{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.scott.senate.gov/media-center/press-releases/scott-and-chairman-alexander-introduce-school-choice-now-act/", "Scott and Chairman Alexander Introduce School Choice Now Act", "2020-07-22", "2020", "2020-07", "Republican", "Senate", "SC", "Tim Scott", "S001184", "www.scott.senate.gov", "timscott", "https://www.scott.senate.gov/media-center/press-releases/jsf/jet-engine:press-list", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senator Tim Scott (R-S.C.), Congressional School Choice Caucus co-chair, introduced the School Choice Now Act \u2013 legislation that ensures all students will return to their pre-pandemic educational institutions. Senator Scott was joined by Senate Education Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-TN).\n\n\u201cGrowing up in a single-parent household in a distressed neighborhood, I fully understand what it means to be overlooked and underserved. As a supporter of School Choice legislation, I am a firm believer that a child\u2019s zip code should not dictate his or her access to quality education nor define the child\u2019s future,\u201d said Senator Tim Scott. \u201cWe must ensure that all children have access to the necessary resources and opportunities \u2013 education included \u2013 to live a successful life. I\u2019m thankful for the support of Chairman Alexander and hope that my colleagues will support our nation\u2019s most vulnerable youth by passing this legislation.\u201d\n\n\u201cAll parents, regardless of income or circumstance, should be able to decide which school best meets their child\u2019s needs, whether that school is public or private,\u201d Alexander said. \u201cThe School Choice Now Act provides scholarships to students to have the opportunity to return to the private school they attended before the pandemic\u2014and gives other students a new opportunity to attend private school.\u201d\n\n\u201cChildren in all K-12 schools, public and private, have been affected by COVID-19,\u201d Alexander continued. \u201cMany schools are choosing not to reopen and many schools are failing to provide high-quality distance learning. The students who will suffer from this experience the most are the children from lower income families. This bill will give families more options for their children\u2019s education at a time that school is more important than ever.\u201d\n\n\u201cAs a result of the coronavirus pandemic, more than 76 million American students had to finish their school year from home earlier this year. Many students will have modified schooling in the fall,\u201d said Sen. Cruz. \u201cThe School Choice Now Act includes provisions of my Education Freedom Scholarships and Opportunity Act, giving public school, private school, and homeschool families the resources they need to ensure their students have access to a quality education in these uncertain times, and ushering in a new era of choice and opportunity in education.\u201d\n\nThe School Choice Now Act, if passed, would:\n\nProvide one-time, emergency appropriations funding for scholarship-granting organizations in each state.\n\nScholarship-granting organizations would be authorized to use the one-time funding to provide families with direct educational assistance, including private school tuition and home-schooling expenses\n\nParents could choose the academic instruction that works best for their child\n\nProvide permanent dollar-for-dollar federal tax credits for contributions to scholarship-granting organizations, capped at $5 billion per year\n\nAllow states to create their own tax credit scholarship program that works for the unique needs of students in their state\n\nProhibit federal control of education to ensure that all education providers may be able to participate without fear of federal control\n\nSenator Scott has been a longtime champion of smart, common-sense education policy that puts students and families first. In conjunction with National School Choice Week and his Opportunity Agenda, Senator Scott introduced the Creating Hope and Opportunity for Individuals and Communities Through Education Act, or the CHOICE Act. The CHOICE Act would give military families, families of students with disabilities, and low-income students in Washington, D.C.\u2014together totaling more than 6.2 million students nationwide\u2014access to greater educational opportunity.\n\nSenator Scott and Chairman Alexander will be releasing a joint video this week on the importance of the School Choice Now legislation.\n\nFull text of the bill is available HERE.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-06-28T00:18:24Z"]], "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.scott.senate.gov/media-center/press-releases/scott-and-chairman-alexander-introduce-school-choice-now-act/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8410180453211069, "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"}