{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://reichert.house.gov/press-release/house-members-introduce-teacher-tax-relief-act", "House Members Introduce Teacher Tax Relief Act", "2014-09-18", "2014", "2014-09", "Republican", "House", "WA", "Dave Reichert", "R000578", "reichert.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C. \u2013 Yesterday, Representatives Dave Reichert, Jim McDermott, Aaron Schock, Ron Kind, Pat Tiberi, and Bill Pascrell introduced the Teacher Tax Relief Act, H.R. 5504, to make permanent the deduction allowed for teachers who purchase classroom supplies out of pocket and expands the deduction to the include professional development expenses.\n\u201cToo often teachers spend their own hard-earned money in order to provide their students with basic school supplies,\u201d said the Representatives. \u201cOur bill will alleviate some of the financial burden placed on today\u2019s teachers while also making a significant investment in the education and the futures of America\u2019s children. This bipartisan legislation will allow teachers to expand their knowledge, keep skills current, and equip themselves and their students for success.\u201d\nDirector of NEA Government Relations Mary Kusler said, \u201cEducators nationwide who work to create successful learning environments for all of their students\u00a0appreciate the leadership and support of the bipartisan sponsors of this bill. \u00a0In recent years, educators have spent $1.6 billion of their own money to ensure their students have basic supplies and instructional materials that help them meet their goals. Providing educators with a modest tax deduction that will now keep pace with inflation, is an important recognition of educators\u2019 daily sacrifices on behalf of the students they serve.\u201d\nBACKGROUND  \n\tEvery year educators across the country foot the bill for basic classroom supplies out of dedication to teaching and to their students.\u00a0 In fact, the National School Supply and Equipment Association found that for the 2005-2006 school year educators spent out of their own pockets an average of $826 for supplies and $926 for instructional materials \u2013 for a total of $1,752.\nAdditionally, teacher quality is critical to maximize student achievement, as highly qualified teachers will enable students to meet high standards. Continued professional development is one vital way that teachers keep their skills and knowledge current, and best equip themselves to prepare students for college and the challenges of the 21st Century global workplace. Expanding the tax deduction to cover qualified continuing education pursuits further assures the success of our teachers and our children.\u00a0 The legislation is written to adjust for inflation so that the deduction keeps pace with the growing cost to teachers.", 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": ["http://reichert.house.gov/press-release/house-members-introduce-teacher-tax-relief-act"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.4047781005501747, "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"}