{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.bennet.senate.gov/2026/09/17/bennet-collins-celebrate-house-passage-of-their-bill-to-expand-tax-deduction-to-include-early-childhood-educators/", "Bennet, Collins Celebrate House Passage of their Bill to Expand Tax Deduction to Include Early Childhood Educators", "2026-09-17", "2026", "2026-09", "Democrat", "Senate", "CO", "Michael F. Bennet", "B001267", "www.bennet.senate.gov", "bennet", "https://www.bennet.senate.gov/news/page/", "scraper", "Bill Now Heads to President\u2019s Desk to be Signed Into Law\n\nWashington, D.C. \u2014 Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet, a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance, and Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine), a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, celebrated the House passage of their Supporting Early-Childhood Educators\u2019 Deductions (SEED) Act. This legislation would help early childhood educators cover the cost of supplies, books, and other classroom materials by allowing them to claim the above-the-line $350 tax deduction currently available only to K-12 teachers. The SEED Act served as the legislative vehicle for passage of the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, which has now passed the House of Representatives and the United States Senate.\n\n\u201cEarly childhood educators should be able to claim the same tax deduction available to elementary and secondary school teachers, and I hope the President will sign this legislation immediately,\u201d said Bennet. \u201cAs the former Superintendent of Denver Public Schools, I know firsthand how often educators dip into their own pockets to provide school supplies for their students \u2013 this bill ends an unfair double standard and ensures that those who teach our youngest kids are supported.\u201d\n\n\u201cIn Maine and across the country, we are fortunate to have so many dedicated educators who work hard to ensure that every child has a learning environment that is safe, welcoming, and enriching. Despite tight personal budgets, it is truly remarkable how often teachers use money out of their own pockets to purchase classroom supplies for their students,\u201d said Collins. \u201cAs the author of the original tax credit for K-12 teachers, I am delighted to help expand this benefit to pre-K educators. I thank Senator Bennet for his partnership in this effort to provide early childhood educators with well-deserved tax relief, and I look forward to seeing it signed into law.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe are deeply grateful to Senators Collins and Bennet, and Representatives Fitzpatrick, Panetta, Valadao and Goodlander, and the bipartisan lawmakers in both chambers who championed the SEED Act and helped get it across the finish line,\u201d said Sarah Rittling, Executive Director of First Five Years Fund (FFYF). \u201cWe look forward to building on this momentum and continuing to advance bipartisan solutions that strengthen child care for families, educators, and communities across the country.\u201d\n\n\u201cNAEYC applauds the bipartisan passage of the Supporting Early Childhood Educators\u2019 Deductions Act, which reimburses early childhood educators for the out-of-pocket classroom expenses they take on to improve children\u2019s learning environments, as K-12 educators have long been able to do,\u201d said Paola Andujar, Senior Policy Specialist the National Association for the Education of Young Children. \u201cWe are grateful that Congress is taking a step to recognize the complex, skilled, professional work of early childhood educators which lays the foundation for the youngest children to thrive. We look forward to building on this effort to support the early childhood education workforce by continuing to push for needed investments in quality ECE and compensation for early childhood educators working in all settings.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe earliest years of a child\u2019s life are among the most important for their development, and early childhood educators play a critical role during those years. Yet too often, these educators reach into their own pockets to buy the books, supplies, and materials they need to support the children in their classrooms,\u201d said Allison Dembeck, Head of Policy, Save the Children. \u201cWe are pleased to see the bipartisan SEED Act on the verge of becoming law, giving early childhood educators access to the same tax deduction already available to K-12 teachers. This is a meaningful and long-overdue recognition of the educators who care for and teach our youngest children, and an investment in children and their futures.\u201d\n\n\u201cExecutives Partnering to Invest in Children (EPIC) strongly supports the bipartisan Supporting Early-Childhood Educators\u2019 Deductions (SEED) Act. Early childhood educators support children\u2019s development and learning during their most formative years while enabling parents to participate in the workforce and helping our businesses and communities thrive. Yet these essential professionals, who already earn modest wages, too often pay out of pocket for the books, supplies and materials children need, said Nicole Riehl, President and CEO, Executives Partnering to Invest in Children. \u201cExtending the federal educator expense deduction to early childhood educators is a commonsense step that recognizes their invaluable work and strengthens the workforce of today while investing in the workforce of tomorrow. EPIC thanks Senator Michael Bennet and Senator Susan Collins, along with their bipartisan House partners, for championing this important legislation.\u201d\n\nBennet and Collins first introduced the SEED Act in 2021. In 2023, they reintroduced the legislation and expanded the total tax credit from $250 to $300.\n\nThe SEED Act is supported by a broad coalition of education and child advocacy organizations, including the Center for American Progress, the American Federation of Teachers, Teach For America, the First Five Years Fund, and Trying Together.\n\nThe text of the bill is available HERE.\n\n###", 1, "2026-09-18T09:27:43Z", "2026-09-18T09:29:09Z"]], "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://www.bennet.senate.gov/2026/09/17/bennet-collins-celebrate-house-passage-of-their-bill-to-expand-tax-deduction-to-include-early-childhood-educators/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8164560422301292, "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"}