WASHINGTON — As National School Choice Week comes to a close, U.S. Senator Tuberville (R-AL) joined U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and U.S. Representative Adrian Smith (R-NE-03) to introduce the Educational Choice for Children Act to expand educational opportunities for students by providing a donation incentive for individuals and businesses who fund scholarships for public and private K-12 education expenses.
“There is no better cause than creating educational opportunities for our next generation of leaders,” said Senator Tuberville. “Incentivizing greater investment in school choice will empower parents and students to make the decision best for them. I’m proud to support this legislation to ensure our students can achieve the brightest future possible.”
The Educational Choice for Children Act would:
- Provide $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.
- Use a limited government approach with respect to federalism, thus avoiding mandates on states, localities, and school districts.
- Include provisions that govern Scholarship Granting Organizations (SGOs), as SGOs are given the ability to determine the individual amount of scholarship awards.
Numerous school choice advocacy groups endorsed the legislation, including the Invest in Education Coalition, American Federation for Children, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Heritage Action, Home School Legal Defense Association, Agudath Israel, Orthodox Union, Association of Christian Schools International, CAPE, Excel in Education, and former U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos.
U.S. Senators John Cornyn (R-TX), Steve Daines (R-MT), Roger Wicker (R-MS), John Barrasso (R-WY), Tim Scott (R-SC), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Mike Braun (R-IN), Rick Scott (R-FL), Todd Young (R-IN), John Boozman (R-AR), Josh Hawley (R-MO), Thom Tillis (R-NC), and Katie Britt (R-AL) also sponsored the legislation.
House cosponsors include U.S. Representatives Burgess Owens (R-UT-04), Mike Kelly (R-PA-03), Elise Stefanik (R-NY-21), Virginia Foxx (R-NC-05), Rudy Yakym (R-IN-02), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA-01), Guy Reschenthaler (R-PA-14), Jim Jordan (R-OH-04), Patrick McHenry (R-NC-10), Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY-11), Michelle Steel (R-CA-45), Claudia Tenney (R-NY-24), Rick Allen (R-GA-12), Mike Flood (R-NE-01), Russell Fry (R-SC-07), Erin Houchin (R-IN-09), Jake LaTurner (R-KS-02), Mike Lawler (R-NY-17), Julia Letlow (R-LA-05), Barry Loudermilk (R-GA-11), Nancy Mace (R-SC-01), Dan Meuser (R-PA-09), John Moolenaar (R-MI-02), John Rutherford (R-FL-05), Maria Salazar (R-FL-27), and Joe Wilson (R-SC-02).
BACKGROUND
As a former educator, mentor, and coach for more than 40 years, Senator Tuberville believes in the power of a quality education to transform someone’s life. He continues to advocate for legislation that expands school choice opportunities. This week, he helped re-introduce the Children Have Opportunities in Classrooms Everywhere (CHOICE) Act to allow low-income families with children in grades K-12 to use federal education funds for educational options that best fit their needs. Senator Tuberville also helped introduce a resolution recognizing National School Choice Week as January 22-28, 2023. He emphasized the need for school choice in remarks on the Senate floor, and called on the U.S. Department of Education (ED) to reconsider proposed rules to redefine the Charter School Program (CSP) that would strip parents of the ability to choose the best school for their child.
Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs, and HELP Committees.
###
