Senate education committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) cosponsored the “School Choice Now Act,” legislation introduced today by committee member Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), saying the bill will give families “more options for their children’s education at a time that school is more important than ever.”

“All parents, regardless of income or circumstance, should be able to decide which school best meets their child’s needs, whether that school is public or private,” Alexander said. “The School Choice Now Act provides scholarships to students to have the opportunity to return to the private school they attended before the pandemic—and gives other students a new opportunity to attend private school.”

“Children in all K-12 schools, public and private, have been affected by COVID-19,” Alexander continued. “Many 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’s education at a time that school is more important than ever.”

The School Choice Now Act:

Provides scholarships to students to have the opportunity to return to the private school they attended before the pandemic—and gives other students a new opportunity to attend private school—by doing two things:

1. Providing one-time, emergency funding for “scholarship-granting organizations” – these are non-profits that do the important work of helping students attend private schools – in each state.

2. Providing permanent dollar-for-dollar federal tax credits for contributions to scholarship granting organizations.