{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://sinema.house.gov/latest-news/sinema-and-biggs-working-to-protect-innovative-arizona-state-university-education-program/", "Sinema and Biggs Working to Protect Innovative Arizona State University Education Program", "2017-11-14", "2017", "2017-11", "Democrat", "House", "AZ", "Kyrsten Sinema", "S001191", "sinema.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Congresswoman Kyrsten Sinema (AZ-09) and Congressman Andy Biggs (AZ-05) today called on lawmakers to protect an important tax provision that helps Arizona students enter the workforce and pay for higher education.\u00a0\r\n\r\n\t\u00a0\r\n\r\n\tThe Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (H.R. 1) currently eliminates Section 127, Employer-Provided Education Assistance, which allows employers to exclude from income up to $5,250 per year in tuition assistance to eligible employees.\u00a0\r\n\r\n\t\u00a0\r\n\r\n\tArizona State University and Starbucks partnered in 2014 to create the Starbucks College Achievement Plan. Through this program, Starbucks offers all of its benefits-eligible employees full tuition coverage to earn a bachelor\u2019s degree\u00a0through ASU. Starbucks leverages Section 127 to pay for this benefit.\r\n\r\n\t\u00a0\r\n\r\n\t\u201cThis is an example of the kind of creative partnership between industry and academia that the United States needs to answer its education needs of the future and give every American the opportunity to succeed,\u201d\u00a0wrote Sinema and Biggs.\u00a0\u201cEliminating this exclusion threatens and potentially ends this innovative program that is helping Arizonans get ahead.\u201d\r\n\r\n\t\u00a0\r\n\r\n\tSinema has stressed the need for tax reform and has called for an open process that includes input from members of both sides of the aisle.\r\n\r\n\t\u00a0\r\n\r\n\t\u201cThe tax code is in desperate need of reform that prioritizes middle class families, job creation, and fiscal discipline,\u201d\u00a0said Sinema.\u00a0\u201cTax reform means restructuring our tax code to provide long-term relief for hardworking Arizonans, stimulate our economy, reduce the deficit, and keep our country globally competitive long into the 21st century.\u00a0I am concerned this initial proposal does not pass the test.\u201d\r\n\r\n\t\u00a0\r\n\r\n\t\u00a0\r\n\r\n\tRead the full letter here:", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://sinema.house.gov/latest-news/sinema-and-biggs-working-to-protect-innovative-arizona-state-university-education-program/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9935430716723204, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}