{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://walker.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/two-walker-bills-help-churches-and-charities-promote-educational-freedom", "Two Walker Bills to Help Churches and Charities Promote Educational Freedom Pass the House", "2019-12-17", "2019", "2019-12", "Republican", "House", "NC", "Mark Walker", "W000819", "walker.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Representative Mark Walker (R-N.C.) today released the following statement after provisions and initiatives from the Lessening Impediments From Taxes (LIFT) for Charities Act and the Scholarships for Opportunity and Results (SOAR) Act were included in the end-of-year government funding packages:\nIncluding these provisions and initiatives will help break the cycle of poverty in North Carolina and across the rest of the country. Churches, charities, and schools are better equipped to empower Americans and pave the way for future prosperity. These provisions will improve school choice and increase graduation rates, while also ensuring that the critical work of churches and charities is not restricted by burdensome taxes and fees.\nThe LIFT for Charities Act would eliminate a measure that requires churches, charities, and traditionally tax-exempt organizations to pay federal taxes on provided employee benefits. Without the inclusion of this legislation, employee benefits such as parking spots, provided meals, and transportation could be subject to taxation and strenuous compliance processes.\nWalker has championed the SOAR Act, which would reauthorize funding for D.C. public schools, charter schools, and the Opportunity Scholarship Program (OSP) for five years. This program has proven successful in the past, serving more than 10,000 low-income students in the District of Columbia and allowing them to attend any private school of their families' choosing. The current funding package would reauthorize this program through 2023.\nThis legislation and the accompanying rule passed the House in a 297-120vote. You can read the full text 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://walker.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/two-walker-bills-help-churches-and-charities-promote-educational-freedom"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.071565017104149, "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"}