureaucrats and returns it to the parents, where it belongs. When conservatives regain control of Congress, they must continue advancing proposals to support education freedom, parents, and children alike.”
Bishop of Spokane Thomas Daly, Chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Committee on Catholic Education: “The Educational Choice for Children Act does not create a new federal education program, nor does it compel states to create a new program. Rather the act provides students opportunity for scholarships exclusively through individual or corporate philanthropy. The act does not infringe on states’ rights, nor the rights of religious and private institutions, and the government is not allowed to intrude into the religious identity or mission of a private school. These protections ensure that private and religious institutions can participate, including almost six thousand U.S. Catholic schools. I am very grateful for your work on this legislation and your efforts to ensure the program is open to all students in all sectors. The prospect of expanded educational choice for families will benefit American education and better serve our children.”
Cassidy and Scott wrote a joint opinion piece on the importance of their legislation for parents and students in The Washington Times.
The Educational Choice for Children Act:
- Provides $10 billion in annual tax credits to be made available to taxpayers. Allotment of these credits to individuals would be administered by the Treasury Department.
- A base amount will be set for each state and then the credits are distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis.
- Uses a limited government approach with respect to federalism, thus avoiding mandates on states, localities, and school districts.
- Includes provisions that govern Scholarship Granting Organizations (SGOs), as SGOs are given the ability to determine the individual amount of scholarship awards.
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